James G. Bockheim Distinguished Lecture in Soil Science – Nov. 14
The Department of Soil Science is pleased to announce the Inaugural James G. Bockheim Distinguished Lecture in Soil Science. The speaker will be Dr. Sylvie Quideau, one of James Bockheim’s former PhD graduate students. Professor Quideau is at the University of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; her research area is soil biogeochemistry.
“Soil Carbon: The Labile, the Stable, and the Unknown” will be presented on Wednesday, November 14, 2018 @ 3:45 pm in 270 Soils Bldg.
Soil performance is directly linked to its organic carbon content, and as such, soil carbon has often been considered as a proxy for soil quality. More recently, soil carbon has received renewed attention as one of the key players in the global carbon cycle. Soil carbon encompasses a series of pools with differing residence times. Labile carbon may turnover within days or years, while stable carbon may persist in soils for thousands of years. In between these two extremes, lies carbon with intermediate (decadal) turnover rates. This decadal pool is of particular relevance to the overall soil carbon response to climatic changes over the next century. This presentation will cover major advances of the past three decades in our understanding of soil carbon dynamics, including formation pathways and stabilization mechanisms. The synergy of complementary approaches will be highlighted; starting from a sound pedology-based field approach using controlled soil sequence, to detailed laboratory characterization using solid-state 13C NMR spectroscopy and compound-specific isotopic analyses.
A reception will follow in the Jackson-Tanner Commons. Please join us on Wednesday, November 14 to celebrate the generous support of James and Julie Bockheim and to welcome Dr. Quideau back to UW-Madison.