This week we interview Philipp Kempf, a 28 years old PhD student at the Renard Centre of Marine Geology at Ghent University in Belgium. His research focuses on paleo-tsunami deposits within coastal lakes with a special focus at the Chilean coast. Philipp Kempf is the winner of the 2013 Outstanding Student Poster Award for the poster entitled: 1960 Valdivia earthquake tsunami deposits from two coas ...[Read More]
Soil System Sciences
Soils going red: Terra rossa
The term “terra rossa” comes from the Italian for “red soil” or “red earth”. Although terra rossa exists in other places in the world, these soils are common in areas with Mediterranean-type climates: alternation of a rainy and cool-to warm-dry season. The terra rossa soil is heavy and clay-rich (silty-clay to clayey) soil, strongly reddish, developed on limesto ...[Read More]
Seismology
Happy new year, EGU deadline
Happy new year ! After all the extra food and booze the holidays bring along, many by now would have returned back to their desks planing the new year targets and deadlines. First on the list is probably the EGU abstract submission deadline on the Thursday 16 January, 13:00 CET. A session you might find of interest is SM1.7/EOS17: Seismological and Geophysical Apps. This session focuses on the use ...[Read More]
Soil System Sciences
Monday paper: Comparing soil biogeochemical processes in novel and natural boreal forest ecosystems
Quideau, S. A., Swallow, M. J. B., Prescott, C. E., Grayston, S. J., Oh, S.-W. 2013. Comparing soil biogeochemical processes in novel and natural boreal forest ecosystems. Biogeosciences, 10, 5651-5661. DOI: 10.5194/bg-10-5651-2013 Abstract Emulating the variability that exists in the natural landscape prior to disturbance should be a goal of soil reconstruction and land reclamation efforts follow ...[Read More]
Soil System Sciences
Short time for submitting abstracts to the EGU2014 Programme on Soil Science
Deadlines Have you submitted yours? Be aware of deadlines: 16 January 2014: Deadline for receipt of abstracts 30 January 2014: Cancellation of Support Applicants who did not answer 04 February 2014: Letter of acceptance 12 March 2014: Letter of schedule 31 March 2014: Deadline for letters of invitation 31 March 2014: Deadline for early registration Call for abstracts: Soil System Sciences Chose th ...[Read More]
Soil System Sciences
It needn’t be Hell with soil
This is one of the pictures the year has left. In it, two Muslim militiamen armed with machetes are registering a Christian in the Miskine neighborhood, in Bangui (Central African Republic), December 13, 2013. About 1,600 and 3,000 French soldiers already there of the African MISCA international mission were not able to stop violence and chaos. Both in this case and in other armed conflicts, there ...[Read More]
Soil System Sciences
Monday paper: A dual isotope approach to isolate soil carbon pools of different turnover times
Torn, M. S., Kleber, M., Zavaleta, E. S., Zhu, B., Field, C. B., Trumbore, S. E. 2013. A dual isotope approach to isolate soil carbon pools of different turnover times. Biogeosciences, 10, 8067-8081. DOI: 10.5194/bg-10-8067-2013. Abstract Soils are globally significant sources and sinks of atmospheric CO2. Increasing the resolution of soil carbon turnover estimates is important for predicting the ...[Read More]
Soil System Sciences
Monday paper: Combined use of stable isotopes and fallout radionuclides as soil erosion indicators in a forested mountain site, South Korea
Meusburger, K., Mabit, L., Park, J.-H., Sandor, T., Alewell, C. 2013. Combined use of stable isotopes and fallout radionuclides as soil erosion indicators in a forested mountain site, South Korea. Biogeosciences 10, 5627-5638. DOI: 10.5194/bg-10-5627-2013, 20133 Abstract The aim of this study is to assess and to validate the suitability of the stable nitrogen and carbon isotope signature as soil e ...[Read More]
Soil System Sciences
Cold soil in the groove
Often, soils from cold regions, such as Arctic soils, show polygonal forms in their surface. These polygons are formed because of the freeze-thaw cycle, characteristic of permafrost. What is permafrost? Permafrost is a subsurface soil layer which stays permanently frozen (below 0 oC) during long periods of time, usually more than two consecutive years. Most extensive permafrost areas can be found ...[Read More]
Soil System Sciences
Monday paper: Modelling soil organic carbon stocks in global change scenarios: a CarboSOIL application
Muñoz-Rojas, M., Jordán, A., Zavala, L. M., González-Peñaloza, F. A., De la Rosa, D., Pino-Mejias, R., and Anaya-Romero, M. 2013. Modelling soil organic carbon stocks in global change scenarios: a CarboSOIL application. Biogeosciences, 10, 8253-8268, DOI: 10.5194/bg-10-8253-2013. Abstract Global climate change, as a consequence of the increasing levels of atmospheric CO2 concentration, may ...[Read More]