Conifer and Aspen effect on SOC, hydrological, and weathering dynamics

Description

Forests made of aspen and sub-alpine fir are common in mountainous regions. These regions are experiencing change in temperature, precipitation, and length of growing season, which may have a direct impact on the vegetation that thrives. As such, sub-alpine fir trees have been encroaching on aspen stands in several parts of the U.S. Since carbon pools behave differently beneath the two stand types, this may influence the processes that are happening in the soils. Most importantly, this may alter the rate of soil formation, chemical weathering fluxes, and more generally the carbon budget. Therefore, the aim of this research is to answer the question: How sensitive are carbon and weathering fluxes to a shift in vegetation (aspen vs. conifer) in montane systems? To address this question, we will collect soil and root data up to 110 cm deep and parameterize a reactive transport model to quantify the differences in solute and carbon fluxes from the critical zone.