Project Update - March 2008
Huge quantities of carbon are stored in our soils. One way of tackling climate change is to manage land so that the carbon in soil is conserved. Madeleine Bell, from Durham University’s Department of Earth Sciences, is looking into how we can do this.
Here’s what Madeleine’s been up to:
'I’m studying for a 3-year PhD at Durham, on a project paid for by the National Trust. The aim of my work is to get an accurate picture of how soil carbon content is affected by land-use, and hence guide the National Trust on how best to manage their land to counteract climate change.
The Wallington estate covers approximately 55Km2 and my fieldwork involves getting soil samples from every single field – quite a big job! I started the fieldwork last October and I have collected and analysed over 600 soil samples. I take the samples using a spade or an auger, which is an instrument designed to get deep down into the soil. I’m looking at soils under the various land-uses covering the estate, ranging from lowland arable and pasture to upland peat and forestry plantations.
I take the samples back to Durham, where I do chemical analysis on them in the lab and I use the results to do statistical tests and computer mapping. I have now made an initial estimate of the total amount of carbon in the estate’s soils. The next step is to look at how we can increase the amount of carbon in the soils through changing the land use of specific areas.
In February I attended the Durham University Networking poster competition to communicate my research to the public and share my ideas with other academics. I was lucky enough to win the competition for the best poster, and to go on to the regional final in York.
For further details contact the Project Manager, Celia Robbins via email or by phone on 01670 773931
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