Carbon Sequestration in the Drake Prairie
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Authors
Kim, Carol
Jurysta, Matthew
Issue Date
2011-04-19T15:05:29Z
Type
Presentation
Language
en_US
Keywords
Carbon sequestration , Prairie ecology--Iowa--Des Moines
Alternative Title
Abstract
While land use alterations currently result in the addition of about 2 gigatons of carbon to the atmosphere
annually, changes in bioproductivity and soil storage have the potential to serve as an important
managed sink as well. Reforestation and afforestation have received the most attention in this regard,
but native grasslands, with high short-term production of belowground biomass, may also provide
significant sequestration opportunities when compared with agricultural systems and managed
turfgrass, although this claim is controversial in the literature. In order to determine whether significant
differences in soil carbon content could be observed between a historical turfgrass and restored
prairie system, we measured soil carbon levels at sixteen sites in and around Drake’s restored prairie
fragment north of Meredith Hall. Soil samples were taken in roughly 15 cm increments to a depth of
one meter (where possible), and carbon content was determined through destructive heating.
Description
Mentor: David Courard-Hauri ; Kathryn Szramek