Laurel Klein Soil Carbon Lab

Materials and Methods

New Jersey is a coastal, mid-latitude, temperate region of the United States. South Jersey is

known for the pine barrens, an area of dense scrub pine and oak forests, where Stockton

University (39.4942 N, 74.5324 W) is located. Mean annual temperatures range from 49.6

to 61.1 with an average annual precipitation of 38.35 inches. This area is characterized by

sandy soils and wetlands. The sandy soil of the Pine Barrens is composed of quartzose sand,

which is very porous and highly acidic (pH 3.6- 5.0). Due to the high porosity of the sandy soils,

the area has low amounts of organic matter and nutrients, as most of the organic matter and

nutrients that decompose on the forest floor are washed away after rains and snow melts. The

test site where the study was conducted was made up of DocB soil or Downer loamy sand.

Parent material of this soil is from Loamy fluviomarine deposits or gravelly fluviomarine

deposits, or both.

Soil Carbon is directly related to the amount of organic matter and nutrients in the soil. A higher

amount of organic matter and nutrients is directly related to a higher soil carbon percentage.

Because of the Pine Barrens sandy and porous soil, the soil carbon percentage in the area is

low. For example, in the Amazon Rain Forest soil carbon makes up more than ten percent of

the uppermost layer of soil. Whereas, in the Pine Barrens soil carbon makes up less than five

percent of the DocB soil layer.

The experiment site was located across the street from the Arts and Sciences building near

Lake Pam. The data was collected between the months of September and October, when the

area receives an average of around three inches of rainfall. The site had many different

sections that were altered by the Stockton Forest Management Plan. There were three sections,

with two parts per section. The sections included clear cut, thinned and controlled. The parts
Laurel Klein Soil Carbon Lab

which were the same for each section were burned and unburned. In late spring into the

summer of 2015 a portion of the land was harvested; a part of the land was thinned, and

another was clear cut. In November of 2016 portions of the land were burned in a controlled

fire.

To quantify the amount of soil carbon in each zone, controlled, clear cut and thinned, our group

took samples of the soil. We gathered samples using an Auger and after removing the organic

material layer, put the top six inches of the soil into tins. Our group took three random samples

of soil in each section and part. Once the samples were collected, they were brought back to

the lab and the soil was weighed. After the initial weights of the soil was collected, the soil was

put into a muffle furnace which allowed moisture to be burned off the soil at 500C.

Subsequently, the burned off soils were weighed. Next, soil carbon was measured by

subtracting the weights and dividing them by the final weight. When all the data was collected,

we combined the burned and unburned parts of each section. Then the results of each section

were set against each other and compared.

Data was compared using an anova test of all three data sets in Microsoft Excel. The measured

p- value of the data sets was .000302, which meant that there were significant differences in the

sections soil carbon concentrations. To further our analysis, we used t-tests to compare two

data sets at a time. Our resulting p- values showed that our clear cut data was not significantly

different from thinned data (p = 0.27817). However, our controlled sample was significantly

different from our thinned data (p = 0.003854) and from clear cut (p = 0.00160).
Laurel Klein Soil Carbon Lab

The figure above shows the test area at the Campus of Stockton University. It also clearly
shows the areas which were burned, thinned and untouched. Although there are many soil
types, the samples were collected specifically in the DocB soil type.
Laurel Klein Soil Carbon Lab

This map shows the location of the campus within the State of New Jersey.
Stockton University is located within Atlantic County, the light orange portion on
the map. The campus is highlighted in a hot pink color.
Laurel Klein Soil Carbon Lab

References
(n.d.). Retrieved October 15, 2017, from
https://climate.rutgers.edu/stateclim_v1/njclimoverview.html
Data, U. C. (n.d.). Temperature - Precipitation - Sunshine - Snowfall. Retrieved October 15,
2017, from https://www.usclimatedata.com/climate/atlantic-city-international-airport/new-
jersey/united-states/usnj0016
Inquiry Based Curriculum (n.d.). The Pine Barrens: Up Close and Natural. Retrieved October
19, 2017, from http://www.pinelandsalliance.org/downloads/pinelandsalliance_670.pdf
Pinelands Preservation Alliance (2017). Pitch Pine. Retreived October 19, 2017, from
http://www.pinelandsalliance.org/ecology/plants/trees/pitchpine/
USDA (2003). Soil Survey of Gloucester County. Retrieved October 15, 2017, from
https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_MANUSCRIPTS/new_jersey/NJ015/0/NJGloucest
er1_07.pdf
Young Carbon Farmers (2017). The Importance of Carbon in the Soil. Retrieved October 15,
2017, from https://www.futurefarmers.com.au/young-carbon-farmers/carbon-
farming/importance-of-carbon-in-the-soil