Variation of soil organic carbon in a university campus in temperate North-eastern India

Abstract

Land cover plays a significant role in soil carbon flux and this study aims to assess the variation in Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) within a relatively small area of 1 km2 in Tezpur University campus in Assam, India. Spatial variation of SOC has been analyzed in the surface layers (0–10 cm) under five different land cover types - artificial forests, gardens and parks, grasslands, natural forests and woodlands, using Walkley-Black's wet oxidation method. The results showed that SOC ranged from 1.08% to 1.58%, where natural forests have the highest SOC and lowest in gardens. The SOC variation under different land covers was found to be significant (p < 0.05). The average organic carbon stock for the study area was found to be 20.65 t C ha−1. Seasonal SOC variation analysed as part of this study for post monsoon and winter seasons showed overall decrease in SOC (p > 0.05). This small scale study shows considerable variation in SOC which can be directly attributed to the landcover type. The results from this baseline study may be utilised for effective land management planning which, in turn, can help reduce the university's carbon footprint. Each small strategy may prove as crucial contributor to the alleviation of climate change impacts.