Collecting large soil monoliths

Allaire, Suzanne A; Bochove, Éric van

doi:10.4141/s05-062

Cited by 13 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…The extraction method and the casing of the monolith followed the cylindrical method of Allaire & van Bochove (2006). The casing was made of 0.05‐m thick ABS of 0.45‐m diameter and 0.40‐m high.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soil‐gas diffusivity in large soil monoliths

Lange

Allaire

Rolston

2009

European J Soil Science

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The variability of gas diffusion in soil is not well known, but is important for assessing greenhouse gas emissions, soil decontamination, oxidation in soil and plant and root respiration. The goal of this study was to assess small-scale variability of the relative soil-gas diffusivity (D s / D o , m soil air m −1 soil ) using large intact soil monoliths and to compare D s / D o calculation methods. Neon (Ne) was maintained constant at the lower boundary of three monoliths of two soils (a sand and an organic soil). Ne concentration was measured at large spatial and temporal frequencies. Calculation methods included the use of average concentration, and average D s / D o per horizon, per section, or for the entire soil profile. Considering all sections of the monoliths, D s / D o varied from 3.5 × 10 −3 to 1.2 × 10 −1 for the A p horizon and from 4.8 × 10 −3 to 8.3 × 10 −1 for the B f horizon in the sand and from 1.0 × 10 −3 to 7.9 × 10 −3 for the O hp horizon and from 2.4 × 10 −4 to 7.7 × 10 −2 for the O f horizon in the organic soil. For the entire soil profile, variations in D s / D o between monoliths reached 125% in the sand and 56% in the organic soil. The D s / D o calculation method influenced the apparent variability (CV) of D s / D o and, to a lesser extent, D s / D o values of the overall soil profile. Differences in D s / D o between monoliths could not be explained solely by the variability of total soil porosity and air-filled porosity. Soil macroporosity (cracks and earthworm burrows) and layering greatly influenced variability of gas movement. Thus, the choice of sampling procedure, calculation method and modelling must be governed by the scale of the processes of interest and soil variability attributes.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soil‐gas diffusivity in large soil monoliths

Lange

Allaire

Rolston

2009

European J Soil Science

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“…While relatively straightforward, for repacked soil columns this method does not account for in situ diffusion through macropores that are destroyed on repacking and that can otherwise have a big influence on total diffusivity (Lange et al, 2009). Even intact soil columns are usually not large enough to include all macro features (Allaire and van Bochove, 2006). This problem can be partly alleviated by instead measuring diffusion in intact soil monoliths in the lab (>0.5 m on a side, Allaire et al, 2008).…”

Section: Published January 30 2014mentioning

confidence: 99%

Determining the Diffusivity of Nitrous Oxide in Soil using In Situ Tracers

Shcherbak

Robertson

2014

Soil Science Society of America Journal

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“…1) is a vertical section of soil profile preserved in its natural (undisturbed) condition. Soil monoliths are used in teaching and for demonstration purposes (Allaire and van Bochove, 2006) as well as in comparative studies in variety of disciplines (e.g., pedology, soil chemistry, hydrology, plant science, biometeorology, biology, engineering). They are portable and allow an easy comparison of numerous soil types.…”

Section: Innovative Curriculamentioning

confidence: 99%

Virtual Soil Monoliths: Blending Traditional and Web-Based Educational Approaches

Kržić

Strivelli

Holmes

et al. 2013

Natural Sciences Education

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Since soil plays a crucial role in all aspects of global environmental change, it is essential that post‐secondary institutions provide students with a strong foundation in soil science concepts including soil classification. The onset of information technology (IT) and web‐based multimedia have opened new avenues to better incorporate traditional, static educational resources such as soil monoliths into post‐secondary teaching and learning. The objective of this study was to develop an open access, web‐based educational tool entitled “Virtual Soil Monoliths” (VSM) (http://soilweb.landfood.ubc.ca/monoliths/), based on a soil monolith collection at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Vancouver, Canada. With 197 monoliths, the UBC collection is the second largest of its nature in Canada, but due to poor storage and displays it has been underutilized in teaching. The VSM tool was developed by a team of scientists, instructional designers, IT specialists, and students and integrated into the Introduction to Soil Science course at UBC to support lectures and laboratory sections on parent material identification and soil classification. Student feedback indicated the VSM tool was helpful in facilitating student achievement of learning objectives related to basic soil classification and soil identification skills. Students used the VSM tool to complete assignments in the Introduction to Soil Science course, and students pointed out that the high‐resolution monolith photographs were the most useful feature of the tool. This study provides a framework for incorporating inventory‐type learning resources into an interactive teaching tool and a “living” educational resource that helps students grasp connections across disciplines.

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Collecting large soil monoliths

Cited by 13 publications

References 34 publications

Soil‐gas diffusivity in large soil monoliths

Soil‐gas diffusivity in large soil monoliths

Determining the Diffusivity of Nitrous Oxide in Soil using In Situ Tracers

Virtual Soil Monoliths: Blending Traditional and Web-Based Educational Approaches

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