Soils play a central role in the global carbon cycle and constitute a key component of natural climate solutions that require quantitative predictions of soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics at local to regional scales. In hilly and mountainous settings, variations in uplift and stream incision generate gradients in erosion and hillslope morphology that control soil properties and sediment transport processes that impact the abundance and persistence of SOC. We use topography, geomorphic mapping, theoretical models, and soil biogeochemical analyses to inform our understanding of SOC stocks and cycling. Specifically, fast-eroding sites have much less SOC than slow-eroding sites and are dominated by faster-cycling SOC pools.  In addition, landslide deposits that span >6 orders of magnitude in age reveal weathering pathways that modulate SOC abundance. By coupling geomorphic maps and models with field-based soil biogeochemical datasets, we can estimate SOC abundance and persistence in a wide array of landscape settings, facilitating our ability to predict carbon dynamics across a range of scales.

Bio: Dr. Josh Roering (Stanford, B.S.1994), Professor of Earth Sciences, has been a faculty member at the University of Oregon since 2000. Dr. Roering specializes in hillslope geomorphology, particularly landslide processes and hazards, soil weathering and transport, carbon cycling, and landscape evolution. His research group has published >120 peer-reviewed publications using an array of tools, including field observations, laboratory experiments, geochemical analyses, computer simulations, environmental sensors, high-resolution topography, and remote sensing to investigate the influence of tectonic, climatic, and anthropogenic forces on landscapes over a wide range of temporal and spatial scales.  His work is focused on the Pacific Northwest and California with additional sites in New Zealand, SE Alaska, Taiwan, and South Africa. At UO, he served in a number of administrative roles, including Department Head of Earth Sciences from 2019 to 2022. In 2018, Dr. Roering was elected Fellow of the American Geophysical Union and starting in 2025 he will serve on the Federal Advisory Committee on Landslides convened by the US Department of Interior as part of the National Landslide Preparedness Act.  

For the Zoom link please email Xueyao Cheng  > xc272@stanford.edu