Geological Society of America

T57 Soils and Long-Term Environmental Change I

Tuesday, 27 October 2020
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Meeting Rooms

SOIL CARBON STORAGE IN THE MAYA LOWLANDS: DISTURBANCE, FLUX AND RECOVERY IN THE TROPICAL EARLY ANTHROPOCENE

Paper number: T57-3
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 10:20 AM – 10:35 AM

Authors

Sheryl Beach Presenting Author
University of Texas at AustinGeography RLP 3.306, Austin, TX
Tim Beach
University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX
Nicholas P. Dunning
University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH
Duncan Cook
Australian Catholic University, Virginia, QLD
Samantha Krause
Geography and Environmental Studies, San Marcos, TX
Colin Doyle
UT Austin, Austin, TX

Abstract

Studying the soils of the Maya Lowlands in conjunction with archaeological exploration provides a long view lens into tropical soil and atmospheric carbon cycle dynamics. This paper will test the hypothesis that soil carbon persistence differs in time, space and between geomorphic and archaeological settings. This paper will use dated soil carbon isotopic results from multiple geoarchaeological investigations we have conducted in Guatemala, Belize and Mexico, to generate and compare rates of soil carbon storage, flux, and persistence in the Maya Lowlands. These results will be relevant for better quantifying variables for modeling anthropogenic inputs to climate change during and after the Early Anthropocene, based on human land disturbance activities for agriculture such as terracing and ditched field agriculture. It is expected that rates of change and recovery will vary based on geomorphic and paleoecological settings, and on post disturbance recovery. These rates should be taken into account in modeling atmospheric CO₂ inputs attributed to ancient human land disturbance, use, conservation, and abandonment, and can give insight into modeling modern and future anthropogenic impacts.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 52, No. 6

doi: 10.1130/abs/2020AM-358913

© Copyright 2020 The Geological Society of America (GSA), all rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted to the author(s) of this abstract to reproduce and distribute it freely, for noncommercial purposes. Permission is hereby granted to any individual scientist to download a single copy of this electronic file and reproduce up to 20 paper copies for noncommercial purposes advancing science and education, including classroom use, providing all reproductions include the complete content shown here, including the author information. All other forms of reproduction and/or transmittal are prohibited without written permission from GSA Copyright Permissions.