Aggregate hierarchy and carbon mineralization in two Oxisols of New South Wales, Australia

S. M.Fazle Rabbi, Brian R. Wilson, Peter V. Lockwood, Heiko Daniel, Iain M. Young

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

52 Scopus citations

Abstract

The conventional model of aggregate formation suggests a hierarchy where micro-aggregates with lower porosity and therefore reduced soil organic carbon (SOC) mineralization form inside macro-aggregates. This model has however been questioned for highly weathered Oxisols where inconclusive results regarding the presence of aggregate hierarchy have been obtained to date. We hypothesized that in Oxisols (i) an aggregate hierarchy would be present (ii) the porosity of micro-aggregates would be lower than that of macro-aggregates and (iii) pore geometry of aggregates would influence SOC mineralization. We collected topsoils from Oxisols in northern New South Wales, Australia from which macro-aggregates (>250μm), micro-aggregates (53-250μm) and
Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)193-203
Number of pages11
JournalSoil and Tillage Research
Volume146
Issue numberPB
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 1 2015
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Earth-Surface Processes
  • Soil Science
  • Agronomy and Crop Science

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