CAREER: Quantifying the lifespan of agricultural soils

University Of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst MA

Investigators

Abstract

Soil erosion reduces soil fertility, resulting in diminished agricultural production that ultimately threatens food security. The cost of soil erosion in the U.S. reaches tens of billions of dollars annually. Despite recognition of the need to conserve soil, there are still major uncertainties regarding the magnitude of soil erosion in the U.S. and there is virtually no information on rates of soil formation in agricultural landscapes. Motivated by the need to address basic research questions in human-impacted landscapes, the study will assess the balance between soil erosion and formation rates in one of the world's most agriculturally significant regions, the Midwestern U.S. The research is integrated with an education plan that will train the next generation of scientists to generate knowledge that helps society address pressing sustainability problems. The lifespan of agricultural soils will be assessed by quantifying the balance between soil production and soil erosion rates at sites in multiple Midwestern states. A suite of field and geochemical measurements will be used to quantify the magnitude of soil loss, determine rates of soil production, and assess factors that influence the storage of soil organic carbon. Field and geochemical data will be used to calibrate numerical landscape evolution models that will be used to make landscape scale predictions of carbon storage and the magnitude of soil loss.