Rapid carbon accumulation in soil rapidly forming in the Southern Alps of New Zealand

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dc.contributor.authorRaines, Een_AU
dc.contributor.authorHua, Qen_AU
dc.contributor.authorDosseto, Aen_AU
dc.contributor.authorLukens, CEen_AU
dc.contributor.authorDeslippe, JRen_AU
dc.contributor.authorNorton, KPen_AU
dc.date.accessioned2023-01-19T22:28:13Zen_AU
dc.date.available2023-01-19T22:28:13Zen_AU
dc.date.issued2021-11-17en_AU
dc.date.statistics2022-06-03en_AU
dc.description.abstractBiota contribute 3-7 orders of magnitude more potential energy to landscapes than climate or tectonics alone. This potential energy is quantified as the system’s net primary productivity (NPP), i.e., the net gain of photosynthetically sourced carbon. The effects of biological energy on landscape evolution is likely highly non-negligible, yet, has proven difficult to properly quantify in the past. Current methods for quantifying NPP vary in accuracy and can involve careful and costly study over the course of many years. The associated costs are often prohibitive for geomorphic studies. Therefore, NPP is not a commonly included measurement made in such studies. While relating biological to geomorphic processes in rapidly forming soils could help increase the predictive ability of current geomorphic models, a more suitable method for quantifying NPP is required to make this possible. Here, we present a novel method combining uranium and carbon isotopes that can be used for quantifying soil NPP. The study was carried out on a rapidly forming, New Zealand soil. The uranium isotope composition of the soil was used to derive a soil age of 178 years. Given the soil’s age, the soil production rate is 1.7 mm yr-1 which is one of the most rapid every quantified. Geomorphic models fail to predict such rapid soil production by a factor of ~2. Carbon-14 (14C) was also isolated from the same soil and quantified by AMS. The 14C measurements allow for the soil organic carbon (SOC) mean residence time (MRT) to be calculated. Utilizing a commonly employed biogeochemical model, the MRT allows for the calculation of the concentration of SOC as a function of time. In the rapidly forming soil, we measured a SOC content of 536 g-C m-1. Employing MRT and SOC to calculate the expected age of soil yielded a predicted soil age of 408 years. The discrepancy in MRT predicted age and the observed soil age indicates that the biogeochemical model fails to predict the rate of carbon accretion in the rapidly forming soil by a factor of ~2. The work presented here is the first biogeochemical characterization of a soil forming more rapidly than current geomorphic models can accurately determine. Both the observed soil NPP and the soil formation rate exceed current model predictions. It is possible that a causal relationship exists, however, further cocharacterization of biological energy input rates and soil formation rates is needed to test this hypothesis. © The Authorsen_AU
dc.identifier.citationRaines, E., Hua, Q., Dosseto, A., Lukens, E. E., Deslippe, J. R., & Norton, K. P. (2021). Rapid carbon accumulation in soil rapidly forming in the Southern Alps of New Zealand. Paper presented to the 15th International Conference on Accelerator Mass Spectrometry. ANSTO Sydney, Australia. November 15th – 19th, 2021, (pp. 83). Retrieved from: https://ams15sydney.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/AMS-15-Full-Program-and-Abstract-Book-R-1.pdfen_AU
dc.identifier.conferenceenddate19 November 2021en_AU
dc.identifier.conferencename15th International Conference on Accelerator Mass Spectrometryen_AU
dc.identifier.conferenceplaceSydney, Australiaen_AU
dc.identifier.conferencestartdate15 November 2021en_AU
dc.identifier.pagination83en_AU
dc.identifier.uriRetrieved from: https://ams15sydney.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/AMS-15-Full-Program-and-Abstract-Book-R-1.pdf.en_AU
dc.identifier.urihttps://apo.ansto.gov.au/dspace/handle/10238/14423en_AU
dc.language.isoenen_AU
dc.publisherAustralian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisationen_AU
dc.subjectCarbonen_AU
dc.subjectSoilsen_AU
dc.subjectAlpsen_AU
dc.subjectNew Zealanden_AU
dc.subjectTectonicsen_AU
dc.subjectIsotopesen_AU
dc.subjectUranium isotopesen_AU
dc.subjectHypothesisen_AU
dc.titleRapid carbon accumulation in soil rapidly forming in the Southern Alps of New Zealanden_AU
dc.typeConference Abstracten_AU
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