EESS talk on "Coupled iron and carbon dynamics in Icelandic wetland soils"
Event details
| Date | 23.05.2023 |
| Hour | 12:15 › 13:15 |
| Speaker | Prof.Laurel Thomas Arrigo, Environmental Chemistry Group, Université de Neuchâtel |
| Location | Online |
| Category | Conferences - Seminars |
| Event Language | English |
Abstract:
The volcanic-influenced soils of Iceland store an estimated ~2.1 Pg of soil organic carbon, much of which is found in mineral rich wetlands. However, climate change is impacting Icelandic soils, with warming soil temperatures and thawing permafrost leading to shifts in hydrologic regimes and changes in soil redox conditions. Under oxygen-limited conditions, mineral phases containing redox-active elements like iron are used as electron acceptors during microbial respiration. Yet our understanding of how changing redox conditions affects iron biogeochemistry and the associated impact on the storage of organic carbon in Icelandic soils remains largely unknown.
Here, I will present recent and ongoing work exploring the coupled biogeochemical cycling of iron and carbon in Icelandic soils. First, I will report on mineral and elemental characterization results of iron- and carbon rich field samples collected across western Iceland. I will then examine the links between iron mineral transformations and the mobilization and mineralization of mineral-associated organic carbon in soil incubations. Collectively, these results contribute to a better understanding of the nature of iron mineral-SOC interactions in Icelandic soils and provide insight into mechanisms and vulnerabilities of iron mineral protection of organic carbon.
Short biography:
Laurel ThomasArrigo is Professor of Environmental Chemistry in the Institute of Chemistry at the University of Neuchâtel. Her research focuses on the biogeochemical cycling of elements and nutrients in soils and sediments and combines field- and laboratory-based methods with wet chemistry and spectroscopic techniques. Laurel completed her PhD in Soil Chemistry at ETH Zurich in 2017 and continued on as a Postdoc and Research Associate, where her research focused on the influence of organic matter during iron mineral transformations. In 2023, Laurel joined the University of Neuchâtel to lead the new Environmental Chemistry group.
The volcanic-influenced soils of Iceland store an estimated ~2.1 Pg of soil organic carbon, much of which is found in mineral rich wetlands. However, climate change is impacting Icelandic soils, with warming soil temperatures and thawing permafrost leading to shifts in hydrologic regimes and changes in soil redox conditions. Under oxygen-limited conditions, mineral phases containing redox-active elements like iron are used as electron acceptors during microbial respiration. Yet our understanding of how changing redox conditions affects iron biogeochemistry and the associated impact on the storage of organic carbon in Icelandic soils remains largely unknown.
Here, I will present recent and ongoing work exploring the coupled biogeochemical cycling of iron and carbon in Icelandic soils. First, I will report on mineral and elemental characterization results of iron- and carbon rich field samples collected across western Iceland. I will then examine the links between iron mineral transformations and the mobilization and mineralization of mineral-associated organic carbon in soil incubations. Collectively, these results contribute to a better understanding of the nature of iron mineral-SOC interactions in Icelandic soils and provide insight into mechanisms and vulnerabilities of iron mineral protection of organic carbon.
Short biography:
Laurel ThomasArrigo is Professor of Environmental Chemistry in the Institute of Chemistry at the University of Neuchâtel. Her research focuses on the biogeochemical cycling of elements and nutrients in soils and sediments and combines field- and laboratory-based methods with wet chemistry and spectroscopic techniques. Laurel completed her PhD in Soil Chemistry at ETH Zurich in 2017 and continued on as a Postdoc and Research Associate, where her research focused on the influence of organic matter during iron mineral transformations. In 2023, Laurel joined the University of Neuchâtel to lead the new Environmental Chemistry group.
Practical information
- General public
- Free
- This event is internal
Organizer
- EESS - IIE
Contact
- Prof. Meret Aeppli, SOIL