Degradation of moist soil aggregates by rapid temperature rise under low intensity fire

Albalasmeh, Ammar; Berli, Markus; Shafer, David S.; Ghezzehei, Teamrat A.

doi:10.1007/s11104-012-1408-z

Cited by 48 publications

(44 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…Degradation of aggregates during fire (Albalasmeh et al, 2013) is likely to render aggregate-protected C susceptible to potential losses through oxidative decomposition, leaching, and erosion. Moreover, in systems such as the Sierra Nevada, which are dominated by steep slopes, movement of the rain-snow transition zone upward is likely to increase proportion of precipitation that occurs as rain.…”

Section: Climate Change Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The degree of alteration caused by fires depends on the fire intensity and duration, which in turn depend on factors such as the amount and type of fuels, properties of aboveground biomass, air temperature and humidity, wind, topography, and soil properties such as moisture content, texture, and SOM content (DeBano et al, 1998). The first-order effects of fire on soil are caused by the input of heat, causing extreme soil temperatures in topsoil (Badía and Martí, 2003b;Neary et al, 1999), which results in loss and transformation of SOM, changes in soil hydrophobicity, changes in soil aggregation, loss of soil mass, and addition of charred material and other combustion products (Albalasmeh et al, 2013;Araya et al, 2016;Mataix-Solera et al, 2011;Rein et al, 2008;Santos et al, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Thermal alteration of soil organic matter properties: a systematic study to infer response of Sierra Nevada climosequence soils to forest fires

Araya¹,

Fogel²,

Berhe³

2017

SOIL

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Abstract. Fire is a major driver of soil organic matter (SOM) dynamics, and contemporary global climate change is changing global fire regimes. We conducted laboratory heating experiments on soils from five locations across the western Sierra Nevada climosequence to investigate thermal alteration of SOM properties and determine temperature thresholds for major shifts in SOM properties. Topsoils (0 to 5 cm depth) were exposed to a range of temperatures that are expected during prescribed and wild fires (150, 250, 350, 450, 550, and 650 • C). With increase in temperature, we found that the concentrations of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) decreased in a similar pattern among all five soils that varied considerably in their original SOM concentrations and mineralogies. Soils were separated into discrete size classes by dry sieving. The C and N concentrations in the larger aggregate size fractions (2-0.25 mm) decreased with an increase in temperature, so that at 450 • C the remaining C and N were almost entirely associated with the smaller aggregate size fractions (< 0.25 mm). We observed a general trend of 13 C enrichment with temperature increase. There was also 15 N enrichment with temperature increase, followed by 15 N depletion when temperature increased beyond 350 • C. For all the measured variables, the largest physical, chemical, elemental, and isotopic changes occurred at the mid-intensity fire temperatures, i.e., 350 and 450 • C. The magnitude of the observed changes in SOM composition and distribution in three aggregate size classes, as well as the temperature thresholds for critical changes in physical and chemical properties of soils (such as specific surface area, pH, cation exchange capacity), suggest that transformation and loss of SOM are the principal responses in heated soils. Findings from this systematic investigation of soil and SOM response to heating are critical for predicting how soils are likely to be affected by future climate and fire regimes.

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Section: Climate Change Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Thermal alteration of soil organic matter properties: a systematic study to infer response of Sierra Nevada climosequence soils to forest fires

Araya¹,

Fogel²,

Berhe³

2017

SOIL

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“…However, controlled burns can still exceed 3008C, albeit briefly, and cause significant breakdown of soil structure and loss of soil organic matter (Albalasmeh et al 2013). In a continuous cropping system on the south coast of Western Australia, an intense fire caused by a lightning strike significantly reduced soil organic matter and water repellency in a water-repellent sandy soil.…”

Section: Agricultural Land Usementioning

confidence: 99%

Management options for water-repellent soils in Australian dryland agriculture

Roper

Davies²,

Blackwell³

et al. 2015

Soil Res.

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Abstract. Water-repellent ('non-wetting') soils are a major constraint to agricultural production in southern and south-west Australia, affecting >10 Mha of arable sandy soils. The major symptom is dry patches of surface soil, even after substantial rainfall, directly affecting agricultural production through uneven crop and pasture germination, and reduced nutrient availability. In addition, staggered weed germination impedes effective weed control, and delayed crop and pasture germination increases the risk of wind erosion. Water repellency is caused by waxy organic compounds derived from the breakdown of organic matter mostly of plant origin. It is more prevalent in soils with a sandy surface texture; their low particle surface area : volume ratio means that a smaller amount of waxy organic compounds can effectively cover a greater proportion of the particle surface area than in a fine-textured soil. Water repellency commonly occurs in sandy duplex soils (Sodosols and Chromosols) and deep sandy soils (Tenosols) but can also occur in Calcarosols, Kurosols and Podosols that have a sandy surface texture. Severity of water repellency has intensified in some areas with the adoption of no-till farming, which leads to the accumulation of soil organic matter (and hence waxy compounds) at the soil surface. Growers have also noticed worsening repellency after 'dry' or early sowing when break-of-season rains have been unreliable.Management strategies for water repellency fall into three categories: (i) amelioration, the properties of surface soils are changed; (ii) mitigation, water repellency is managed to allow crop and pasture production; (iii) avoidance, severely affected or poorly producing areas are removed from annual production and sown to perennial forage. Amelioration techniques include claying, deep cultivation with tools such as rotary spaders, or one-off soil inversion with mouldboard ploughs. These techniques can be expensive, but produce substantial, long-lasting benefits. However, they carry significant environmental risks if not adopted correctly. Mitigation strategies include furrow-seeding, application of wetting agents (surfactants), no-till with stubble retention, on-row seeding, and stimulating natural microbial degradation of waxy compounds. These are much cheaper than amelioration strategies, but have smaller and sometimes inconsistent impacts on crop production. For any given farm, economic analysis suggests that small patches of water repellency might best be ameliorated, but large areas should be treated initially with mitigation strategies. Further research is required to determine the long-term impacts of cultivation treatments, seeding systems and chemical and biological amendments on the expression and management of water repellency in an agricultural context.

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“…Hydrophobicity would then imply an increased potential for runoff, with the overlying ash layer being a potential source of sediment. Additionally, experimental evidence suggests the rate of change in soil temperature during a fire can destroy soil aggregates (Albalasmeh et al, 2013) eliminating pathways for water to enter the soil, also resulting in increased runoff. During each field visit, several soil properties were measured either in the field or in the laboratory from collected samples.…”

Section: Soil Measurementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, the soil structure deteriorated from a strong, definable pre-burn structure to a weakly cohesive, massive unstructured surface soil immediately after the burn (Figure 10). The change in structure may be due to the expansion of vaporized water in the soil pores that would have destroyed flow paths, and altered air and water flow properties as indicated by Albalasmeh et al (2013).…”

Section: Soil Properties and Hydraulic Characterizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Monitoring Soil Erosion of a Burn Site in the Central Basin and Range Ecoregion: Final Report on Measurements at the Gleason Fire Site, Nevada

Miller

Etyemezian

Shillito

et al. 2013

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The increase in wildfires in arid and semi-arid parts of Nevada and elsewhere in the southwestern United States has implications for post-closure management and long-term stewardship for Soil Corrective Action Units (CAUs) on the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) for which the Nevada Field Office of the United States Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration has responsibility. For many CAUs and Corrective Action Sites, where closure-in-place alternatives are now being implemented or considered, there is a chance that these sites could burn over at some time while they still pose a risk to the environment or human health, given the long half-lives of some of the radionuclide contaminants. This study was initiated to examine the effects and duration of wildfire on wind and water erodibility on sites analogous to those that exist on the NNSS. The data analyzed herein were gathered at the prescribed Gleason Fire site near Ely, Nevada, a site comparable to the northern portion of the NNSS.Quantification of wind erosion was conducted with a Portable In-Situ Wind ERosion Lab (PI-SWERL) on unburned soils, and on interspace and plant understory soils within the burned area. The PI-SWERL was used to estimate emissions of suspendible particles (particulate matter with aerodynamic diameters less than or equal to 10 micrometers) at different wind speeds. Filter samples, collected from the exhaust of the PI-SWERL during measurements, were analyzed for chemical composition. Based on nearly three years of data, the Gleason Fire site does not appear to have returned to pre-burn wind erosion levels. Chemical composition data of suspendible particles are variable and show a trend toward pre-burn levels, but provide little insight into how the composition has been changing over time since the fire.Soil, runoff, and sediment data were collected from the Gleason Fire site to monitor the water erosion potential over the nearly three-year period. Soil hydrophobicity (water repellency) was noted on burned understory soils up to 12 months after the fire, as was the presence of ash on the soil surface. Soil deteriorated from a strong, definable pre-fire structure to a weakly cohesive mass (unstructured soil) immediately after the fire. Surface soil structure was evident 34 months after the fire at both burned and unburned sites, but was rare and weaker at burned sites. The amount of runoff and sediment was highly variable, but runoff occurred more frequently at burned interspace sites compared to burned understory and unburned interspace sites up to 34 months after the burn. No discernible pattern was evident on the amount of sediment transported, but the size of sediment from burned understory sites was almost double that of burned and unburned interspace soils after the fire, and decreased over the monitoring period. Curve numbers, a measure of the runoff potential, did not indicate any obvious runoff response to the fire. However, slight seasonal changes in curve numbers and runoff potential and, theref...

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Degradation of moist soil aggregates by rapid temperature rise under low intensity fire

Cited by 48 publications

References 29 publications

Thermal alteration of soil organic matter properties: a systematic study to infer response of Sierra Nevada climosequence soils to forest fires

Thermal alteration of soil organic matter properties: a systematic study to infer response of Sierra Nevada climosequence soils to forest fires

Management options for water-repellent soils in Australian dryland agriculture

Monitoring Soil Erosion of a Burn Site in the Central Basin and Range Ecoregion: Final Report on Measurements at the Gleason Fire Site, Nevada

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