Sequential loss-on-ignition as a simple method for evaluating the stability of soil organic matter under actual environmental conditions

Sato, Yuhi*; Ishizuka, Shigehiro*; Hiradate, Shuntaro*; Atarashi-Andoh, Mariko  ; Nagano, Hirohiko*; Koarashi, Jun   

The stability of soil organic matter (SOM) is important for improving our understanding of the global carbon cycle and ongoing climate change. This study examined the applicability of loss-on-ignition of soil with a stepwise increase in temperature (SIT-LOI) to evaluate the stability of the SOM using soil samples from Japan having different organic matter (OM) and mineral contents and different mean residence times (MRTs), estimated from radiocarbon analysis, for SOM. As the result of this examination, SIT-LOI data was strongly correlated with MRTs. This clearly suggests that SIT-LOI can be an indicator evaluating the stability of SOM in actual environments.