Angelo Coast Range Reserve

04 Aug, 01 AM - 04 Aug, 11 AM

Sesquioxides are ubiquitous minerals in the environment. They are important constituents of almost all soils and are common nanocrystallines in the environment. These oxides are usually highly reactive because of their large specific surface areas and high proportion of reactive surface hydroxyl groups. The reactivity of oxide surfaces is important for adsorption of anions, variable charge, soil physical characteristics, and mobility and transport of nutrients, pollutants and nanoparticles in the environment. But, we know very little about how concentration and size of different oxides affects desorption kinetics of organic matter (OM), and how different sizes and species of oxides aggregate and move through the soil system. This is particularly important and timely issue because anticipated future climatic changes in places like California could disrupt the current OM-sesquioxide association through their effect on weathering as well as availability and mobility of OM. This proposed postdoctoral research project will characterize mechanisms and controlling variables of oxide reactivity, aggregation and transport in soils with different mineralogy in order to advance our understanding on the fate of nanocrystalline oxides in the environment, and their contribution to carbon sequestration and global change. The proposed work will have broad impacts in several areas related to terrestrial biogeochemistry, environmental geochemistry, mineralogy and global change science. This study will determine if there exist (1) thresholds of oxide concentration beyond which OM-oxide associations become irreversible; (2) concentration of OM that results in aggregation of fine oxide particles beyond the nano-range; and (3) a relationship between oxide reactivity and aggregation with transport of nanoparticles in the soil system.

Visit #13385 @Angelo Coast Range Reserve

Approved

Under Project # 8152 | Research

Pedogenic responses to changes in amount and seasonality of rainfall

research_scientist - University of California, Berkeley

Reservation Members(s)

asmeret berhe Aug 4, 2007 (1 days)
asmeret berhe Aug 4, 2007 (1 days)

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Day use 2 Aug 4 (10 hours)