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Recent progress in analytical methodology and computer modeling has significantly increased the knowledge about soil composition, processes, and functions. However, the complexity of soil processes hampers the development of globally applicable predictive models, which limits the practical assessment of soils under different land uses. This work focused on the identification of regional specific and generic soil properties toward the understanding global soil processes and functions by analyz...Recent progress in analytical methodology and computer modeling has significantly increased the knowledge about soil composition, processes, and functions. However, the complexity of soil processes hampers the development of globally applicable predictive models, which limits the practical assessment of soils under different land uses. This work focused on the identification of regional specific and generic soil properties toward the understanding global soil processes and functions by analyzing samples from contrasting climatic regions, parent materials, and land uses. Thermogravimetry was used as a primary method due to its ability to analyze whole soil samples including bound water and without the need for extraction or fractionation of soil components. A newly developed method was applied for mutual comparison of thermal mass losses and to search for relationships between soil components, which were assumed to be consequences of generic regulation processes established during soil formation. The results suggest the presence of soil regional-specific characteristics mainly between water binding and soil organic and inorganic matter components. As a common feature for all soils, a relationship between thermal mass losses was found, which can be explained as the influence of clay on water binding, accumulation of proteinaceous materials, and amount of organo-clay complexes. In addition, the applied approach supports the detection of generic soil forming processes in individual samples and is promising method to distinguish between organic carbon of pedogenetic origin from carbon of other sources such as charcoal or ash. Although, the underlying factors of these interrelations are not fully understood, thermogravimetry seems to be a helpful tool not only for simple screening of soil properties, but also for modeling underlying soil forming processes. » weiterlesen» einklappen

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