Rapid Shifts in Soil Organic Carbon Mineralization within Sodic Landscapes

Abstract

Sodic soils have poor plant growth and thus carbon (C) inputs are reduced compared to nonsodic soils. Soil samples were taken from three sodic zones: 1) patch-center, 2) transition, and 3) adjacent at three sites located in southwest North Dakota. Soil sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) was highest at patch centers (mean of three sites, SAR = 306), and then declined to transition (SAR = 29.5) and was lowest at adjacent (SAR = 9.21). The labile C pool showed an inverse relationship with SAR. In the northern Great Plains, C dynamics is highly variable and can be strongly controlled by the development and persistence of sodic soils.

Keywords:

• slickspots
• sodic soil
• sodium adsorption ratio
• soil carbon mineralization

Acknowledgment

Authors thank Rakesh Awale for his help in soil and gas sample analyses and reviewers for their valuable suggestions and comments.

Notes

Color versions of one or more of the figures in the article can be found online at www.tandfonline.com/uasr.