Journal ArticleDOI
The contentious nature of soil organic matter
Johannes Lehmann,Markus Kleber +1 more
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TLDR
It is argued that the available evidence does not support the formation of large-molecular-size and persistent ‘humic substances’ in soils, and instead soil organic matter is a continuum of progressively decomposing organic compounds.Abstract:
Instead of containing stable and chemically unique ‘humic substances’, as has been widely accepted, soil organic matter is a mixture of progressively decomposing organic compounds; this has broad implications for soil science and its applications. The exchange of nutrients, energy and carbon between soil organic matter, the soil environment, aquatic systems and the atmosphere is important for agricultural productivity, water quality and climate. Long-standing theory suggests that soil organic matter is composed of inherently stable and chemically unique compounds. Here we argue that the available evidence does not support the formation of large-molecular-size and persistent ‘humic substances’ in soils. Instead, soil organic matter is a continuum of progressively decomposing organic compounds. We discuss implications of this view of the nature of soil organic matter for aquatic health, soil carbon–climate interactions and land management. Soil organic matter contains a large portion of the world's carbon and plays an important role in maintaining productive soils and water quality. Nevertheless, a consensus on the nature of soil organic matter is lacking. Johannes Lehmann and Markus Kleber argue that soil organic matter should no longer be seen as large and persistent, chemically unique substances, but as a continuum of progressively decomposing organic compounds.read more
Citations
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Functional diversity of leaf litter mixtures slows decomposition of labile but not recalcitrant carbon over two years
Journal ArticleDOI
Ensemble modelling, uncertainty and robust predictions of organic carbon in long‐term bare‐fallow soils
Roberta Farina,Renáta Sándor,Mohamed Abdalla,Jorge Álvaro-Fuentes,Luca Bechini,Martin A. Bolinder,Lorenzo Brilli,Claire Chenu,Hugues Clivot,Massimiliano De Antoni Migliorati,Claudia Di Bene,Christopher D. Dorich,Fiona Ehrhardt,Fabien Ferchaud,Nuala Fitton,Rosa Francaviglia,Uwe Franko,Donna Giltrap,Brian Grant,Bertrand Guenet,Bertrand Guenet,Matthew T. Harrison,Miko U. F. Kirschbaum,Katrin Kuka,Liisa Kulmala,Jari Liski,Matthew J. McGrath,Elizabeth A. Meier,Lorenzo Menichetti,Fernando Moyano,Claas Nendel,Sylvie Recous,Nils Reibold,Anita Shepherd,Anita Shepherd,Ward Smith,Pete Smith,Jean-François Soussana,Tommaso Stella,Arezoo Taghizadeh-Toosi,Elena Tsutskikh,Gianni Bellocchi +41 more
TL;DR: This work evaluated SOC simulated from an ensemble of 26 process-based C models by comparing simulations to experimental data from seven long-term bare-fallow (vegetation-free) plots at six sites, and addressed uncertainties from different modelling approaches with or without spin-up initialisation of SOC.
Journal ArticleDOI
Depth of Solute Generation Is a Dominant Control on Concentration-Discharge Relations
Journal ArticleDOI
Microplastics have shape- and polymer-dependent effects on soil aggregation and organic matter loss – an experimental and meta-analytical approach
TL;DR: In this article, a meta-analysis on published literature and a lab experiment focusing on microplastic shapes-and polymer-induced effects on soil aggregation and organic matter decomposition was conducted.
Journal ArticleDOI
Protonation-dependent heterogeneity in fluorescent binding sites in sub-fractions of fulvic acid using principle component analysis and two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy.
Fanhao Song,Fengchang Wu,Baoshan Xing,Tingting Li,Weiying Feng,John P. Giesy,Wenjing Guo,Hao Wang,Shasha Liu,Yingchen Bai +9 more
TL;DR: Heterogeneous distributions of proton binding sites within sub-fractions of fulvic acid were investigated by use of synchronous fluorescence spectra, combined with principle component analysis (PCA) and two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy (2D-COS) and showed superior potential for further applications in exploring complex interactions between dissolved organic matter and contaminants in engineered and natural environments.
References
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TL;DR: The Structure of Scientific Revolutions as discussed by the authors is a seminal work in the history of science and philosophy of science, and it has been widely cited as a major source of inspiration for the present generation of scientists.
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