Sampling of plant and soil at Ny-Ålesund
Overseas Fellowship Program Participant: FY2022 First Call Short-Term Program
Soichi Tabata (Prefectural Hiroshima University)
I researched vegetation and sampled plants and soil at Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard, Norway. In addition, I had the opportunity to talk with foreign researchers. It was a valuable experience in my life.
Firstly, let me briefly describe two main purposes of my study.
(1) To determine the amount of decomposed humic substances, which are persistent soil organic matter in the Arctic.
(2) To extract humic substances from Arctic soil and evaluate their chemical properties.
In (1), humic substances are added to soil under several conditions, and the amount of decomposition is evaluated by periodically measuring the concentration of carbon dioxide. (2) is to extract humic substances using international methods and analyzed various chemical properties. As a first step, I researched vegetation and sampled plants and soil at Ny-Ålesund.
Secondly, I explained my research process at Ny-Ålesund. The process was as follows: vegetation survey, plant and soil sampling, and pretreatment. In the vegetation research, I observed what kind of plants and where they were located, and decided on the plants to be sampled. At the plant and soil sampling, I was able to obtain the target plants and the soil under them (Fig. 1). In pretreatment, I removed plant remains and gravel from the soil and sieved it. Through these research activities, I was able to obtain the amount of samples needed for our experiments after returning to Japan.
I reported what environment during my research. My research period was summer in Ny-Ålesund from late August to mid-September. It was end of summer; the temperature was beginning to drop. There were snowy days and very cold day with feeling temperature is -10℃. I experienced the natural harshness of the polar regions. In addition, I encountered many animals such as reindeer, seals, arctic foxes, and rock ptarmigan during my outdoor activities (Fig. 2, 3).
Finally, I get a lot of results in this dispatch. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved in this program.