Soil Sub-center,CERN

Overview
Subordinated to the Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Soil Sub-Center (SSC) was established in 1992 by Chinese Ecosystem Reserach Network (CERN).
SSC orientates its research at regional and national scale in nutrient cycling in agro-ecosystem, spatio-temporal changes of soil quality and their environmental effects, date base of soil science and expert system for sustainable agriculture and environmental safe. Key research projects include: Translocation and transformation of nutrients in agro-ecosystems and its optimized management, Degradation and restoration of soil quality in red soil region, and Soil data base of China. Besides, SSC undertakes the task controlling the quality of CERN long-term observation of ecological processes in soils, which covers instituting the observation criteria, developing and supplying standard material, controlling the observation quality, collecting data and compiling data base, and training the observation and analysis technician.
SSC is responsible for data management of CERN long-term observation of ecological processes in soils. The exisiting database include 1) CERN Soil Monitor Database, which is on SSC?s 'Soil Data Directory' web pages to metadata access.; 2) CERN NPK research database; and 3) Soil type database of China.
Now SSC has 13 of researchers, including 4 of full-time researchers in their tenure. SSC is equipped with soil chemical analytical instruments (ICP-MS, AAS, Flyer FIAA), computers and software (SUN SGI Workstation, Laptop, PC, ArcGIS, ERMAP, Oracle), and field survey equipment (GPS, digital camera). Fig. 1 The facilities of Soil Sub-center

People
Reserachers and Reseracher staff
Name Title Position Tel Email Fax
Yang Linzhang Professor Director 025-3360884 lzyang@issas.ac.cn 025-3353590
Sun Bo Assistant Professor Deputy Director 025-3619015 bsun@issas.ac.cn 025-3353590
Zhou Huizhen Professor Researcher 025-3619015 zhou@issas.ac.cn 025-3353590
Shi Jianping Senior Engineer Researcher staff
(Soil Data Management) 025-3361804 shi@issas.ac.cn 025-3353590
Deng Xihai Associate Researcher Researcher staff
(Soil Analysis) 025-3354655 xhdeng@issas.ac.cn 025-3353590
Shen Runping Post Doctor Researcher 025-3615019 rpshen@issas.ac.cn
Li Shuo Post Doctor Researcher 025-3361804 shli@issas.ac.cn
Zhang Shirong Post Doctor Researcher 025-3361804
Pan Xianzhang Assistant Professor Researcher
Lu Rukun Professor Researcher
Ma Yijie Professor Researcher
Liu Guangsong Professor Researcher

Research and Scientific achievements
Research Projects
The key research projects include:
(1) Project name :Translocation and transformation of nutrients in agro-ecosystems and its optimized management.
Project source:CAS
Project leader:Prof. Yang Linzhang,:
Adderss:Institute of Soil Science, East Bejing Road 71# , Nanjing, 210008, China.
Email:lzyang@issas.ac.cn, Tel:86-25-3360884, Fax:86-25-3353590
Duration:2001-2005
Objectives: According to the advance in research and the national demand to solve the problems in agriculture and environment, a project was launched by Chinese Academy of Sciences to study the translocation and transformation of nutrients in the key agroecosystems and its optimized management, which is conducted relying on Chinese Ecological Research Network (CERN). The mission is to understand the NPK nutrient cycling character, the rates, routes and direction of nutrient (N, P, K) movement within agro-ecosystem systems, and the effect of governmental policy and farmer behavior on the NPK fertilizer production, utilization and management. At the end, the optimized management measures should be suggested.
Key Issues: The research focus on 1)the NPK balance situation in argo-ecosyetm of China; 2) the effect of governmental policy and farmer behavior on the production, utilization and management; 3) the quantity of translocation flux of nutrients and its estimation methods, 4) the models for calculating the loss of nutrients and the relative parameters, and 5) provide the policy suggestion and optimized management measures.
To provide for the integration and analysis of the project research data, a research on metadata design about NPK research database has be conducted, which is cooperated by Scientific Database Project, Computer Network Information Center, CAS.
Key Word: Agro-ecosystem NPK Translocation Management.
Found: RMB12,000,000


Fig.2 NPK Project meeting Fig.3 Long-term experiment


(2) Project name :Soil datebase of China.
Project leader:Prof. Yang Linzhang & Dr. Sun Bo
Adderss:Institute of Soil Science, East Bejing Road 71# , Nanjing, 210008, China.
Email:lzyang@issas.ac.cn, bsun@issas.ac.cn , Tel:86-25-3360884, 3615019 Fax:86-25-3353590
Duration:2001-2005
Objectives: The research on Soil Database of China concentrates the scientific data and achievements accumulated by the Chinese soil scientific circles over a long period, making it computerized, systematic and standardized for long storage and sharing. It also includes the sub-database for CERN Soil monitoring.
Key Issues:
1? The Metadata Design of Soil Database of Chian
2? Update Exsiting database
3? Establishment of the databse of Chinese soil taxonomy
4? Intergration of various type of data
5? The establishment of Soil database of China based on Internet
The database for CERN Soil Monitoring is an integrated information resource, which stores all data and meta-data from CERN?s core soil measurements collected at its network of sites. These data, along with other historic data from CERN sites, are held in standardized structures in order to support the cross-disciplinary analyses necessary for environmental change research. Right now, The database uses the ACCESS?and will be migrate to Oracle 8i RDBMS. Data are regularly sent in from sites and are quality assured before being lodged in the database. How to mark the quality flags and codes ensures the data quality is studied.
Availability of data is central to CERN?s success as a resource for environmental change research, policy purposes and public information. CERN published a data sharing policy to promote the use of its data from scientists and policy-makers to students and the general public. The 'Soil Data Directory' pages provide a gateway to SSC data access. Fig.4 and Fig.5 present the CERN soil monitoring database and Digital Soil Map of China.
Found: RMB 500,000
Key words China Soil Database



Fig.4 CERN soil monitoring database


(3) Project name: The QA&QC on CERN long-term soil monitoring
Project leader:Prof. Yang Linzhang & Dr. Sun Bo
Adderss:Institute of Soil Science, East Bejing Road 71# , Nanjing, 210008, China.
Email:lzyang@issas.ac.cn, bsun@issas.ac.cn , Tel:86-25-3360884, 3615019 Fax:86-25-3353590
Duration:2001-2005
Objectives: SSC undertakes the task controlling the quality of CERN long-term observation of ecological processes in soils to obtain soil environment data for decision-making.
Key Issues: In order to obtain soil environment data for decision-making, a project should be conducted in three phases: planning, implementation, and assessment. The first phase involves the requirements analysis of Quality Objectives and Criteria for Measurement Data before data collection.
In the second phase, the SSC translates these requirements into measurement performance specifications, and conducts QA/QC procedures to ensure data quality. Some practice involve inter-comparison test on soil analysis among 25 terrestrial sites, supplying standard material for soil analysis, collecting data, and training technician. During last data collection, SSC sent (& received) 450 emails for check data. As a result, 12 sites add some description about data acquisition, and 2 sites re-analyzed soil samples.
In the assessment phase, the data quality assessment process applies statistical tools to determine whether the data meet the assumptions made during planning and whether the total error in the data is small enough to support a decision within tolerable decision error rates expressed by the decision maker. Fig.6 shows the assessment result in the inter-comparison test by Z-statistic (if 2<|Z|<3, the performace is questionable; if |Z|>3, the performance is unsatisifactory).

Fig.6 the assessment result in the inter-comparison test by Z-statistic
Scientific achievements
Since its establishment, SSC has organized or co-organized and achieved 11 scientific research and scientific application projects, in which 2 are awarded ?Nature and Science Prize of CAS?, and 2 ?Scientific and Technological Advancement Prize of CAS?. SSC published 4 books and 110 Papers(including 8 SCI papers and 86 CSCD papers). Some are listed below.
1) Standard Methods for Observation and Analisis in Chinese Ecosystem Research Network.
Sun Honglie, LiuGuangsong,
June 1996, Publisher: Chinese Standard Publishing. Beijing, China.
2) Soil Physical and Chemical Analysis & Description of Soil Profiles.
Liu Guangsong, Jiang Nenghui, Zhang Liandi & Liu Zhaoli
Standard Methods for Observation and Analisis in Chinese Ecosystem Research Network.
June 1996, Publisher: Chinese Standard Publishing. Beijing, China.

SCI Papers
Paper Title Journals Vol.(No.) Publishing Year Author
Changes in village-scale nitrogen storage in china's tai lake region Ecological Applications, 10(4):1074~1089 2000 Erle C. Ellis, Rong Gang Li, Lin Zhang Yang, and Xu Cheng
Long term change in village-scale ecosystems in china using landscape and statis Ecological Applications 10(4):1057~1073. 2000 Erle C. Ellis, Rong Gang LI, Lin Zhang Yang, and Xu Cheng
Leaching of heavy metals in contaminated soils with EDTA Environment Pollution 13: 111~120. 2001 Sun B., F. J. Zhao, E., Lombi and S. P. McGrath,
Effect of slaked lime and gypsum on acidity alleviation and nutrient leaching in an acid soil from Southern China Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems 57:215~223. 2000 Sun, B., R. Moreau, R. Poss, A. Aventurier and P. Fallavier
The new concept of effective soil solution concentration predicts metal availability to plants Environmental Science and Technology 35: 2602~2607. 2001 Zhang, H., F. J. Zhao, B. SUN, W. Davison and S. P. McGrath
In situ fixation of metals in soils using bauxite residue: chemical assessment Environmental Pollution 118: 435~443 2002 Lombi, E., Zhao, F. J., Zhang, G. Y., Sun, B., Fitza, W., Zhang, H. and McGrath, S. P.
Organic carbon storage in soils of tropical and subtropical China Water, Air, and Soil Pollution 129: 45~60 2001 Li Zhong, Jiang Xiao, Pan Xian Zhang and Zhao Qiguo.