Data compilation, synthesis, and calculations used for organic-carbon storage and inventory estimates for mineral soils of the Mississippi River Basin
Professional Paper
1686-A
By: Gary R. Buell and Helaine W. Markewich
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Abstract
U.S. Geological Survey investigations of environmental controls on carbon cycling in soils and sediments of the Mississippi
River Basin (MRB), an area of 3.3 x 106 square kilometers
(km2), have produced an assessment tool for estimating the storage and inventory of soil organic carbon (SOC) by using soil-characterization data from Federal, State, academic, and literature sources. The methodology is based on the linkage
of site-specific SOC data (pedon data) to the soil-association
map units of the U.S. Department of Agriculture State Soil Geographic (STATSGO) and Soil Survey Geographic (SSURGO) digital soil databases in a geographic information
system. The collective pedon database assembled from individual sources presently contains 7,321 pedon records representing 2,581 soil series. SOC storage, in kilograms per square meter (kg/m2), is calculated for each pedon at standard
depth intervals from 0 to 10, 10 to 20, 20 to 50, and 50 to 100 centimeters. The site-specific storage estimates are then regionalized to produce national-scale (STATSGO) and county-scale (SSURGO) maps of SOC to a specified depth. Based on this methodology, the mean SOC storage for the top meter of mineral soil in the MRB is approximately 10 kg/m2, and the total inventory is approximately 32.3 Pg (1 petagram = 109 metric tons). This inventory is from 2.5 to 3 percent of the estimated global mineral SOC pool.
Suggested Citation
Buell, G.R., and Markewich, H., 2004, Data compilation, synthesis, and calculations used for organic-carbon storage and inventory estimates for mineral soils of the Mississippi River Basin (Online version 1.0): U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1686, 51 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/pp1686A.
ISSN: 2330-7102 (online)
| Publication type | Report |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | USGS Numbered Series |
| Title | Data compilation, synthesis, and calculations used for organic-carbon storage and inventory estimates for mineral soils of the Mississippi River Basin |
| Series title | Professional Paper |
| Series number | 1686 |
| Chapter | A |
| DOI | 10.3133/pp1686A |
| Edition | Online version 1.0 |
| Year Published | 2004 |
| Language | ENGLISH |
| Description | 51 p. |