Sites In Illinois Research Articles

Radiocarbon and Stable Carbon Isotopes of Labile and Inert Organic Carbon in the Critical Zone Observatory in Illinois, USA

ABSTRACTWe applied the high temperature pyrolysis-combustion technique to partition the total soil organic carbon (SOC) into labile and inert carbon pools for accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon (AMS 14C) dating and stable carbon isotope (δ13C), SOC, and carbonate carbon (CC) content analyses to examine SOC variability at a Critical Zone Observatory site in Illinois, USA. The AMS 14C dates of labile and inert carbon in the top 1.55 m overlap except in the Bt horizon. Below 1.55 m the labile carbon is younger by 8000–14,800 years. The SOC content decreases from 3.61% to 0.12% and CC content increases from 0% to 19.16% at this depth. Results indicate that SOC production exceeds its loss in the weathering zone causing a continuous turnover of both SOC pools. A small amount of modern SOC infiltrates into deeper sediment below 1.55 m, making the labile carbon pool much younger. Their difference of AMS 14C contents, ΔF14C, reveals 3−5% more modern carbon in the labile SOC pools except in the Bt horizon, further quantifying that <3−5% modern carbon with potential pollutants is translocated into the unweathered sediments. The δ13C reveals the sources for SOC cycling dynamics in both carbon pools at this site.

Assessing the cytotoxicity of ambient particulate matter (PM) using Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells and its relationship with the PM chemical composition and oxidative potential

We assessed mammalian cell cytotoxicity of ambient PM2.5 and investigated its association with the oxidative potential (OP) and chemical composition of the particles. Sixteen PM samples spanning in various seasons (fall, winter, spring and summer) were collected from an urban site in central Illinois. Cytotoxicity (LC50) in terms of the volume of air that kills 50% of the cells were calculated, which varied from 4.3 to 7.2 m3 of air. The OP was measured by two assays – the dithiothreitol (DTT) and the surrogate lung fluid (SLF) assay. In DTT assay, we measured two endpoints – hydroxyl radicals (•OH) generation and DTT consumption (the conventionally measured endpoint), while only •OH generation was measured in the SLF assay. Although, all three endpoints in the OP assays correlated significantly (P ≤ 0.05) with LC50, the correlation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation in DTT and SLF assays was much higher (r > 0.80 for •OH generation versus LC50) than the DTT consumption (r = 0.58). To further understand the components in PM that drive cytotoxicity and OP, concentration of water-soluble metals (Fe, Cu, Co, Cr, Mn, Ni, Pb, V, Hg, and Zn), organic carbon (OC), water soluble organic carbon (WSOC), and elemental carbon (EC) were measured. Among all the chemical components, Fe, Cu and WSOC correlated most (r > 0.70; P ≤ 0.01) with the cytotoxicity. DTT consumption correlated only with OC and WSOC (r > 0.80; P ≤ 0.01), while •OH generation in DTT and SLF assay correlated with both WSOC (r > 0.70; P ≤ 0.01) and metals (i.e. Fe and Cu; r > 0.75; P ≤ 0.01). Our results suggest a strong link between the PM2.5 OP and its cytotoxicity. Furthermore, the synergistic interactions among the organic compounds (i.e. WSOC) and metals (Fe and Cu) to enhance the ROS generation, which are more effectively captured in •OH generation endpoints in DTT and SLF assay than the DTT consumption, appear to be largely responsible for the observed mammalian cell cytotoxicity of PM2.5.

Development of activity rates in fledgling songbirds: when do young birds begin to behave like adults?

Abstract Logistical and technological limitations have constrained the characterization of behavioural development in songbirds, particularly during the post-fledging period. Recently, advances in radio-telemetry technology — automated radio-telemetry systems (ARTS) capable of recording continuous, high-resolution spatial-temporal data on radio-tagged birds — have opened the door to more comprehensive examinations of fledgling behaviour. We examined development of activity rates (number of times a bird was determined to have moved per number of detections, per hour) in fledgling Dickcissels using ARTS established at two grassland sites in east-central Illinois, USA. Specifically, we described general patterns of fledgling activity rates and determined the age at which fledglings began exhibiting activity rates like adults. We found that juveniles decreased activity rates immediately following fledging, likely to avoid detection by snakes and other predators, but increased activity levels throughout the rest of the post-fledging period. Peak hours of fledgling activity occurred around 0700 and 1800 h for all ages, with consistently low activity rates at night. On average, fledglings began exhibiting adult-like activity rates approximately 22 days after fledging, around roughly the same time they stopped being fed by adults. While our study provides important insights into development of fledgling behaviour in the Dickcissel, it remains unclear how patterns of behavioural development vary within and among species.

A preliminary study to design a floating treatment wetland for remediating acid mine drainage-impacted water using vetiver grass (Chrysopogon zizanioides).

Acid mine drainage (AMD) is extremely acidic, sulfate-rich effluent from abandoned or active mine sites that also contain elevated levels of heavy metals. Untreated AMD can contaminate surface and groundwater and pose severe ecological risk. Both active and passive methods have been developed for AMD treatment consisting of abiotic and biological techniques. Abiotic techniques are expensive and can create large amounts of secondary wastes. Passive biological treatment mainly consists of aerobic or anaerobic constructed wetlands. While aerobic wetlands are economical, they are not effective if the pH of the AMD is <5. Anaerobic wetlands use organic-rich substrates to provide carbon source to iron- and sulfate-reducing bacteria. The efficiency of these systems declines overtime and requires continuous maintenance. Our objective is to develop an alternative, low-cost, and sustainable floating wetland treatment (FWT) system for AMD for the abandoned Tab-Simco coal mining site in Illinois using vetiver grass (Chrysopogon zizanioides). Tab-Simco AMD is highly acidic, with mean pH value of 2.64, and contains high levels of sulfate and metals. A greenhouse study was performed for a 30-day period in order to screen and optimize the necessary parameters to design a FWT system. Water quality and plant growth parameters were continuously monitored. Results show significant SO42- removal, resulting in increased pH, particularly at higher planting densities. Vetiver also helped in metal removal; high amounts of Fe, Zn, and Cu were removed, with relatively lower amounts of Pb, Al, and Ni. Iron plaque formation on the root was observed, which increased metal stabilization in root and lowered root to shoot metal translocation. Vetiver was tolerant of AMD, showing minimal change in biomass and plant growth. Results obtained are encouraging, and a large scale mesocosm study is now in progress, as the next step to develop the vetiver-based system for AMD treatment.

An Examination of Terminal Archaic Bone and Antler Implements from the Firehouse Site, Dearborn County, Indiana

Abstract The Firehouse site (12D563) is a Terminal Archaic Riverton culture site located on a bluff overlooking the confluence of the Ohio and Great Miami Rivers in Dearborn County, Indiana. Excavations at the site in 2003 and 2004 yielded a highly diverse assemblage of around 300 bone and antler implements. Such large assemblages of organic tools are rare outside of wet sites, rockshelters, and shell middens and provide a unique opportunity for the study of tool forms not typically recovered in the Midwest. A typological analysis of the Firehouse assemblage indicates some similarities between these tools and Riverton culture bone and antler implements from the type sites in Illinois. Additionally, a microscopic analysis of manufacturing microtraces indicates that most tools were made using a lithic shaving (rather than an abrasion) technique.

An Examination of Terminal Archaic Bone and Antler Implements from the Firehouse Site, Dearborn County, Indiana

ABSTRACTThe Firehouse site (12D563) is a Terminal Archaic Riverton culture site located on a bluff overlooking the confluence of the Ohio and Great Miami Rivers in Dearborn County, Indiana. Excavations at the site in 2003 and 2004 yielded a highly diverse assemblage of around 300 bone and antler implements. Such large assemblages of organic tools are rare outside of wet sites, rockshelters, and shell middens and provide a unique opportunity for the study of tool forms not typically recovered in the Midwest. A typological analysis of the Firehouse assemblage indicates some similarities between these tools and Riverton culture bone and antler implements from the type sites in Illinois. Additionally, a microscopic analysis of manufacturing microtraces indicates that most tools were made using a lithic shaving (rather than an abrasion) technique.

Treatment of a hypersaline brine, extracted from a potential CO2 sequestration site, and an industrial wastewater by membrane distillation and forward osmosis

Industrial-scale CO2 geological sequestration in deep saline aquifers may require extraction of large volumes of hypersaline brine. We investigated different strategies for treatment of Mt. Simon brine (a hypersaline brine with total dissolved solids of ∼225,000ppm, extracted from a potential CO2 sequestration site in Illinois) and an industrial wastewater. The extracted brine was first subjected to a coagulation/filtration pretreatment and then treated directly by membrane distillation (MD), or used as a draw solution to harvest purified water from an industrial wastewater by the forward osmosis (FO) process. Results indicated that the pretreated brine could be treated directly by MD with a water flux of 38kg/m2·h and ∼40% water recovery. In simultaneous treatment of the wastewater and Mt. Simon brine using FO-MD, the Mt. Simon brine draw solution outperformed a 20% MgSO4 draw solution by showing a higher osmotic pressure that resulted in a 60% higher water flux. However, the brine draw solution also showed a higher reverse salt flux. The treatment of wastewater by FO using the hypersaline brine as a draw solution, performed in multicycles by periodic flushing with deionized water, demonstrated a stable water flux and reduced the wastewater volume by ∼10 times. The treatment strategies investigated reduced the volume of industrial wastewater by ∼10 times and that of Mt. Simon brine by ∼2 times, and they generated a significant amount of usable water through direct and indirect treatment of the Mt. Simon brine by the MD process.

Demonstration of spatial greenhouse gas mapping using laser absorption spectrometers on local scales

A system for measuring the two-dimensional (2-D) spatial distribution of atmospheric CO2 over complex industrial sites and urban areas on the order of 1 to 30 km2 every few minutes with a spatial resolution as high as tens of meters has been developed and demonstrated over the past 3 years. The greenhouse gas (GHG) laser imaging tomography experiment (GreenLITE™) provides improved measurement capabilities for applications ranging from automated 24/7 monitoring of ground carbon storage/sequestration (GCS) sites to long-duration real-time analyses of GHG sources and sinks in urban environments. GreenLITE combines a set of sensors based on an intensity modulated continuous wave approach with 2-D sparse tomographic reconstruction mechanisms to compute a 2-D map of CO2 concentrations over the area of interest. GreenLITE systems have recently been deployed at a number of test facilities, including a 4000-h demonstration at a GCS site in Illinois and an urban deployment in Paris, France, from November 2015 to the present. This paper describes the GreenLITE concept and the associated measurement capabilities and provides proof of concept results and analyses of observations from both short-term tests as well as longer-term industrial and urban deployments.

Movement ofHypophthalmichthysDNA in the Illinois River Watershed by the Double-Crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus)

Abstract. Paired throat and cloacal swabs, along with feather samples, from nesting Double-crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) at two sites in Illinois, USA, were tested for presence of invasive bigheaded carp (Hypophthalmichthys spp.) DNA. We also used DNA from the feather calamus to determine cormorant sex. Throat and cloacal swabs from cormorants at both locations tested positive for DNA from silver carp (H. molitrix), but none tested positive for bighead carp (H. nobilis). Hypophthalmichthys DNA was not detected on feathers. There were no significant differences among positive Hypophthalmichthys DNA detection frequencies between cormorant sexes. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of silver carp as part of the Double-crested Cormorant diet in North America. Hypophthalmichthys are major invasive species of concern in this region, the detection of water-borne environmental DNA of Hypophthalmichthys is an important monitoring tool, and the potential movement of DNA via piscivorous bi...

Effects of Bt Corn and Egg Density on Western Corn Rootworm (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) Adult Emergence and Estimation of Effective Bt Dose.

Since 2003, rootworm-protected transgenic corn has been commercially deployed in the United States as a principal method of control of western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte. Durability of this technology depends partly on larval mortality ("dose") exerted by the traits, but density-dependent mortality can confound calculations of dose. Research reported here examined the effects of density-dependent mortality on adult emergence and estimates of trait dose. At sites in Illinois and Indiana, western corn rootworm eggs were infested at four densities on non-Bt corn and at a single density on corn hybrids with transgenic events MON 88017 (VT Triple PRO), DAS-59122-7 (Herculex Insect Protection), and MON 88017 × DAS-59122-7 (SmartStax corn). Beetles were collected weekly in large emergence cages. Density-dependent mortality and the effect of Bt traits were examined using percent survival from egg to adult, sex ratio, and beetle mass. Beetle emergence from Bt treatments was very low, and percent survival from non-Bt treatments was greatest at the lowest egg density (410 eggs per row-meter). Therefore, emergence from the lowest infestation density on non-Bt corn was used to estimate the effective dose of the Bt treatments. Sex ratio and beetle mass were unaffected by density-dependent effects and were not consistently affected by Bt traits. Dose was estimated at 97.4-99.3% for MON 88017, 98.8-99.9% for DAS-59122-7, and 99.7-100.0% for MON 88017 × DAS-59122-7. This study confirms the need to account for density-dependent mortality when estimating dose of corn rootworm protection events even at relatively low egg infestation densities.

Do songbirds attend to song categories when selecting breeding habitat? A case study with a wood warbler

Breeding habitat selection strongly affects reproduction and individual fitness. Among birds, using social cues from conspecifics to select habitat is widespread, but how different types of conspecific social cues influence breeding habitat selection remains less understood. We conducted a playback experiment evaluating if the yellow warbler (Setophaga petechia), a species with two song categories linked to pairing status, uses categories differently when selecting breeding habitat. We hypothesized that yellow warblers use second-category singing mode, which is mostly sung by paired males, over first-category singing mode for habitat selection, as successfully paired males should indicate higher-quality habitat. We broadcast yellow warbler first-category singing mode, second-category singing mode, and silent controls at sites in Illinois. Yellow warblers were more abundant at sites treated with second-category singing mode compared other sites. Our results demonstrate that yellow warblers use social cues informing successful pairing over other types of social cues to select breeding habitat.

Distribution, Predictors, and Impacts of Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilus planipennis) (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) Infestation of White Fringetree (Chionanthus virginicus).

Emerald ash borer, Agrilus planipennis (Fairmaire), is an invasive pest of ash trees (Fraxinus spp.) in North America that was recently found infesting white fringetree (Chionanthus virginicus L.). Initial reports of the infestation of white fringetree by emerald ash borer occurred in southwestern Ohio and Chicago, IL. We examined white fringetrees at additional sites in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania in Summer and Fall 2015 and Winter 2016 for emerald ash borer infestation. Our aim was to examine white fringetrees at a limited number of sites with emerald ash borer infestation and to relate tree size, crown dieback, epicormic sprouting, tree sex, and adjacency to ash or white fringetrees with the likelihood of beetle infestation. A higher proportion of infested trees exhibited epicormic sprouting and the likelihood that a tree was infested increased with increasing crown dieback, variables that may be both predictors and responses to attack. The proportion of trees infested with emerald ash borer increased with increasing tree size. Signs consistent with emerald ash borer infestation were found in 26% of 178 white fringetrees, with at least one host infested at each site in all states. Infestation rates of white fringetrees increased with the density of white fringetrees at each site. The Chicago Botanic Garden site had a significantly lower infestation (3.7%) than other sites, which may be due to proactive management of ash. Overall, these data indicate white fringetree has been utilized by emerald ash borer throughout their overlapping ranges in the United States in ornamental settings likely due to ecological fitting.

Late Middle Archaic settlement systems in West-Central Illinois

Data from a sample of late Middle Archaic sites in west-central Illinois are examined in light of Binford’s forager–collector model. Quantitative methods (correspondence and diversity analyses) are applied to the lithic data from the sites. It is suggested that a mix of mobility strategies was employed in the region during late Middle Archaic. Large, possibly multiseason, valley located residential sites were occupied during the warm season. People occupying such sites were logistically mobile and employed logistical sites to supply some of the resources. In contrast, smaller, upland residential sites were occupied by few people for shorter durations during the cold season. People were residentially mobile while occupying the upland residential sites. The methods demonstrated in the paper are applicable to other regions and time periods.

Assessment of desalination technologies for treatment of a highly saline brine from a potential CO2 storage site

Brine extraction is a promising strategy for the management of increased reservoir pressure, resulting from carbon dioxide (CO2) injection in deep saline reservoirs. The extracted brines usually have high concentrations of total dissolved solids (TDS) and various contaminants, and require proper disposal or treatment. In this article, first by conducting a critical review, we evaluate the applicability, limits, and advantages or challenges of various commercially available and emerging desalination technologies that can potentially be employed to treat the highly saline brine (with TDS values >70.000ppm) and those that are applicable to a ~200,000ppm TDS brine extracted from the Mt. Simon Sandstone, a potential CO2 storage site in Illinois, USA. Based on the side-by-side comparison of technologies, evaporators are selected as the most suitable existing technology for treating Mt. Simon brine. Process simulations are then conducted for a conceptual design for desalination of 454m3/h (2000gpm) pretreated brine for near-zero liquid discharge by multi-effect evaporators. The thermal energy demand is estimated at 246kWh per m3 of recovered water, of which 212kWh/m3 is required for multiple-effect evaporation and the remainder for salt drying. The process also requires additional electrical power of ~2kWh/m3.

Asian Carp in the Diet of River Otters in Illinois

Abstract Populations of invasive silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) and bighead carp (H. nobilis), collectively known as “Asian carp,” are growing rapidly in Illinois and may make up a large fraction of available prey for river otters (Lontra canadensis) in larger waterbodies. Our goals were to assess the frequency of Asian carp in otter diets and compare the frequency of occurrence of prey groups (fish, crayfish, and amphibians) in otter diets between land cover types and seasons. We searched for Asian carp otoliths and pharyngeal teeth, as well as parts of other fishes, crayfish, and amphibians in 155 otter scats collected from 43 stream sites in central and southern Illinois during January−April 2013 and 2014. Consistent with previous studies, fish and crayfish were primary prey items for otters, followed by amphibians. The proportion of crayfish increased from January−February to March−April, but the occurrence of the other prey types remained similar between those periods. Land cover type did ...

The Texting Rhythm: A Novel EEG Waveform Using Smartphones.

We report a unique EEG phenomenon in patients with paroxysmal neurological events undergoing video EEG monitoring. Two epilepsy centers analyzed the interictal scalp EEG in patients using personal electronic devices during epilepsy monitoring. The texting rhythm (TR) was defined as a reproducible, stimulus-evoked, generalized frontocentral monomorphic burst of 5-6 Hz theta consistently induced by active text messaging. An independent prospective and retrospective cohort was analyzed and compared from two sites in Florida and Illinois. We assessed age, gender, diagnosis, epilepsy classification, MRI, and EEG to compare patients with a TR. Analysis was performed with statistical significance set at P < 0.05. We identified 24 of 98 evaluable patients with a TR in a prospective arm at one center and 7 of 31 patients in a retrospective arm at another totaling 31/129 (24.0%). The waveform prevalence was similar at both centers independent of location. TR was highly specific to active texting. A similar waveform during independent cognitive, speech or language, motor activation and audio cellular telephone use was absent (P < 0.0001). It appeared to be increased in patients with epilepsy in one cohort (P = 0.03) and generalized seizures in the other (P = 0.025). Age, gender, epilepsy type, MRI results, and EEG lateralization in patients with focal epileptic seizures did not bear a relationship to the presence of a TR in either arm of the study (P = NS). The TR is a novel waveform time-locked to text messaging and associated with active use of smartphones. Electroencephalographers should be aware of the TR to separate it from an abnormality in patients undergoing video EEG monitoring. Larger sample sizes and additional research may help define the significance of this unique cognitive-visual-cognitive-motor network that is technology-related and task-specific with implications in communication research and transportation safety.

Development of Dynamic Ground Water Data Assimilation for Quantifying Soil Hydraulic Properties from Remotely Sensed Soil Moisture

Several inversion modeling-based approaches have been developed/used to extract soil hydraulic properties (α, n, θres, θsat, Ksat) from remotely sensed (RS) soil moisture footprints. Hydrological models with shallow ground water (SGW) table depths in soils simulate daily root zone soil moisture dynamics based on the extracted soil parameters. The presence of SGW table depths in soils significantly influences model performances; however, SGW table depths are usually unknown in the field, thus, unknown SGW table depths might cause uncertainties in the model outputs. In order to overcome these drawbacks, we developed a dynamic ground water (DGW) data assimilation approach that can consider SGW table depths across time for quantifying effective soil hydraulic properties in the unsaturated zone. In order to verify the DGW data assimilation scheme, numerical experiments comprising synthetic and field validation experiments were conducted. For the numerical studies, the Little Washita (LW) watershed in Oklahoma and Olney (OLN)/Bondville (BOND) sites in Illinois were selected as different hydroclimatic regions. For the synthetic conditions, we tested the DGW scheme using various soil textures and vegetation covers with fixed and dynamically changing SGW table depths across time in homogeneous and heterogeneous (layered) soil columns. The DGW-based soil parameters matched the observations under various synthetic conditions better than those that only consider fixed ground water (FGW) table depths in time. For the field validations, our proposed data assimilation scheme performed well in predicting the soil hydraulic properties and SGW table depths at the point, airborne sensing, and satellite scales, even though uncertainties exist. These findings support the robustness of our proposed DGW approach in application to regional fields. Thus, the DGW scheme could improve the availability and applicability of pixel-scale soil moisture footprints based on satellite platforms.

Effects from Early Planting of Late-Maturing Sunflowers on Damage from Primary Insect Pests in the United States

AbstractDelayed planting is recommended to reduce damage from sunflower insect pests in the United States, including the sunflower moth, Homoeosoma electellum (Hulst) and banded sunflower moth, Cochylis hospes Walsingham. However, in some locations, planting earlier or growing later-maturing hybrids could improve yield or oil content of sunflowers which would partially offset any added costs from insect pests or their management. Because the abundance and distribution of some sunflower insects have changed since recommendations for delayed planting were developed, experimental plots were grown in 2012 and 2013 at sites in North Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, and Illinois. Sunflowers were planted two to four weeks earlier than normal, including hybrids that flower two to three weeks later than elite commercial hybrids. The sum of seed damaged by sunflower moth, banded sunflower moth, and red sunflower seed weevil, Smicronyx fulvus LeConte, (i. e., total percentage) was influenced by location, but not the relative maturity of tested entries. However, when damage attributed solely to the red sunflower seed weevil was analyzed, more damaged seed were found for late-maturing entries in North Dakota and Nebraska. In addition to the trial data, current pest populations are lower than when delayed planting was first recommended and insecticide use during sunflower bloom is both common and effective. Together, these observations suggest factoring insect pests into planting time decisions may be unnecessary, except for areas with a history of problems with severe pests that cannot be managed using insecticides (e. g., sunflower midge, Contarinia schulzi Gagné).

Linear enamel hypoplasia in Schroeder Mounds (11HE177): A Late Woodland period site in Illinois

Adults and subadults recovered from the Late Woodland period (∼A.D. 800–1100) Schroeder Mounds site (11HE177) from west-central Illinois who preserve permanent incisors and/or canines (N=46) were examined for the presence of macroscopically visible linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH) by case, by tooth type, number of hypoplastic defects by tooth type, and estimated developmental age of occurrence. The raw case frequency of LEH (16/46) is 34.8 percent. The Schroeder Mounds subadults (N=15) have a higher case frequency (i.e., 60 percent versus 22.6 percent), number of stress episodes per tooth, and a longer developmental age range of hypoplastic defects than the adults. With no subsistence or settlement context, the Schroeder Mounds sample was compared to published (solely) adult LEH data from eight western Illinois sites segregable as either Middle (∼50 B.C.–A.D. 400) and Late Woodland period semi-sedentary forager-horticulturalists or Mississippian period (∼A.D. 1150–1250) sedentary (i.e., large aggregated village) maize-intensive agriculturalists. The adult Schroeder Mounds LEH patterns align with the Woodland samples with minor differences inclining the Schroeder sample toward a forager-farmer subsistence/settlement strategy. The Schroeder Mounds subadult patterns and prevalence may reflect factors that contributed toward their early death. Whether these factors can be framed by the subsistence/settlement system will require comparative data.

Carbonyl sulfide exchange in soils for better estimates of ecosystem carbon uptake

Abstract. Carbonyl sulfide (COS) measurements are one of the emerging tools to better quantify gross primary production (GPP), the largest flux in the global carbon cycle. COS is a gas with a similar structure to CO2; COS uptake is thought to be a proxy for GPP. However, soils are a potential source or sink of COS. This study presents a framework for understanding soil–COS interactions. Excluding wetlands, most of the few observations of isolated soils that have been made show small uptake of atmospheric COS. Recently, a series of studies at an agricultural site in the central United States found soil COS production under hot conditions an order of magnitude greater than fluxes at other sites. To investigate the extent of this phenomenon, soils were collected from five new sites and incubated in a variety of soil moisture and temperature states. We found that soils from a desert, an oak savannah, a deciduous forest, and a rainforest exhibited small COS fluxes, behavior resembling previous studies. However, soil from an agricultural site in Illinois, &gt; 800 km away from the initial central US study site, demonstrated comparably large soil fluxes under similar conditions. These new data suggest that, for the most part, soil COS interaction is negligible compared to plant uptake of COS. We present a model that anticipates the large agricultural soil fluxes so that they may be taken into account. While COS air-monitoring data are consistent with the dominance of plant uptake, improved interpretation of these data should incorporate the soil flux parameterizations suggested here.