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ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #176788
Title: MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AND CARBON LOSSES VIA SEDIMENT AND SUBSURFACE FLOW

Author
item Owens, Lloyd
item Shipitalo, Martin

Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/14/2004
Publication Date: 4/7/2005
Citation: Owens, L.B., Shipitalo, M.J. 2005. Management practices and carbon losses via sediment and subsurface flow. In: Lal, R., Uphoff, N., Stewart, B.A., Hansen, D.O., editors. Climate Change and Global Food Security. Boca Raton, FL:CRC Press. p. 451-465.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Annual concentrations of TOC in lysimeter percolate from a corn/soybean-rye rotation and in springflow from pastured watersheds ranged between 0.5 and 3.2 mg/L. These concentrations are low in the range of published TOC concentrations in stream flow. No major trends in TOC concentrations were observed during the 10-yr for either management treatment. Annual average losses of TOC were similar for both management practices, ranging from 1.2 to 14.9 kg/ha. TOC leaching losses are small compared with other pathways. Carbon concentrations on sediment lost from watersheds with different tillage practices (e.g. no-till, chisel-plow, paraplow, and disk) varied little with time. Tillage practices and weather had major impacts on soil loss from field scale watersheds; however, they had much less impact on sediment C concentration. Management systems that control sediment loss have greater impact on reducing C loss via erosion than those that might change sediment C concentration.