Assessing Soil Organic Matter (SOM) on a Landscape Scale by Combining Non-Invasive (Spectroscopic) and Invasive Methods

• Antragsteller: Professor Dr. Sören Thiele-Bruhn; Professor Dr. Michael Vohland
• Fachliche Zuordnung: Bodenwissenschaften
• Förderung: Förderung von 2010 bis 2015
• Projektkennung: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Projektnummer 178833591

The proposed project aims at exploring the potentials of VIS-NIR spectroscopy to determine SOM quantity and quality at landscape level. To provide detailed information on SOM, we will combine in-field spectroscopy with higher resolved laboratory VIS-NIR, FTIR and Raman spectroscopy (FTIRS and Raman to detect fundamental molecular vibrations of SOM in the middle infrared MIR), Py-FIMS (SOM molecular constituents, thermal stability), and laboratory fractionation schemes (SOM pools of different stability and turnover rate). Based on samples taken from catenae, chemometric modelling will integrate correlation patterns between VIS-NIR and FTIR (Raman) by techniques as 2D correlation spectroscopy and multiblock PLS. From this and an outlined processing workflow (standard sample procedure, scatter corrections, spectral feature selection) stable prediction models for SOM parameters are expected, which close the gap between lab and field spectroscopy. Furthermore, SOM properties at soil surfaces (representativeness for the complete topsoil, temporal variability) will be studied to further explore the potentials of field spectroscopy. This aims towards an improved application of portable spectrometers or remote sensing instruments for SOM assessment. Mapping of SOM and SOM parameters will be performed based on in-situ spectral readings in a (maybe stratified) soilscape approach.

• DFG-Verfahren: Sachbeihilfen
• Beteiligte Person: Professor Dr. Christoph Emmerling