HR: 1340h
AN: B23D-1588    [Abstracts]
TI: Natural Terrestrial Sequestration Potential of Highplains Prairie to Subalpine Forest and Mined-Lands Soils Derived from Weathering of Tertiary Volcanics
AU: * Yager, D B
EM: dyager@usgs.gov
AF: U.S. Geological Survey, P.O. Box 25046, Denver Federal Center, Denver, CO 80225, United States
AU: Burchell, A
EM: a_burchell@comcast.net
AF: NCS, P.O. Box 3671, Boulder, CO 80307, United States
AU: Robinson, R
EM: rob_robinson@blm.gov
AF: U.S. Bureau of Land Management, 2850 Youngfield Street, Lakewood, CO 80215, United States
AU: Odell, S
EM: stephanie_odell@blm.gov
AF: U.S. Bureau of Land Management, Durango Public Lands Center 15 Burnett Court, Durango, CO 81301, United States
AU: Dick, R P
EM: RichardDick@snr.osu.edu
AF: Ohio State University, School of Environmental and Natural Resources, 2021 Coffey Road, Columbus, OH 43210, United States
AU: Johnson, C A
EM: cjohnso@usgs.gov
AF: U.S. Geological Survey, P.O. Box 25046, Denver Federal Center, Denver, CO 80225, United States
AU: Hidinger, J
EM: Hidinger.Jack@epamail.epa.gov
AF: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1595 Wynkoop, Denver, CO 80202-1129, United States
AU: Rathke, D
AF: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1595 Wynkoop, Denver, CO 80202-1129, United States
AB: There is now widespread agreement that, if the climate is to be stabilized, then net greenhouse gas emissions must be greatly reduced (IPCC, 2007). The need to reduce net CO₂ emissions plus the possible economic and environmental ramifications of not addressing climate change have stimulated important atmospheric carbon mitigation actions, as well as, studies to understand and quantify potential carbon sinks. Soils represent a potentially large and environmentally significant natural carbon reservoir. Increasing the natural terrestrial sequestration potential (NTS) of soils is among the seven, "Sokolow CO₂ stabilization wedges' or carbon management strategies needed to thwart doubling of atmospheric CO₂. Additionally, high plains to subalpine temperate soils tend to be less susceptible to baseline C pool declines due to global warming than are warmer regions and are important ecosystems in which to quantify soil carbon storage capacity. To examine the potential of magnesium silicate-bearing soils to sequester additional carbon, we sampled 60 high plains prairie to subalpine forest soil horizons derived from weathering of Tertiary-age dacite-andesite- basalt compositions in Colorado, U.S.A.: the San Luis Valley, San Juan Volcanic Field, Grand Mesa, White River- Roan Plateau (Flat Tops), Rocky Mountain National Park, Front Range and propylitically-altered terrain in the western San Juan Volcanic field containing secondary magnesium silicates (chlorite-species). Data for C, N, O (total conc., isotopes), metals, major and trace elements, Hg, S, microbial enzymes (β-glucosidase, arylsulfatase, acid neutralizing capacity (ANC), and ¹⁴C radiocarbon dates are reported. Samples demonstrate variable but elevated C relative to average global soil C. In particular, the propylitically-altered rocks have a high instantaneous ANC in laboratory tests (> 20 kg/ton CaCO₃ equivalent) and derivative forest soils containing low-temperature charcoal "burn" horizons have high total organic carbon contents (12-14 Wt.% in the A-B horizons; 0 to 30 cm). These data are important to understanding the carbon sequestration potential that soils derived from intermediate to mafic igneous rocks can provide. Additionally, for range or forest management and mine waste remediation scenarios, this data suggests C mitigation efforts may be augmented by ‘geomimicry' scenarios whereby projects model and enhance natural processes that support CO₂ sequestration.
DE: 0428 Carbon cycling (4806)
DE: 0429 Climate dynamics (1620)
DE: 0466 Modeling
DE: 0486 Soils/pedology (1865)
SC: Biogeosciences [B]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting