by Alain | Jan 6, 2019 | Peer approved
Happy to announce the publication of:
Solihat NN, T Acter, D Kim, AF Plante and S Kim. (2019) Analyzing solid-phase natural organic matter using laser desorption ionization ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometry. Analytical Chemistry. 91:951-957. doi:10.1021/acs.analchem.8b04032. Collaborators at Kyungpook National University in Daegu, South Korea have been working on laser desorption methods for solid phase high resolution mass spectrometry analysis of natural organic matter. The study represents our first tests of the method using powdered IHSS humic and fulvic acids as well as soil. We demonstrate a proof-of-principle that highly sensitive, direct, molecular level analysis of solid-phase NOM from unprocessed soil samples and minimum sample preparation is possible.
by Alain | Oct 17, 2018 | In other news
The Terrestrial Biogeochemistry Laboratory in the Department of Earth and Environmental Science of the University of Pennsylvania invites applicants for competitive Ph.D. fellowships in soil carbon biogeochemistry. Projects seek to quantify and characterize the recalcitrant pools of pyrogenic and geogenic carbon in soils. We’ll examine chemical transformations and dissolution as mechanisms controlling their fate in the critical zone. Positions are ideal for candidates who have completed an MSc in soil science, geosciences, environmental chemistry, ecosystem science or related fields, but outstanding BSc graduates in such programs will be considered. For further information, please contact Dr. Alain Plante by email (aplante@sas.upenn.edu) or consult the department website (www.sas.upenn.edu/earth). Applications can be submitted directly online (https://www.applyweb.com/upenng/) before December 15.
by Alain | Jun 5, 2018 | Peer approved
Happy to announce the publication of:
Williams EK, ML Fogel, AA Berhe and AF Plante. (2018) Distinct bioenergetic signatures in particulate versus mineral-associated soil organic matter. Geoderma. 330:107-116. doi:10.1016/j.geoderma.2018.05.024. This paper was part of Elizabeth Williams’s research program while at the University of Calfornia, Merced, which we expanded on using thermal analysis of the density fractionation samples. We found that light-fraction particulate SOM and heavy-fraction mineral-associated SOM had distinct thermal analysis, and thus bioenergetic, and chemical signatures. These signatures provided further insight into their composition and mechanisms of stabilization in soils from a climosequence from the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California.
by Alain | Jan 4, 2018 | Peer approved
Happy to announce the publication of:
Apesteguia, M., Plante, A.F., and I. Virto (2018) Methods assessment for organic and inorganic carbon quantification in calcareous soils of the Mediterranean region. Geoderma Regionaldoi:10.1016/j.geodrs.2017.12.001. This paper was part of Marcos Apesteguia’s PhD dissertation at the Universidad Pública de Navarra in Pamplona, Spain. Marcos visited the last a few years back to run a thermal analyses to determine if we could use the technique to distinguish and quantify organic and inorganic carbon in carbonate-rich soils from Spain. We compared our thermal method to several conventional methods and found it performed very well.
by Alain | Nov 28, 2017 | Peer approved
Pleased to announce the recent publication of:
Virto, I., Anton, R., Apesteguia, M., Plante, A.F., 2018. Role of carbonates in the physical stabilization of soil organic matter in agricultural Mediterranean soils. available here.
This is Chapter 9 (pages 121-136) in the book Soil Management and Climate Change: Effects on Organic Carbon, Nitrogen Dynamics, and Greenhouse Gas Emissions edited by Maria Ángeles Muñoz and Raúl Zornoza and published by Academic Press (ISBN: 978-0-12-812128-3). The book provides a state of the art overview of recent findings and future research challenges regarding physical, chemical and biological processes controlling soil carbon, nitrogen dynamic and greenhouse gas emissions from soils.
Our chapter focuses on the role of carbonates as indirect agents of the physical stabilization of organic C through their impact on soil structure. We describe a series of studies conducted in northern Spain to examine the particularities of carbonate-rich soil horizons in terms of structure development and stabilization. Through a series of studies, we propose a set of hypotheses to explain the relationship between soil mineralogy, soil architecture, and organic matter protection in carbonate-rich soils.
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