TrulyGrace

Bob's Geology Article, 2008

My environmental sciences graduate advisor, Bob Graham, and his colleagues in the Soil Science department at the University of California at Riverside have authored an article on nitrate concentration in desert pavement-laden surficial soils for Geology this spring. This is a previously unrecognized pool of desert nitrogen. This concentration of nitrate is fine, as long as its uppermost surface soil (desert pavement) remains intact. If that pavement is disturbed through road construction, off-the-road vehicle use, or military training; then water can infiltrate to the nitrate-rich layers and mobilize the nitrate, perhaps into even groundwater. Other, distant, nitrogen-limited ecosystems may also be impacted.

Labels: California, research, school, science, soils

posted by Grace @ 6/27/2008 04:14:00 PM