Curtis Monger USDA-NRCS Developments in Soil Taxonomy

Curtis Monger USDA-NRCS Developments in Soil Taxonomy rice ANTHROPOCENE? Ca

Curtis Monger USDA-NRCS Developments in Soil Taxonomy rice ANTHROPOCENE? Soil sustainability differs across the landscape. Ca

Soil Taxonomy Historical Perspective

Whitney (1909) Soil sustainability differs across the landscape. Stressed soil textures within physiographic regions.

V.V. Dokuchaev Nikolai Sibirtsev Konstantin Glinka Curtis Marbut

Marbut (1935) Soil sustainability differs across the landscape. Stressed profile types within bioclimatic zones.

Soil sustainability differs across the landscape. Podzolic soil From Buol, Hole, McCracken 1973

Guy Smith and Soil Survey Staff (1960) Soil sustainability differs across the landscape. Stresses quantitative definitions based on soil properties.

Zonal origins are still apparent in Soil Taxonomy. Ultisols

Soil Taxonomy A Language for Describing Soils

Taxonomic Divisions fine, smectitic, thermic Vertic Torrifluvent

Taxonomic Divisions fine, smectitic, thermic Vertic Torrifluvent order

Taxonomic Divisions fine, smectitic, thermic Vertic Torrifluvent order suborder

Taxonomic Divisions fine, smectitic, thermic Vertic Torrifluvent order suborder great group

Taxonomic Divisions fine, smectitic, thermic Vertic Torrifluvent order subgroup suborder great group

Taxonomic Divisions fine, smectitic, thermic Vertic Torrifluvent order family subgroup suborder great group

Soil Taxonomy Applied Internationally

Soil Taxonomy applied internationally

Soil Taxonomy Moving Across Scales

Soil sustainability differs across the landscape. SPATIAL SCALES in Soil Taxonomy ELECTRON MICROSCOPE SCALE THIN SECTION SCALE SOIL PROFILE SCALE LAND- SCAPE SCALE GLOBAL SCALE small µm large mm meters km km x 1000s

Soil sustainability differs across the landscape. SPATIAL SCALES in Soil Taxonomy ELECTRON MICROSCOPE SCALE THIN SECTION SCALE SOIL PEDON SCALE LAND- SCAPE SCALE GLOBAL SCALE small µm large mm meters km km x 1000s

Soil sustainability differs across the landscape. SOIL PEDON SCALE Leland Gile Guy Smith Desert Project Tour (c. 1960)

SOIL PEDON SCALE Soil sustainability differs across the landscape. C 2Ab 2Bkb 3Byymb 3Byy1b 3Byy2b

Soil sustainability differs across the landscape. SPATIAL SCALES in Soil Taxonomy ELECTRON MICROSCOPE SCALE THIN SECTION SCALE SOIL PEDON SCALE POLY- PEDON SCALE GLOBAL SCALE small µm large mm meters km km x 1000s

Soil sustainability differs across the landscape. Pedon Polypedon (Soil Individual) Profile

POLYPEDONS WHAT WE MAP gypsic lake bed gypsum inactive parabolic dunes siliceous red sand with coppice dunes

Soil sustainability differs across the landscape. gypsic lake bed B polypedon B B A A B B polypedon A

Soil sustainability differs across the landscape. Mollisols

Aridisols NRCS World Soil Resources

5/19/04 Plane-polarized light Calciargid A pore BA Btk1 Btk2 Btk3 Btk4 2Btk5

5/19/04 Plane-polarized light Calciargid A pore BA Btk1 Btk2 Crossed-polarized Btk3 light Btk4 2Btk5

5/19/04 Plane-polarized light Calciargid A pore BA Btk1 Clay films Btk2 Crossed-polarized Btk3 light Btk4 2Btk5

gypsum crystals in soil From Buck et al. 2006

calcite gyp calcite calcite calcite quartz X-ray diffraction is used to identify minerals calcite Sentry Btkyz3 gyp gyp gyp gyp gyp gyp gyp

long duration millions of years PLATE TECTONICS TEMPORAL SCALES in Soil Taxonomy millennia centuries decades months hours minutes PETROCALCIC HORIZON DEVELOPMENT CLAY ACCUMULATION IN SUBSOIL ORGANIC MATTER ACCUMULATION IN TOPSOIL SALT EFFLORESCENCE SOIL MOISTURE SOIL TEMPERATURE short duration Soil sustainability differs across the landscape.

Temperature Change at 1 cm White Sands, NM

long duration millions of years PLATE TECTONICS TEMPORAL SCALES in Soil Taxonomy millennia centuries decades months hours/ weeks minutes PETROCALCIC HORIZON DEVELOPMENT CLAY ACCUMULATION IN SUBSOIL ORGANIC MATTER ACCUMULATION IN TOPSOIL SALT EFFLORESCENCE SOIL MOISTURE SOIL TEMPERATURE short duration Soil sustainability differs across the landscape.

For Example: Saline playa efflorescence at White Sands

Saline playa efflorescence at White Sands

December 2011

February 2012

May 2012

Present 30 0 30 Ron Blakey Northern Arizona Univ.

Miocene 30 0 30

Tertiary-Cretaceous 30 0 30

Late Jurassic 30 0 30

long duration millions of years millennia centuries decades months SCALE MOST CRITICAL FOR SUSTAINABILITY hours/ weeks minutes small short duration µm large mm meters km km x 1000s Soil sustainability differs across the landscape.

Soil Taxonomy Delivering Information

www.soils.usda.gov

Soil Climate Data

Soil Taxonomy Soil Systems and Environmental Issues

Soil sustainability differs across the landscape. Soil systems approach

Mountains & Hills Mountains & Hills Basin Floor Jornada Exp. Range Headquarters Piedmont Slope (Bajada) Paleozoic sedimentary rocks Mountains & Hills Precambrian rocks Rio Grande Valley Tertiary plutonic rocks Basin Floors New Mexico State Univ. alluvial fill Tertiary volcanic rocks Gile et al. 1981

Soil sustainability differs across the landscape. Gulf Dead Zone NOAA Image of Sources of N and P linked to Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone Soil systems approach

Soil Taxonomy Do we need a Subaqueous Order?

Soil sustainability differs across the landscape both above and below water.

Anguilla Series Marine sediments over sandy/gravelly outwash Ase --0 to 10 cm; black (N 2.5/) mucky sand; single grain; very fluid; 1 percent macroalgal fragments, 0 percent rubbed; sulfurous odor; strongly saline; neutral (ph 7.0); ultra acid (ph 3.4) after 8 weeks; clear boundary. ACse--10 to 40 cm; very dark greenish gray (10Y 3/1) mucky sand; single grain; very fluid; 1 percent macroalgal fragments, 0 percent rubbed; sulfurous odor; strongly saline; neutral (ph 7.1); ultra acid (ph 3.2) after 8 weeks; abrupt boundary. (Combined thickness of A and AC horizons is 30 to 70 cm.) 2Bwb--40 to 90 cm; olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) loamy sand; few fine prominent strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) masses of iron accumulation; single grain; nonfluid; 20 percent herbaceous fibers, 5 percent rubbed; 5 percent gravel; moderately saline; neutral (ph 7.0); very strongly acid (ph 4.9) after 8 weeks; abrupt boundary. (0 to 100 cm thick.) 3C--90 to 150 cm; very dark grayish brown (2.5Y 3/2) very gravelly coarse sand; single grain; nonfluid; 50 percent gravel; slightly saline; neutral (ph 7.0); strongly acid (ph 5.5) after 8 weeks.

Cross Section of Lagoon Pond

Depth (feet NAVD88) Washover Fan Flat Nagunt Series Washover Fan Slope Shallow Lagoon Bottom Fort Neck Series Mainland Submerged Beach Anguilla Series Lagoon Bottom Pishagqua Series

Curtis Monger USDA-NRCS Developments in Soil Taxonomy rice ANTHROPOCENE? Soil sustainability differs across the landscape. Ca

Curtis Monger USDA-NRCS Developments in Soil Taxonomy THANK YOU rice ANTHROPOCENE? Soil sustainability differs across the landscape. Ca