Baseline assessment of soil organic matter and soil chemistry on ASC campus

Zamira Johnson-Sfaelos, Abby Peters, Kennedy Harris, Nimco Cabdiraxmaan Yuusuf, Dr. Molly Embree 

The accelerating increase of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is accepted in scientific and public communities as a primary contributor to global climate change (Sherman & Montgomery, 2021), and the ability of the soil to capture, or sequester, carbon from the atmosphere is a vital mechanism to mitigate and reverse the climate crisis (Hawken, 2017). Addressing climate change and environmental degradation is one of the most urgent challenges of our time, impacting human populations globally, and often disproportionately impacting marginalized communities (Kiss the Ground, 2020). Urban areas typically have less tree canopy, more impervious, heat-retaining surfaces, and high carbon emissions, leading to massive heat pockets (Warren, 2020). In this baseline study of Agnes Scott College campus soil health, we characterize the organic matter and soil chemistry of several sample areas, in order to estimate the amount of carbon contained in ASC soils. We quantify and discuss ASC soil organic matter and total carbon in the context of carbon and nitrogen cycles and other measures of soil health including bulk density, soil chemistry, and water infiltration. In addition, we discuss the potential to sequester more carbon into ASC soil by improving soil health. Understanding the capacity of ASC soils to build organic matter and sequester carbon will help the college strategize how to meet its goal of carbon neutrality by 2037.

(references can be provided on request)