Soil Matrix Temperature Gradient Influence on Migration of Plant Nutrients in Soil

We are collaborating with researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology – Kharagpur and the University of Alaska – Fairbanks to understand the influence of non-isothermal temperature gradients on migration of soil nutrients across a climate gradient. In India, surface and subsurface soil temperatures fluctuate substantially due to cool, temperate, hot-humid and hot-arid climates across the country. In Alaska, changes in permafrost depth due to climate shifts will affect soil hydraulic properties and can create serious environmental hazards. In Wisconsin, nutrient movement due to temperature gradients in the soil profile may be important when manure is land-applied during winter (a common management practice in Wisconsin).