MRI: Acquisition of Instrumentation for the Analysis of Carbon and Nitrogen in Soil and Sediment for an Undergraduate Research Program

土壤退化是一个重大的全球性环境问题。免耕耕作和集约放牧等农业生态方法有可能恢复土壤肥力，减少农业对环境的影响，并恢复土壤作为碳汇的功能。退化的牧场是地球上最普遍的土地覆盖之一，在南卡罗来纳州皮埃蒙特地区很常见，具有提高农业生产力和碳固存的巨大潜力。这项主要研究仪器（MRI）奖将资助用于收集土壤碳数据的分析设备，这将增加对南卡罗来纳州皮埃蒙特地区当前和未来土壤质量及其与土地利用（如牧场和城市草坪）关系的理解。更好地了解山前土壤的性质可以改善土壤管理，从而影响该地区的流域水文和水质。仪器获取的一个主要目标是训练本科生使用研究级仪器并解释数据，为他们就业和研究生教育做好准备。使用该仪器的学生将进行土壤生物地球化学研究，其结果将直接惠及当地致力于减轻土壤退化的农民。学生将从与农民的互动中受益，了解农业生态系统对社会的重要性。除了弗曼大学的本科生（主要是女性），研究人员还将通过现有的研究和教育项目让高中生参与进来。此外，福尔曼在两个东南文理学院联盟中的成员身份也为几所传统黑人学院的本科生提供了参与的机会。该项目由核磁共振项目和刺激竞争性研究实验项目（EPSCoR）共同资助。具体来说，该奖项为购买LECO TruMac系列CN宏观测定仪提供资金，用于分析土壤和沉积物的碳和氮含量。这一工具将扩大与弗曼大学流域研究倡议有关的研究活动，包括对陆地和水生生物地球化学的研究。最初，该仪器将用于分析从南卡罗来纳皮埃蒙特农场收集的土壤样本。本研究的主要目的是了解集约放牧和免耕种植对土壤有机碳（SOC）和土壤有机氮（SON）的改善作用。其中一个农场于2012年开始集约放牧，并将在未来10年或更长时间内跟踪不同深度的SOC和SON的变化。第二个目标是量化牧场土壤作为碳汇的潜力。

Soil degradation is a major global environmental problem. Agroecological methods such as no-till farming and intensive grazing have potential to restore soil fertility, reduce the environmental impacts of agriculture, and restore soil function as a sink for carbon. Degraded pasture land, one of the most prevalent land covers on Earth and common in the South Carolina Piedmont, presents significant potential for increased agricultural productivity and carbon sequestration. This Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) award funds analytical equipment that will be used to collect soil carbon data which will increase understanding of current and future soil quality, and its relationship to land uses such as pasture and urban lawns, in the South Carolina Piedmont. Better understanding of the properties of Piedmont soils may lead to improved soil management, which in turn can influence watershed hydrology and water quality in the region. A major objective of instrumentation acquisition is to train undergraduates to use research grade instruments and to interpret the data, preparing them for both employment and graduate education. Students using this instrument will conduct research in soil biogeochemistry, and results will directly benefit local farmers working to mitigate soil degradation. Students will benefit from interaction with farmers, gaining understanding of the importance of agroecosystems to society. In addition to involving undergraduate students (who are predominantly female) from Furman University, the researchers will involve high school students through research and education programs already in place. Also, Furman's membership in two consortia of southeastern liberal arts colleges provides the opportunity to involve undergraduates from several Historically Black Colleges. This project is jointly funded by the MRI program and the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).Specifically, this award funds the acquisition of a LECO TruMac Series CN Macro Determinator to analyze the carbon and nitrogen content of soils and sediments. This instrument will expand the research activities associated with the River Basins Research Initiative at Furman University to include studies of terrestrial, as well as aquatic, biogeochemistry. Initially, the instrument will be used to analyze soil samples from soil cores collected from farms in the South Carolina Piedmont. The primary objective of this research is to understand how intensive grazing and no-till planting improve soil organic carbon (SOC) and soil organic nitrogen (SON). One of the farms began intensive grazing in 2012, and changes in SOC and SON at different depths will be tracked over the next 10 years or more. A secondary objective is to quantify the potential for pasture soils to serve as carbon sinks.