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1. WES01 Woody encroachment impacts on the subsurface at Konza Prairie

   https://doi.org/10.6073/pasta/6908c1e269ee365b3e0ef99c80411a13  

   Sullivan, Pamela (October 2023, Environmental Data Initiative)

   Soil sampling pits across three hillslope positions - toeslope, backslope, and summit - were dug in 2020 in watershed N4D (burned every 4 years) and N1D (burned annually) to characterize the impacts of woody encroachment on subsurface soil physical, chemical, and biological properties. Pits were hand-dug to 120 cm in the toeslope position and to 60 cm deep at the backslope and summit positions. Soil pits in N4D were dug directly under dogwood shrubs (Cornus drumondii) while pits in N1B were dug under grasses and forbs. Soil pit faces were photographed to determine root fractions with depth,  soil monoliths were take to charaterize soil macroporosity with depth while soil cores were taken in each horizon for water retention analysis.  Soil sensors were also installed at four soil depths at the toeslope position and 3 soil depths at the backslope and summit positions to record half hourly soil moisture, soil temperature, soil water potential, soil electrical conductivity, and soil carbon dioxide, and soil oxygen. In addition, geophysical measurements were taken in N4D using time-lapse electrical resistivity. 

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2. WES01 Woody encroachment impacts on the subsurface at Konza Prairie

   https://doi.org/10.6073/pasta/021e88c3cff578848acb6fc074577d77  

   Sullivan, Pamela; Jarecke, Karla (January 2024, Environmental Data Initiative)

   Soil sampling pits across three hillslope positions - toeslope, backslope, and summit - were dug in 2020 in watershed N4D (burned every 4 years) and N1D (burned annually) to characterize the impacts of woody encroachment on subsurface soil physical, chemical, and biological properties. Pits were hand-dug to 120 cm in the toeslope position and to 60 cm deep at the backslope and summit positions. Soil pits in N4D were dug directly under dogwood shrubs (Cornus drumondii) while pits in N1B were dug under grasses and forbs. Soil pit faces were photographed to determine root fractions with depth,  soil monoliths were take to charaterize soil macroporosity with depth while soil cores were taken in each horizon for water retention analysis.  Soil sensors were also installed at four soil depths at the toeslope position and 3 soil depths at the backslope and summit positions to record half hourly soil moisture, soil temperature, soil water potential, soil electrical conductivity, and soil carbon dioxide, and soil oxygen. In addition, geophysical measurements were taken in N4D using time-lapse electrical resistivity in 2023. 

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3. Linking Soil Structure, Hydraulic Properties, and Organic Carbon Dynamics: A Holistic Framework to Study the Impact of Climate Change and Land Management

   https://doi.org/10.1029/2023JG007389  

   Jha, Achla; Bonetti, Sara; Smith, A. Peyton; Souza, Rodolfo; Calabrese, Salvatore (July 2023, Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences)

   Abstract Climate change and unsustainable land management practices have resulted in extensive soil degradation, including alteration of soil structure (i.e., aggregate and pore size distributions), loss of soil organic carbon, and reduction of water and nutrient holding capacities. Although soil structure, hydrologic processes, and biogeochemical fluxes are tightly linked, their interaction is often unaccounted for in current ecohydrological, hydrological and terrestrial biosphere models. For more holistic predictions of soil hydrological and biogeochemical cycles, models need to incorporate soil structure and macroporosity dynamics, whether in a natural or agricultural ecosystem. Here, we present a theoretical framework that couples soil hydrologic processes and soil microbial activity to soil organic carbon dynamics through the dynamics of soil structure. In particular, we link the Millennial model for soil carbon dynamics, which explicitly models the formation and breakdown of soil aggregates, to a recent parameterization of the soil water retention and hydraulic conductivity curves and to solute and O₂diffusivities to soil microsites based on soil macroporosity. To illustrate the significance of incorporating the dynamics of soil structure, we apply the framework to a case study in which soil and vegetation recover over time from agricultural practices. The new framework enables more holistic predictions of the effects of climate change and land management practices on coupled soil hydrological and biogeochemical cycles. 

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4. Depth profiles of soil temperature, moisture, and concentrations of CO2 and O2, HydroShare,

   Aronson, Emma; Silver, Whendee; McDowell, William; Hart, Stephen; Billings, Sharon; Chorover, Jon; Gallery, Rachel; Lohse, Kathleen; Unruh, Micah; Yang, Yang; et al (December 2024, http://www.hydroshare.org/resource/9c53ab378b604a8e867cdda0d3ab72fb)

   This data is an on-going collection of soil temperature, soil moisture, soil CO2 concentration, and soil O2 concentration starting in October 2021. We have installed sensors and probes at different soil depths across landscapes in five of the former Critical Zone Observatory locations (see the document named "sensor location"). Soil temperature and moisture are measured using Acclima SDI-12 sensors. Soil CO2 concentrations are measured using Eosense CO2 probes (switching to Vaisala GMP343 and GMP251 in 2023). Soil O2 concentrations are measured using Apogee SO-110-L-10 soil oxygen sensors. This dataset, along with our measurements of soil geomicrobiology and biogeochemistry (available in EarthChem), will help us understand the role of microbes as drivers of Critical Zone biogeochemistry and soil formation. 

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5. Perennial grass bioenergy cropping systems: Impacts on soil fauna and implications for soil carbon accrual

   https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.12903  

   Zahorec, Allison; Reid, Matthew L.; Tiemann, Lisa K.; Landis, Douglas A. (October 2021, GCB Bioenergy)

   ABSTRACT Perennial grass energy crop production is necessary for the successful and sustainable expansion of bioenergy in North America. Numerous environmental advantages are associated with perennial grass cropping systems, including their potential to promote soil carbon accrual. Despite growing research interest in the abiotic and biotic factors driving soil carbon cycling within perennial grass cropping systems, soil fauna remain a critical yet largely unexplored component of these ecosystems. By regulating microbial activity and organic matter decomposition dynamics, soil fauna influence soil carbon stability with potentially significant implications for soil carbon accrual. We begin by reviewing the diverse, predominantly indirect effects of soil fauna on soil carbon dynamics in the context of perennial grass cropping systems. Since the impacts of perennial grass energy crop production on soil fauna will mediate their potential contributions to soil carbon accrual, we then discuss how perennial grass energy crop traits, diversity, and management influence soil fauna community structure and activity. We assert that continued research into the interactions of soil fauna, microbes, and organic matter will be important for advancing our understanding of soil carbon dynamics in perennial grass cropping systems. Furthermore, explicit consideration of soil faunal effects on soil carbon can improve our ability to predict changes in soil carbon following perennial grass cropping system establishment. We conclude by addressing the major knowledge gaps that should be prioritized to better understand and model the complex connections between perennial grass bioenergy systems, soil fauna, and carbon accrual. 

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