CAREER: Persistence of soil organic matter in dynamic landscapes: interactive effects of fire and erosion

火灾、侵蚀和土壤碳(C)储量和持久性在空间和时间上是重叠的。在动态景观中，火与土壤物质侵蚀分布的相互作用如何以及为什么控制大块土壤有机质（SOM）和热原碳（PyC，也称为黑碳）的持久性，目前还不完全了解。这项工作将使用分子和纳米尺度的技术来确定SOM的持久性如何在多个空间（地块、山坡和流域）和时间尺度（季节、年度和年代际）上变化。该项目的结果将是更好地整合生物地球化学和地貌学方法，以获得在经常经历不止一次扰动的动态景观中调节SOM持久性的机制的改进表示。这个CAREER项目将提高对适应火的高地生态系统中大量SOM和PyC动态的理解，并使研究生和本科生以及K-12教师的教学成为可能。这项研究将在以下方面产生变革性的结果：(a)解释易火系统中碳储量的变化，以及(b)易火高地生态系统对气候和/或管理实践变化的响应模型。此外，研究人员将：(1)对本科生和高中教师进行关键带的教学，并制定和发布高中地球系统科学课程计划；(2)为研究生和博士后提供科学培训；(3)学习先进的技术，她将应用于她的研究和教学。

Fire, erosion, and soil carbon (C) storage and persistence overlap in space and time. There is incomplete understanding on how and why the interaction of fire and erosional distribution of soil materials control persistence of bulk soil organic matter (SOM) and pyrogenic C (PyC, also referred to as black carbon) in dynamic landscapes. This work will use molecular- and nano-scale techniques to determine how SOM persistence varies along multiple spatial (plot, hillslope, and watersheds) and temporal scales (seasonal, annual, and decadal). The outcome of this project will be better integration of biogeochemical and geomorphological approaches to derive improved representation of mechanisms that regulate SOM persistence in dynamic landscapes that routinely experience more than one perturbation. This CAREER project will develop improved understanding on the dynamics of bulk SOM and PyC in fire-adapted upland ecosystems and enable teaching of graduate and undergraduate students, and K-12 teachers. This study will generate transformational results in the way to (a) account for changes in C storage in fire-prone systems, and (b) model response of fire-prone upland ecosystems to changes in climate and/or management practices. Moreover, the investigator will: (1) teach undergraduate students and high school teachers about the critical zone, and develop and publish lesson plans for high-school level earth system science; (2) provide scientific training for a graduate student and a postdoc; and (3) learn advanced techniques that she will apply in her research and teaching.