Stable carbon isotopes as an indicator for soil degradation in an alpine environment (Urseren Valley, Switzerland)

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Stable carbon isotopes as an indicator for soil degradation in an alpine environment (Urseren Valley, Switzerland)

JournalArticle (Originalarbeit in einer wissenschaftlichen Zeitschrift)

ID	86870
Author(s)	Schaub, Monika; Alewell, Christine
Author(s) at UniBasel	Alewell, Christine
Year	2009
Title	Stable carbon isotopes as an indicator for soil degradation in an alpine environment (Urseren Valley, Switzerland)
Journal	Rapid communications in mass spectrometry
Volume	23
Number	10
Pages / Article-Number	1499-507
Abstract	Analyses of soil organic carbon (SOC) content and stable carbon isotope signatures (delta C-13) Of Soils were assessed for their suitability to detect early stage soil erosion. We investigated the soils in the alpine Urseren Valley (southern central Switzerland) which are highly impacted by soil erosion. Hill slope transects from uplands (cambisols) to adjacent wetlands (histosols and histic to mollic gleysols) differing in their intensity of visible soil erosion, and reference wetlands without erosion influence were sampled. Carbon isotopic signature and SOC content of soil depth profiles were determined. A close correlation of delta C-13 and carbon content (r > 0.80) is found for upland soils not affected by soil erosion, indicating that depth profiles of delta C-13 of these upland soils mainly reflect decomposition of SOC. Long-term disturbance of an upland soil is indicated by decreasing correlation of delta C-13 and SOC W 0.80) which goes in parallel with increasing (visible) damage at the site. Early stage soil erosion in hill slope transects from uplands to adjacent wetlands is documented as an intermediate delta C-13 value (-27.5 parts per thousand) for affected wetland soil horizons (0-12cm) between upland (aerobic metabolism, relatively heavier delta C-13 of -26.6 parts per thousand) and wetland isotopic signatures (anaerobic metabolism, relatively lighter delta C-13 of -28.6 parts per thousand). Carbon isotopic signature and SOC content are found to be sensitive indicators of short- and long-term soil erosion processes. Copyright (C) 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Publisher	Wiley
ISSN/ISBN	1097-0231
edoc-URL	http://edoc.unibas.ch/dok/A5251141
Full Text on edoc	No
Digital Object Identifier DOI	10.1002/rcm.4030
PubMed ID	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19370551
ISI-Number	WOS:000265985000013
Document type (ISI)	Article

10/05/2024

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