Long-Term soil change in the Great Plains: an evaluation of the haas soil archive

Authors: Liebig, Mark; Durso, Lisa; Calderon, Francisco; EBERLY, JED - Montana State University; Jin, Virginia; Stewart, Catherine; Van Pelt, Robert - Scott; Vigil, Merle; Duke, Sara; Clemensen, Andrea; DUTTENHEFNER, JESSICA - North Dakota State University

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/8/2020
Publication Date: 11/8/2020
Citation: Liebig, M.A., Durso, L.M., Calderon, F.J., Eberly, J., Jin, V.L., Stewart, C.E., Van Pelt, R.S., Vigil, M.F., Duke, S.E., Clemensen, A.K., Duttenhefner, J. 2020. Long-Term soil change in the Great Plains: an evaluation of the haas soil archive. Meeting Abstract. 1.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Sustained delivery of ecosystem services from agricultural lands in the North American Great Plains requires an understanding of long-term effects of management on soil properties. However, climatic and edaphic drivers throughout the region often relegate the detection of soil change to a decadal timescale, underscoring the importance of exploiting long-term research sites and associated soil archives for potential insight into trends in soil condition. Given this context, we analyzed a suite of soil properties in archived and contemporary soil samples at locations in the northern, central, and southern Great Plains. Using documentation recorded by Howard Haas in the late 1940s, modern soil mapping capabilities, and historical knowledge of dryland cropping experiments, we screened 14 locations in the Great Plains for potential inclusion in the study. Of those 14, three locations (Moccasin, MT; Akron, CO; Big Spring, TX) were found to have a convergence of historical and current information that permitted resampling. This presentation will review context for the evaluation, attributes of the soil archive and sampled locations, and analyses conducted by members of the research team.