Deep Soil: Modeling and Significance of Subsurface Carbon & NitrogenJason James1, Robert Harrison1, Warren Devine2, & Tom Terry3

(1) University of Washington, School of Environmental and Forest Sciences; (2) Engineering and Environment, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA; (3) Sustainable Solutions

Methods How Much Is There? Model Performance

A Ba Bl Bn1 Bn2 C Hg Hk Ho J K L M Ob Ol Ov Sh Sm Tk1 Tk2 Tv V0

50

100

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Soil SeriesSo

il C

(Mg

ha-1

)

O Horizon0-0.20.2-0.50.5-1.01.0-1.51.5-2.02.0-2.5

Depth Interval (m)

†

‡

A Ba Bl Bn1 Bn2 C Hg Hk Ho J K L M Ob Ol Ov Sh Sm Tk1 Tk2 Tv V0

3000

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O Horizon0 - 0.20.2 - 0.50.5 - 1.01.0 - 1.51.5 - 2.02.0 - 2.5

Soil Series

Soil

N (k

g ha

-1)

Depth Interval (m)

‡†

Soil Carbon

Soil Nitrogen

Average Soil C (Mg ha-1)Below 0.2 m: 87.97 (66.3%)Below 0.5 m: 47.47 (35.8%)Below 1.0 m: 26.56 (20.0%)

Average Soil N (kg ha-1)Below 0.2 m: 6396 (73.8%)Below 0.5 m: 4265 (49.2%)Below 1.0 m: 2587 (29.9%)

o 22 study sites in intensively managed plantations across the Pacific Northwest Douglas-fir zone

o Excavator used to dig at least 2.5 m deep soil pits

o Bulk density samples taken at intervals of:

• 0 to 0.2 m• 0.2 to 0.5 m• 0.5 to 1.0 m• 1.0 to 1.5 m• 1.5 to 2.0 m• 2.0 to 2.5 m

o Forest floor gathered from randomly placed 0.3 x 0.3 m quadrat

o Samples analyzed for C & N

Figures 2 & 3. Soil C (Mg ha-1) and soil N (kg ha-1) within each sampled depth interval for 22 forest soils in western Washington and Oregon. † Soil pit excavation impeded by compacted glacial till at 2.0 m. ‡ Soil pit reached igneous bedrock at 1.0 m.

Can Management Practices Alter Deep Soil?

ModelingWe examined 5 models for ability to predict Total C (Ct) and Total N (Nt):

o Langmuir Equation (C & N): Ct = Cmax a D / (1 + a D)

o Logarithmic Function (C & N): Ct = a + b ln(D)

o Type III Exponential Function (C & N): Ct = a eb/D

o First Degree Inverse Polynomial (C only): Ct = D / (a + b D)

o Log-Log Function (N only): ln(Nt) = a * ln(D) + b

Where a, b, and Cmax are fitted constants, and D is depth.

Figure 4. Predicted versus measured soil C for all 22 soils, based on four functions fit to cumulative soil C profiles (0-2.5 m depth).

Figure 5. Predicted versus measured soil N for all 22 soils, based on four functions fit to cumulative soil N profiles (0-2.5 m depth).

Carbon Nitrogen

Prediction to 2.5 m with Data from Surface to 1.0 m

Figure 6. Predicted versus measured soil C based on four functions fit to cumulative soil C profiles to a 1.0-m depth that were subsequently used to predict C to a 2.5-m depth.

Figure 7. Predicted versus measured soil N based on four functions fit to cumulative soil N profiles to a 1.0-m depth that were subsequently used to predict N to a 2.5-m depth.

Soil CarbonStudies indicate:o That ignoring deep soil C can alter conclusions regarding both soil C stocks and fluxes

(Canary, et al. 2000; Harrison, et al. 2011).o That nitrogen fertilization can significantly increase C storage in some soils (Adams, et al.

2005).o That differences in soil C between harvest treatments at Fall River (bole-only, with and

without vegetation control, and total tree plus forest floor removal) become greater deeper in the soil profile (Knight, 2013).

Conceptually, management practices can alter deep soil C through:o Acidification due to fertilization increasing availability of Al-Fe to form organic complexes.o Changes in root input of C to deep soil layers after harvest and during vegetation control.o Changes in dissolved organic matter quantity and quality due to alterations in the forest

floor after harvest, which in turns changes C leaching rate to deeper parts of the profile.

No studies have examined effects of forest management on soil deeper than 1.0 m in the Pacific Northwest. This is a major deficiency in our understanding of soil dynamics.

Soil NitrogenNitrogen leached deeper than 1.0 m is traditionally considered lost to the system. However, significant amounts of N may be found below this depth that may still interact with forest biota. Soils of volcanic origin can develop a significant anion exchange capacity (AEC) due to the presence of allophane, imogolite, ferrihydrite, and other Al-Fe oxides (Strahm and Harrison, 2007).

In addition to playing an important role as a source of water during the dry summer months, volcanically-altered deep soil may be a sink of nitrate, phosphate, and sulfate leached from the surface and a source of these nutrients to trees and other plants.

Adsorption of nitrate to positively charged sites in deeper parts of the soil profile slows the loss of N from leaching and increases the potential for tree uptake or recycling through microbial biomass. Rewetting of dry surface layers during the summer through capillary movement from deep, moist layers could provide an upward flux of nitrate in soils where N is stored at depth.

Although root density greatly decreases below surface horizons, this study found an average maximum rooting depth of 1.4 m with isolated roots found as deep as 2.3 m.

Acknowledgments Thank you to: Bob Gonyea, Burt Hasselberg, Dongsen Xue, Erika Knight, Vitor Gamba, and A.B. Adams.Additional support from Stanley Gessel & William Kreuter Scholarship.

For further information, contact:Jason James

303-547-2792 jajames@uw.eduReferencesCanary, J.D., Harrison, R.B., Compton, J.E., Chappel, H.N. 2000. Additional carbon sequestration following repeated urea fertilization of second-growth Douglas-fir stands in western Washington. For. Ecol. Manage.

Harrison, R.B., Footen, P.W., Strahm, B.D. 2011. Deep Soil Horizons: Contributions and Importance to Soil Carbon pools and in Assessing Whole-Ecosystem Response to Management and Global Change. For. Sci.

Adams, A.B., Harrison, R.B., Sletten, R.S., Strahm, B.D., Turnblom, E.C., Jensen, C.M. 2005. Nitrogen-fertilization impacts on carbon sequestration and flux in managed coastal Douglas-fir stands of the Pacific Northwest. For. Ecol. Manage.

Knight, E. 2013. Effects of organic matter removal and competing vegetation control on soil carbon and nitrogen pools in a Pacific Northwest Douglas-fir plantation. Thesis. University of Washington School of Environmental and Forest Sciences.

Strahm, B.D., Harrison, R.B. 2007. Mineral and organic matter controls on the sorption of macronutrient anions in variable-charge soils. Soil Sci. Soc. Amer.

NARA is led by Washington State University and supported by the Agriculture and Food Research InitiativeCompetitive Grant no. 2011-68005-30416 from the USDA National Institute for Food and Agriculture