Coupled biogeochemical cycles of Fe and C during redox cycling in Fe-rich wetland soils of Iceland
ETH Zurich
Lay summary
On volcanic islands, rapid weathering of tephra parent materials results in volcanic soils (Andosols) with a high abundance of poorly-crystalline iron and aluminum minerals. Owing to their high specific surface area and thus high capacity for sorption, poorly-crystalline mineral phases are important to storage of soil organic carbon (SOC). In the Andosols of Iceland, SOC immobilization is further augmented by cooler climates, which slow microbial turnover rates. However, changing climate patterns are expected to alter the hydrologic regimes of high latitude soils, thus changing the frequency of redox cycles and microbial activity. Because mobilization of SOC is coupled to the reductive dissolution of (poorly-crystalline) iron minerals under reducing conditions, increased redox-cycling in Iceland’s Andosols is likely to influence iron and carbon cycling and storage. In this project, in-situ field experiments combined with laboratory-based soil incubation studies will probe the coupled biogeochemical cycles of iron and carbon in organic-rich Andosols of Iceland. The data gathered here will help to understand SOC storage potential of high latitude Andosols; information which is critical to accurately predict global carbon cycling under changing climate patterns.
Details
Regional focus | Arctic |
Location | Iceland, low-elevation (<200 m) wetlands near Hestfjörður or Selfoss, high-elevation (<600 m) wetlands inland |
Funded amount | 15,000 CHF |
Project dates | 1st June 2020 – 31st October 2021 |
Category | Polar Access Fund |