{"id":23266,"date":"2015-09-18T15:43:17","date_gmt":"2015-09-18T19:43:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/?p=23266"},"modified":"2021-11-10T16:40:25","modified_gmt":"2021-11-10T20:40:25","slug":"usda-scientists-measure-co2-in-soil","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/usda-scientists-measure-co2-in-soil.htm","title":{"rendered":"USDA Scientists Measure CO2 In Soil"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>When most climate researchers consider the role of carbon dioxide around the globe in the current period of accelerated global climate change, they consider carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and how it contributes to warming the Earth. But scientists like Tom Sauer, supervisory research soil scientist with the United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service, have been studying a different side of the carbon dioxide story: the CO2 in soil under our feet.<\/p>\n<p>The carbon dioxide in soil, Sauer observes, is many times higher in concentration than the carbon dioxide above. The interplay among carbon dioxide, oxygen, organic matter and water is complex, and by using specially designed carbon dioxide sensors in the soil, Sauer and other researchers have discovered a great deal about the role of carbon dioxide in the soil environment, how soil dynamics influence global climate change and how important soil health is to the overall health of the globe.<\/p>\n<p>Sauer uses a new soil monitoring method that involves Vaisala carbon dioxide sensors placed directly in the soil. The sensors use unique Carbocap technology to detect the amount of carbon dioxide in the air in spaces between soil particles. Sauer and his postdoc Tom DeSutter modified the sensors for soil use, as they were not originally built for that purpose.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLater, Vaisala came out with sensors specifically for soil, which ironically we\u2019ve never used ourselves,\u201d Sauer says. \u201cThe modified ones have been working great, so we\u2019ve continued to use them.\u201d Sauer and colleagues Xinhua Xiao and Bob Horton at Iowa State University used the sensors at different depths in Midwestern crop lands.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_23258\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-23258\" class=\"wp-image-23258 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/co2_soil_undergrads.jpg\" alt=\"co2 in soil\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/co2_soil_undergrads.jpg 600w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/co2_soil_undergrads-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-23258\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Iowa State University undergrad Dawn Schroeder and undergrad student Karl Bear of Luther College install cylinders for the soil CO2 flux chambers at Iowa State University\u2019s Agronomy and Agricultural Engineering Research Center. (Credit: Tom Sauer)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Sauer\u2019s measurement of soil CO2 gradients was developed to avoid shortcomings of older methods that used a chamber placed on top of the soil surface to measure carbon dioxide emissions. This method had many drawbacks, for example the presence of the chamber changed the airflow and carbon dioxide transfer that actually occurred from the soil.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, the chamber typically would sit on a PVC collar so it would not be placed directly on the soil. The presence of the collar changed soil properties within the collar, typically making it wetter than the soil surrounding it. This would also alter the organic matter decomposition processes compared to the surrounding soil. Chamber measurements were typically time intensive enough that they would only occur once a week, although the potential for hourly measurements existed with more expensive automated chamber systems.<\/p>\n<p>Sauer\u2019s new method involves carbon dioxide sensors placed directly in the soil, so there is no potential for a chamber to change the soil environment and alter the carbon dioxide measurements. Instead, the measurements accurately reflect those in the soil environment. The direct sensor method does not alter carbon dioxide flow as does the chamber method, nor does it change the surface soil profile. Making hourly measurements is not difficult, although the sensors do warm the soil slightly, so measurements more frequent than hourly would not be recommended by Sauer.<\/p>\n<p>Interestingly, the tale of how Sauer happened upon the new soil carbon dioxide gradient measuring method begins with a story of lost luggage. \u201cMy luggage got lost and so did that of a Japanese researcher who was going to the same conference. We shrugged and decided to share a taxi to the hotel together. On the way there, he told me all about how they did soil research in Japan, a place with soil very different from here in the Midwest: It\u2019s volcanic soil, highly porous, not as much water in it like we have here. He was the one who turned me on to the possibility of using these sensors directly in the soil. So it turned out some lost luggage changed my research direction,\u201d Sauer laughs.<\/p>\n<p>Sauer says a major challenge is calculating carbon dioxide flux with the gradient method is determining a diffusion coefficient that accurately estimates airflow through the soil. This coefficient is always changing due to the fact that only half of soil is solid and the other half is porous. \u201cBig changes can happen just because the pores in soil can be dry or wet, or quickly change from one to the other,\u201d said Sauer. \u201cYou need to figure out what the change is, yes, but also how fast it is. That can be quite complicated.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_23259\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-23259\" class=\"wp-image-23259 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/co2_soil_apparatus.jpg\" alt=\"co2 in soil\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/co2_soil_apparatus.jpg 600w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/co2_soil_apparatus-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-23259\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Bowen ratio apparatus at the Shelton Vineyards in Dobson, North Carolina. (Credit: Tom Sauer)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>But Sauer isn\u2019t resting on the gains he\u2019s made thus far. Even newer technology Sauer is getting into involves micro Bowen ratio systems, where air at 1 and 6 centimeters above the soil is drawn into an infrared gas analyzer. The technique, developed with colleagues in North Carolina and Israel has already been used successfully in North Carolina, Iowa, and California.<\/p>\n<p>Although previous methods showed drawbacks to using a chamber to measure soil carbon dioxide emissions, Sauer admits that the sensors he places directly in the soil have drawbacks as well, causing some warming. He reasons that a better-built canopy chamber which disturbs the soil environment less might be the answer.<\/p>\n<p>Sauer is currently working on a new flow-through canopy chamber using a LI-COR infrared gas analyzer that he hopes will counteract drawbacks in previous chamber work. The new method seeks to integrate the role of plants in the surface carbon dioxide measurements. Incorporating plants is an important next step because they take up some of the carbon dioxide just emitted from the soil. Sauer is working on an open-canopy chamber about 5 feet tall that will be also be able to measure evapotranspiration.<\/p>\n<p>Lastly, Sauer\u2019s research has given him some insight into how we might help the planet in terms of global climate change and also help ourselves: Stop tilling soil. \u201cSoil has developed over thousands of years,\u201d he says. \u201cThe slow decomposition of leaves, stems and roots is what builds stable soil organic matter. When you plow the soil, you add air and decompress the soil, accelerating decomposition and releasing more carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. The slower the decomposition, the less carbon dioxide is released and the better the soil quality.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He estimates 50 percent of the native carbon in the soil has been lost through cultivation. \u201cYou can get more carbon into the soil by adding more organic matter. Or you can slow down the rate of decomposition,\u201d said Sauer. \u201cCurrent agricultural practices are still accelerating decomposition and reducing soil organic matter, whereas naturally the rate is quite slow and soil organic matter builds over time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Essentially, he says that what is good for us in terms of soil health is good for the planet as well. \u201cIf we can increase the organic matter and quality of the soil, it will be more resistant to drought and better able to withstand flooding. Also food production will be better,\u201d he says. \u201cBasically, we need to think about soil sustainability in the long term. As a scientist, my goal is to provide information for policymakers, farmers and others to make good decisions about how to treat, protect and maintain the health of our soil for years to come. That is my mission. If you want to keep the planet healthy, you can start by keeping the soil healthy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"color: #808080;\">Top image:\u00a0Tom Sauer adjusts a Bowen ratio apparatus at the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge. (Credit: Kevin Jensen)<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Using CO2 sensors, infrared gas analyzers, canopy chambers and a Bowen ratio apparatus, USDA researchers explore soil CO2 and its implications for surface dwellers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":23257,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,5],"tags":[139,345,60,109,138,144],"class_list":["post-23266","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-earth-atmosphere","category-featured-articles","tag-carbon-dioxide","tag-earth-atmosphere","tag-featured","tag-news-ticker","tag-soil","tag-usda"],"remote_post_permalink":false,"remote_post_featured_image":false,"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>USDA Scientists Measure CO2 In Soil<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Using CO2 sensors, infrared gas analyzers, canopy chambers and a Bowen ratio apparatus, USDA researchers explore CO2 in soil.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/usda-scientists-measure-co2-in-soil.htm\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"USDA Scientists Measure CO2 In Soil\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Using CO2 sensors, infrared gas analyzers, canopy chambers and a Bowen ratio apparatus, USDA researchers explore CO2 in soil.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/usda-scientists-measure-co2-in-soil.htm\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Environmental Monitor\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-09-18T19:43:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-11-10T20:40:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/co2_soil_sauer.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"420\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"470\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Lori Balster\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Lori Balster\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fondriest.com\\\/news\\\/usda-scientists-measure-co2-in-soil.htm#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fondriest.com\\\/news\\\/usda-scientists-measure-co2-in-soil.htm\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Lori Balster\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fondriest.com\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc098253ffd6cd9f653771a15dbd57df\"},\"headline\":\"USDA Scientists Measure CO2 In Soil\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-09-18T19:43:17+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-11-10T20:40:25+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fondriest.com\\\/news\\\/usda-scientists-measure-co2-in-soil.htm\"},\"wordCount\":1278,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fondriest.com\\\/news\\\/usda-scientists-measure-co2-in-soil.htm#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.fondriest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2015\\\/09\\\/co2_soil_sauer.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"carbon dioxide\",\"Earth &amp; 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