OXYGEN FLUX MEASUREMENTS IN ORGANIC SOIL

Abstract

Many measurements of oxygen flux in mineral soils have been reported; however, few such measurements have been made in organic soil. Almost all reported measurements of oxygen flux are at constant applied voltage, despite criticism of this technique, possibly due to the complexity of existing techniques for measuring oxygen flux at effective voltage. Equipment suitable for measuring oxygen flux at applied and effective voltage in organic soil was designed, and simplified techniques were developed and tested. As reported for mineral soils, soil resistance is relatively constant spatially and with depth in individual soils. Limited poisoning of the platinum electrode surface occurred after long periods of time and, contrary to previous assumptions, cannot be detected by erratic readings. Unlike mineral soil, the amperage-voltage slopes are constant over a wide range of organic soils, simplifying the technique for estimating oxygen flux at constant effective volatage. Comparison of simultaneous measurements of oxygen flux at constant and effective voltage indicates that oxygen flux measurements at effective voltage were twice those at applied voltage and strongly correlated (r2 = 0.96, n = 22).