Climate Change Damaging To Soil Phosphorus, Increased Water Toxicity Results

In a new research, scientists have found climate change will lead to a devastating loss of phosphorus from soil.

Climate change is a potential threat to natural resources too, after a recent research revealed that it leads to a devastating loss of phosphorus from soil.

The research was done by scientists from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)-funded North Wyke Research.

Global Warming can Change Organic Matter in Soil
In a new research, scientists at the University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC), Canada, have shown that global warming can actually change the molecular structure of organic matter in soil.

They found for the first time that the rate at which a dried soil is rewetted impacts on the amount of phosphorus lost from the soil into surface water and subsequently into the surrounding environment.

According to Dr Martin Blackwell who is one of the project leaders, "Our preliminary results show that despite best efforts, the changing climate may limit our ability to mitigate phosphorus losses at certain times of the year, especially summer."

"This is really worrying because high phosphorus concentrations in surface waters can lead to harmful algal blooms which can be toxic, cause lack of oxygen during their decay and disrupt food webs. This can also affect the quality of water for drinking and result in the closure of recreational water sport facilities," he said.

Soil Bacteria, Not Plants, Emit Methane, Says Australian Researcher
It is soil bacteria that release methane into the atmosphere and not the plants themselves, a researcher with the University of South Australia says.

Under laboratory conditions, Dr Blackwell and his team re-wet dried samples of UK grassland soil over different time periods, ranging from two hours to 24 hours using the same quantity of water.

The leachate - water that has washed through the soil - was then analyzed for phosphorus.

Soil may Release Less CO2 Than Expected Due to Global Warming
A new study of Australian soils has indicated that as the climate warns, soils may not release as much carbon dioxide (CO2) as predictions have suggested.

The study showed that the rate at which a dried soil is rewetted affects the concentration and forms of phosphorus lost in leachate which could potentially contaminate surface water bodies, like rivers and lakes.

The current research looked at only one soil type so it is not yet known whether other soil types would react in the same way.

New Clues to Climate Change Found in Frozen Arctic Soil
Frozen arctic soil contains nearly twice the greenhouse-gas-producing organic matter as was previously estimated, which reveals new clues to climate change, a new research has suggested.

This is what Dr Blackwell and his team will look at next.

Source-ANI
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