KBS024:Soil Total Carbon and Nitrogen of the Main Cropping System Experiment

This dataset contains the total carbon and nitrogen in surface soils of the Main Cropping System Experiment at the LTER Main Site (Treatments 1-8, since 1989) and Mid-successional (SF) and Forested (CF, DF) sites (since 1993). Annual analysis of total C and N in surface soil samples was abandoned after 2001 in favor of analysis of near decadal deep core sampling campaigns.

Samples were taken with a 2.5 cm diameter soil corer, sieved to 4mm, and composited by plot. Soil % elemental carbon and nitrogen values were determined by sample combustion and subsequent TCD gas chromatography using a Carlo Erba automated CHN analyzer.