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

火、侵蚀、土壤碳(C)储存和持久性在空间和时间上是重叠的。关于火和土壤侵蚀分布的相互作用如何以及为什么控制动态景观中大量土壤有机质(SOM)和热解碳(PYC，又称黑碳)的持久性，目前还没有完全的认识。这项工作将使用分子和纳米尺度的技术来确定SOM持久性如何在多个空间尺度(地块、山坡和流域)和时间尺度(季节、年度和年代际)上变化。该项目的成果将是更好地整合生物地球化学和地貌学方法，以更好地反映在经常经历不止一次扰动的动态景观中调节土壤有机质持久性的机制。这一职业项目将增进对火适应的旱地生态系统中大量有机有机质和热解有机碳动态的了解，并使研究生和本科生以及K-12教师能够进行教学。这项研究将在以下方面产生变革性的结果：(A)解释易起火系统中碳储存的变化，以及(B)易起火的旱地生态系统对气候和/或管理做法变化的模型反应。此外，调查员还将：(1)向本科生和高中教师传授临界区知识，并为高中水平的地球系统科学制定和出版教案；(2)为研究生和博士后提供科学培训；(3)学习她将在研究和教学中应用的先进技术。

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.