A Soil Probe for In-Situ Near Infrared Spectroscopic Measurement of Soil Carbon

76063-International initiatives are underway to reduce greenhouse gases in the air. The sequestration of carbon in agricultural soils is a candidate technology for achieving this reduction; however, more rapid and less expensive methods of measuring carbon in this sequestration scenario will be needed. This project will use near infrared reflectance spectroscopy via a soil probe to make these carbon measurements. The probe will measure carbon and bulk density, allowing a rapid carbon inventory to be made on a field or project scale. In Phase I, a prototype probe will be designed, built, and briefly tested in a laboratory. Then, the probe will be tested in fields in at least two different states to determine how accurately it can measure soil carbon. Finally, the uncertainty of the measurements made with the probe will be compared to standard methods. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: In addition to its use in auditing carbon stocks sequestered in the soil, the probe should find application in production agriculture for investigating soil quality and soil compaction.