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Equipment

Along with the standard laboratory equipment , as much of soil physics as of soil chemistry (pH meters and conductimeters, stirrers, muffle furnaces, drying chambers, sand baths, thermo-stated baths, digestion systems, etc) the Department also has:

In the laboratory:

  • Spectrophotometers UV
  • Analyzers of N Kjheldar
  • X-ray particle counter
  • Nitrates Analyzer/detector
  • pF curve determination system
  • Automatic system for determination of the soil structural stability
  • Microbial respiration measurement system
  • System of micro-morphology analysis
  • Air pycnometers
  • Germination chambers

For field studies:

  • Soil sampling equipment
  • Double ring Infiltrometer
  • Mini disk Infiltrometers
  • TDR soil moisture meters
  • Soil moisture meters for measuring up to 50-100 cm of depth.
  • Tensiometers
  • Automatic CO2 exchange system
  • Multi-parametric measurer WTW (pH, dissolved O2, electric conductivity, Na, Mg, K) for soils and waters
  • Microbial respiration measurement system
  • Rain simulators
  • Penetrometers
  • Shear stress meters
  • Lysimeters

To monitor ecosystems evolution and responses, and to perform medium/long term experiments the Soil Degradation and Conservation Department also have two permanent Experimental Field Stations.

Permanent experimental field stations

Porta Coeli Experimental Station

The Experimental Station is located in Porta-Coeli (municipality of Serra, Valencia, Spain), on a land ceded by the Forestry Services of the Valencian Government in 1986. It is placed in the eastern slopes of the Sierra Calderona (Figure 1). Its facilities occupy a slightly concave hillside, with a mean slope of 20%. This area was hit by a forest fire in 1978.

Fig. 1: Location of the Experimenal Stations.

 

The soil is a shallow Rendzic Leptosol and it is a typical Mediterranean forest soil. The dominant vegetation type belongs to the Rosmarino-Ericion association, being the most representative species Rosmarinus officinalis, Erica multiflora, Stipa tenacissima, Chamaerops humilis y Thymus vulgaris.
The experimental set-up consists of four experimental erosion plots of 320m2 (40 x 8 m) each one, oriented parallel to the slope and bounded by 40 cm-height bricks (bards) covered by hydrophobic varnish. Around the upper limit of the plots a 40 cm-depth drain channel was dug, for interrupting the superficial and sub superficial runoff coming from the highest part of the slope. The lower area narrows until reaching a 2 m-width in order to manage the runoff. At the foot of each plot a 2 m wide collector ran into a 2000L tank to collect all the runoff and sediment produced during each rainfall event (Figure 2). Inside each collector there was a 40L tank to collect and concentrate the sediments for analysis. This type of close experimental plot allows measuring the total production of runoff and sediments on a delimited area of land, whose soil, vegetation, climatic and morphological characteristics are widely known.

 

Fig. 2: Porta-Coeli Experimental Station.

 

La Concordia Experimental Station

 

The experimental set up is located in the municipality of Lliria, 50 km NW of Valencia City (39º45’ N and 0º43’ W), in a forest area called “La Concordia”, within the municipality of Liria (Valencia, Spain). It is placed in the western slopes of Sierra Calderona (Figure 1).
Dominant vegetation type in the area belongs to the Rhamno lycioidis-Quercetum cocciferae association, which is typical of semi-arid Mediterranean areas. The most abundant species include Rosmarinus officinalis, Ulex parviflorus, Quercus coccifera, Rhamnus lycioides, Stipa tenacissima, Globularia alypum, Cistus clusii and Thymus vulgaris. The soil is a Rendzic Leptosol, which presents a variable depth but always less than 50 cm, abundant stoniness, high-carbon levels and good drainage.
The Experimental Station, operating since 1995, consists mainly of nine closed plots, each 20 m long by 4 m wide, with similar morphology, slope gradient, rock outcrops, soil and vegetation cover. Figure 3 shows the configuration and structure of the facilities. The plots are closed and have been oriented parallel to the slope. All the runoff and sediment produced during each rainfall event is collected.

 

 

Fig. 3: La Concordia Experimental Station

 

Experimental fires were performed in six of these plots in 1995, reaching in three of them high fire intensity and in the remainder moderate fire intensity (Figure 4).

 

 

 Figure 4: Detail of the experimental fires.

In 2003 fires were repeated in order to simulate the effect of repeated forest fires.
In both field stations climate, soil and hydrology parameters are continuously monitored, at real time, by a network system of sensors. The data collection and the functioning of the sensors are controlled by GSM transmission from the CIDE.