Chemical and Biological Gradients along the Damma Glacier Soil Chronosequence, Switzerland

Stefano M. Bernasconi; Andreas Bauder; Bernard Bourdon; Ivano Brunner; Else Buenemann; Iso Christl; Nicolas Derungs; Peter Edwards; Daniel Farinotti; Beat Frey; Emmanuel Frossard; Gerhard Furrer; Merle Gierga; Hans Goeransson; Kathy Guelland; Frank Hagedorn; Irka Hajdas; Ruth Hindshaw; Susan Ivy-Ochs; Jan Jansa; Tobias Jonas; Mirjam Kiczka; Ruben Kretzschmar; Emmanuel Lemarchand; Joerg Luster; Jan Magnusson; Edward A. D. Mitchell; Harry Olde Venterink; Michael Ploetze; Ben Reynolds; Rienk H. Smittenberg; Manfred Staehli; Federica Tamburini; Edward T. Tipper; Lukas Wacker; Monika Welc; Jan G. Wiederhold; Josef Zeyer; Stefan Zimmermann; Anita Zumsteg

doi:10.2136/vzj2010.0129

Chemical and Biological Gradients along the Damma Glacier Soil Chronosequence, Switzerland

Stefano M. Bernasconi, Andreas Bauder, Bernard Bourdon, Ivano Brunner, Else Buenemann, Iso Christl, Nicolas Derungs, Peter Edwards, Daniel Farinotti, Beat Frey, Emmanuel Frossard, Gerhard Furrer, Merle Gierga, Hans Goeransson, Kathy Guelland, Frank Hagedorn, Irka Hajdas, Ruth Hindshaw, Susan Ivy-Ochs, Jan JansaTobias Jonas, Mirjam Kiczka, Ruben Kretzschmar, Emmanuel Lemarchand, Joerg Luster, Jan Magnusson, Edward A. D. Mitchell, Harry Olde Venterink, Michael Ploetze, Ben Reynolds, Rienk H. Smittenberg, Manfred Staehli, Federica Tamburini, Edward T. Tipper, Lukas Wacker, Monika Welc, Jan G. Wiederhold, Josef Zeyer, Stefan Zimmermann, Anita Zumsteg

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Abstract

Soils are the product of a complex suite of chemical, biological, and physical processes. In spite of the importance of soils for society and for sustaining life on earth, our knowledge of soil formation rates and of the influence of biological activity on mineral weathering and geochemical cycles is still limited. In this paper we provide a description of the Damma Glacier Critical Zone Observatory and present a first synthesis of our multi disciplinary studies of the 150-yr soil chronosequence. The aim of our research was to improve our understanding of ecosystem development on a barren substrate and the early evolution of soils and to evaluate the influence of biological activity on weathering rates. Soil pH, cation exchange capacity, biomass, bacterial and fungal populations, and soil organic matt er show clear gradients related to soil age, in spite of the extreme heterogeneity of the ecosystem. The bulk mineralogy and inorganic geochemistry of the soils, in contrast, are independent of soil age and only in older soils (>100 yr) is incipient weathering observed, mainly as a decreasing content in albite and biotite by coincidental formation of secondary chlorites in the clay fraction. Further, we document the rapid evolution of microbial and plant communities along the chronosequence.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	867-883
Number of pages	17
Journal	Vadose Zone Journal
Volume	10
Issue number	3
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.2136/vzj2010.0129
Publication status	Published - Aug 2011

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Bernasconi, S. M., Bauder, A., Bourdon, B., Brunner, I., Buenemann, E., Christl, I., Derungs, N., Edwards, P., Farinotti, D., Frey, B., Frossard, E., Furrer, G., Gierga, M., Goeransson, H., Guelland, K., Hagedorn, F., Hajdas, I., Hindshaw, R., Ivy-Ochs, S., ... Zumsteg, A. (2011). Chemical and Biological Gradients along the Damma Glacier Soil Chronosequence, Switzerland. Vadose Zone Journal, 10(3), 867-883. https://doi.org/10.2136/vzj2010.0129

@article{e18705d9493c4762b9054a9c6b1cef19,

title = "Chemical and Biological Gradients along the Damma Glacier Soil Chronosequence, Switzerland",

abstract = "Soils are the product of a complex suite of chemical, biological, and physical processes. In spite of the importance of soils for society and for sustaining life on earth, our knowledge of soil formation rates and of the influence of biological activity on mineral weathering and geochemical cycles is still limited. In this paper we provide a description of the Damma Glacier Critical Zone Observatory and present a first synthesis of our multi disciplinary studies of the 150-yr soil chronosequence. The aim of our research was to improve our understanding of ecosystem development on a barren substrate and the early evolution of soils and to evaluate the influence of biological activity on weathering rates. Soil pH, cation exchange capacity, biomass, bacterial and fungal populations, and soil organic matt er show clear gradients related to soil age, in spite of the extreme heterogeneity of the ecosystem. The bulk mineralogy and inorganic geochemistry of the soils, in contrast, are independent of soil age and only in older soils (>100 yr) is incipient weathering observed, mainly as a decreasing content in albite and biotite by coincidental formation of secondary chlorites in the clay fraction. Further, we document the rapid evolution of microbial and plant communities along the chronosequence.",

author = "Bernasconi, {Stefano M.} and Andreas Bauder and Bernard Bourdon and Ivano Brunner and Else Buenemann and Iso Christl and Nicolas Derungs and Peter Edwards and Daniel Farinotti and Beat Frey and Emmanuel Frossard and Gerhard Furrer and Merle Gierga and Hans Goeransson and Kathy Guelland and Frank Hagedorn and Irka Hajdas and Ruth Hindshaw and Susan Ivy-Ochs and Jan Jansa and Tobias Jonas and Mirjam Kiczka and Ruben Kretzschmar and Emmanuel Lemarchand and Joerg Luster and Jan Magnusson and Mitchell, {Edward A. D.} and Venterink, {Harry Olde} and Michael Ploetze and Ben Reynolds and Smittenberg, {Rienk H.} and Manfred Staehli and Federica Tamburini and Tipper, {Edward T.} and Lukas Wacker and Monika Welc and Wiederhold, {Jan G.} and Josef Zeyer and Stefan Zimmermann and Anita Zumsteg",

year = "2011",

month = aug,

doi = "10.2136/vzj2010.0129",

language = "English",

volume = "10",

pages = "867--883",

journal = "Vadose Zone Journal",

issn = "1539-1663",

publisher = "Soil Science Society of America",

number = "3",

}

Bernasconi, SM, Bauder, A, Bourdon, B, Brunner, I, Buenemann, E, Christl, I, Derungs, N, Edwards, P, Farinotti, D, Frey, B, Frossard, E, Furrer, G, Gierga, M, Goeransson, H, Guelland, K, Hagedorn, F, Hajdas, I, Hindshaw, R, Ivy-Ochs, S, Jansa, J, Jonas, T, Kiczka, M, Kretzschmar, R, Lemarchand, E, Luster, J, Magnusson, J, Mitchell, EAD, Venterink, HO, Ploetze, M, Reynolds, B, Smittenberg, RH, Staehli, M, Tamburini, F, Tipper, ET, Wacker, L, Welc, M, Wiederhold, JG, Zeyer, J, Zimmermann, S & Zumsteg, A 2011, 'Chemical and Biological Gradients along the Damma Glacier Soil Chronosequence, Switzerland', Vadose Zone Journal, vol. 10, no. 3, pp. 867-883. https://doi.org/10.2136/vzj2010.0129

TY - JOUR

T1 - Chemical and Biological Gradients along the Damma Glacier Soil Chronosequence, Switzerland

AU - Bernasconi, Stefano M.

AU - Bauder, Andreas

AU - Bourdon, Bernard

AU - Brunner, Ivano

AU - Buenemann, Else

AU - Christl, Iso

AU - Derungs, Nicolas

AU - Edwards, Peter

AU - Farinotti, Daniel

AU - Frey, Beat

AU - Frossard, Emmanuel

AU - Furrer, Gerhard

AU - Gierga, Merle

AU - Goeransson, Hans

AU - Guelland, Kathy

AU - Hagedorn, Frank

AU - Hajdas, Irka

AU - Hindshaw, Ruth

AU - Ivy-Ochs, Susan

AU - Jansa, Jan

AU - Jonas, Tobias

AU - Kiczka, Mirjam

AU - Kretzschmar, Ruben

AU - Lemarchand, Emmanuel

AU - Luster, Joerg

AU - Magnusson, Jan

AU - Mitchell, Edward A. D.

AU - Venterink, Harry Olde

AU - Ploetze, Michael

AU - Reynolds, Ben

AU - Smittenberg, Rienk H.

AU - Staehli, Manfred

AU - Tamburini, Federica

AU - Tipper, Edward T.

AU - Wacker, Lukas

AU - Welc, Monika

AU - Wiederhold, Jan G.

AU - Zeyer, Josef

AU - Zimmermann, Stefan

AU - Zumsteg, Anita

PY - 2011/8

Y1 - 2011/8

N2 - Soils are the product of a complex suite of chemical, biological, and physical processes. In spite of the importance of soils for society and for sustaining life on earth, our knowledge of soil formation rates and of the influence of biological activity on mineral weathering and geochemical cycles is still limited. In this paper we provide a description of the Damma Glacier Critical Zone Observatory and present a first synthesis of our multi disciplinary studies of the 150-yr soil chronosequence. The aim of our research was to improve our understanding of ecosystem development on a barren substrate and the early evolution of soils and to evaluate the influence of biological activity on weathering rates. Soil pH, cation exchange capacity, biomass, bacterial and fungal populations, and soil organic matt er show clear gradients related to soil age, in spite of the extreme heterogeneity of the ecosystem. The bulk mineralogy and inorganic geochemistry of the soils, in contrast, are independent of soil age and only in older soils (>100 yr) is incipient weathering observed, mainly as a decreasing content in albite and biotite by coincidental formation of secondary chlorites in the clay fraction. Further, we document the rapid evolution of microbial and plant communities along the chronosequence.

AB - Soils are the product of a complex suite of chemical, biological, and physical processes. In spite of the importance of soils for society and for sustaining life on earth, our knowledge of soil formation rates and of the influence of biological activity on mineral weathering and geochemical cycles is still limited. In this paper we provide a description of the Damma Glacier Critical Zone Observatory and present a first synthesis of our multi disciplinary studies of the 150-yr soil chronosequence. The aim of our research was to improve our understanding of ecosystem development on a barren substrate and the early evolution of soils and to evaluate the influence of biological activity on weathering rates. Soil pH, cation exchange capacity, biomass, bacterial and fungal populations, and soil organic matt er show clear gradients related to soil age, in spite of the extreme heterogeneity of the ecosystem. The bulk mineralogy and inorganic geochemistry of the soils, in contrast, are independent of soil age and only in older soils (>100 yr) is incipient weathering observed, mainly as a decreasing content in albite and biotite by coincidental formation of secondary chlorites in the clay fraction. Further, we document the rapid evolution of microbial and plant communities along the chronosequence.

U2 - 10.2136/vzj2010.0129

DO - 10.2136/vzj2010.0129

M3 - Article

SN - 1539-1663

VL - 10

SP - 867

EP - 883

JO - Vadose Zone Journal

JF - Vadose Zone Journal

IS - 3

ER -

Chemical and Biological Gradients along the Damma Glacier Soil Chronosequence, Switzerland

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