CAREER: Human-induced Soil Change on the U.S. Great Plains

人类引起的土壤变化是由农业土地利用驱动的。农田土壤变化的两个重要驱动因素包括灌溉和加速侵蚀和沉积。该项目旨在更好地了解人类对大平原土壤的影响--这是一种对美国经济竞争力至关重要的资源。这将增进我们对北美最大的地理省份内自然资源的了解，并提高农业系统面对极端天气的应变能力。将特别关注土壤储存碳能力的变化，这是一项重要的气候变化缓解战略。这项教育和推广计划将邀请研究生和高级本科生参加暑期实地课程，将创新的教学方法应用于本科生的土壤判断，并使用艺术和技术鼓励中学生进行科学探索。大平原上的土壤状况有许多未知之处。这一地区厚厚的深色表土往往掩盖着退化，直到它达到高级阶段。该计划将通过测试以下假设来揭示人类活动-人类驱动的土壤形成-如何导致可测量的土壤变化：(1)灌溉和侵蚀导致的碳汇的长期影响改变了大平原土壤中的碳储存模式，(2)可以基于土地利用预测土壤发展的矢量，以及(3)人类对延伸到底土的土壤结构有可测量的影响。20世纪中后期收集的土壤数据将被用作量化土壤变化的参考点，包括土壤有机碳、容重、碳酸钙当量、颗粒分布、土壤颜色、粘土膜和土壤结构。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Human-induced soil change is driven by agricultural land-use. Two important drivers of soil change in agricultural lands include irrigation and accelerated erosion and deposition. This project seeks to better understand human impact on Great Plains soils – a resource vital to U.S. economic competitiveness. This will enhance our understanding of natural resources within the largest physiographic province in North America and improve resilience of agricultural systems in the face of extreme weather. Special attention will be given to alterations in the soils’ capacity to store carbon, an important climate change mitigation strategy. The education and outreach program will engage graduate students and advanced undergraduates in a summer field course, apply innovated pedagogies within undergraduate soil judging, and use art and technology to encourage scientific exploration among middle school students.Much is unknown about the state of soils on the Great Plains. This region’s thick, dark topsoil often masks degradation until it reaches an advanced stage. The program will uncover how anthropedogenesis — human-driven soil formation — has led to measurable soil change by testing the following hypotheses: (1) long-term impacts of irrigation and the erosion-induced carbon sink have altered patterns of carbon storage in Great Plains soils, (2) the vector of soil development can be predicted based on land-use, and (3) humans have a measurable effect on soil structure that extends into the subsoil. Soil data collected in the mid to late 20th century will be used as a reference point for quantifying soil change, including soil organic carbon, bulk density, calcium carbonate equivalent, particle size distribution, soil color, clay films, and soil structure.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.