Articles | Volume 7, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-661-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-661-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
The effects of sealing on urban soil carbon and nutrients
Roisin O'Riordan
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, United Kingdom
Invited contribution by Roisin O'Riordan, recipient of the EGU Soil System Sciences Outstanding Student Poster and PICO Award 2019.
Jess Davies
Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, United Kingdom
Centre for Global Eco-Innovation, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, United Kingdom
Carly Stevens
Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, United Kingdom
John N. Quinton
Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, United Kingdom
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This preprint is open for discussion and under review for SOIL (SOIL).
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We investigated how the soil degradation status of smallholder grazing, classified using remote sensing, in two districts of Western Kenya, compared with measured soil parameters at 90 sites. Grouping sites using soil data had some agreement with the remote sensing (RS) classification. Overall, our results suggest that supplementing RS methods with microbial biomass C, soil P, percent C and N, and soil pH, could enhance our ability to identify degraded soils and target restoration efforts.
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Floods, droughts, and heatwaves are increasing globally. This is often attributed to CO2-driven climate change. However, at the global scale, CO2-driven climate change neither reduces precipitation nor adequately explains droughts. Land-use change, particularly soil sealing, compaction, and drainage, is likely to be more significant for water losses by runoff leading to flooding and water scarcity and is therefore an important part of the solution to mitigate floods, droughts, and heatwaves.
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We used experimental data to model two phosphorus-limited grasslands and investigated their response to nitrogen (N) deposition. Greater uptake of organic P facilitated a positive response to N deposition, stimulating growth and soil carbon storage. Where organic P access was less, N deposition exacerbated P demand and reduced plant C input to the soil. This caused more C to be released into the atmosphere than is taken in, reducing the climate-mitigation capacity of the modelled grassland.
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SOIL, 7, 53–70, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-53-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-53-2021, 2021
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Particulate macronutrient concentrations were up to 3-fold higher in a natural forest catchment compared to fertilized agricultural catchments. Although the particulate macronutrient concentrations were lower in the smallholder agriculture catchment, because of higher sediment loads from that catchment, the total particulate macronutrient loads were higher. Land management practices should be focused on agricultural land to reduce the loss of soil carbon and nutrients to the stream.
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Short summary
As urban populations grow, soil sealing with impermeable surfaces will increase. At present there is limited knowledge on the effect of sealing on soil carbon and nutrients. We found that, in general, sealing reduced soil carbon and nutrients; however, where there were additions due to human activity, soil carbon and nutrients were increased. This suggests that there is a legacy soil carbon store in areas with an industrial past and highlights the influence of artefacts in urban soil.
As urban populations grow, soil sealing with impermeable surfaces will increase. At present...