Carbon and nitrogen cycling in an urban constructed technosol: The artist-led carbon sponge pilot study
Urban sustainability initiatives rely on healthy soils, and increasingly turn to constructed soils or constructed Technosols (CTs) to create green spaces, green infrastructure, and urban agriculture. However, CTs must be better understood, particularly in terms of their nutrient dynamics, to optimiz...
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Elsevier
2025-08-01
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016706125002605 |
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| author | Sara Perl Egendorf Maha Deeb Brooke Singer Nkwi Flores Marisa Prefer Zhongqi Cheng Peter Groffman |
| author_facet | Sara Perl Egendorf Maha Deeb Brooke Singer Nkwi Flores Marisa Prefer Zhongqi Cheng Peter Groffman |
| author_sort | Sara Perl Egendorf |
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| description | Urban sustainability initiatives rely on healthy soils, and increasingly turn to constructed soils or constructed Technosols (CTs) to create green spaces, green infrastructure, and urban agriculture. However, CTs must be better understood, particularly in terms of their nutrient dynamics, to optimize their ecological functions. In the Carbon Sponge pilot study, located at the New York Hall of Science in Queens, NY, USA, our objective, through an artist-led collaboration, was to evaluate the effects of different plant communities on CT formation and carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycling. The artistic processes were rooted in social practice, focused more on practical outcomes than aesthetics. We constructed soils from excavated glacially-deposited sediments from the NYC Clean Soil Bank and urban municipal composts at a 2:1 vol:volume (v:v) ratio, and created 24 beds under 8 different planting regimes: control (bare, no plants); sunflowers; edibles (ground cherries and okra); cover crop mixture; and each of their combinations. We found that soils changed significantly over the study duration of 21 months (p = 0.001), particularly in terms of microbial biomass N content, an index of internal soil N cycling processes; the presence of sunflowers increased soil C and ammonium; and the presence of cover crop mixtures increased nitrate and ammonium. Over time, we observed an increase in microbial biomass C and N content and a decline in microbial respiration, suggesting the development of a soil microbial community that actively cycles C and N. Diverse planting combinations enhanced microbial development, yet all plants thrived in CTs, demonstrating their suitability for urban agriculture and horticulture, while enhancing ecosystem services and facilitating art-and-community-based initiatives. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-dfda4c0e289a4eb4b50a6e6daa309455 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1872-6259 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
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| series | Geoderma |
| spelling | doaj-art-dfda4c0e289a4eb4b50a6e6daa3094552025-08-20T04:00:34ZengElsevierGeoderma1872-62592025-08-0146011742210.1016/j.geoderma.2025.117422Carbon and nitrogen cycling in an urban constructed technosol: The artist-led carbon sponge pilot studySara Perl Egendorf0Maha Deeb1Brooke Singer2Nkwi Flores3Marisa Prefer4Zhongqi Cheng5Peter Groffman6Department of Environmental Studies and Science, Pace University, New York, NY, USA; Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, Brooklyn, NY, USA; Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The Graduate Center of the City University of New York, New York, NY, USA; Environmental Sciences Initiative, The Advanced Science Research Center at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, New York, NY, USAEnvironmental Sciences Initiative, The Advanced Science Research Center at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, New York, NY, USA; Soils and Substrates Group, School of Engineering, Architecture and Landscape (HEPIA), HES-SO. University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland, Hepia, Geneva, Switzerland; Corresponding author at: School of Engineering, Architecture and Landscape (HEPIA), HES-SO. University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland, SwitzerlandDepartment of New Media, Purchase College of the State University of New York, Purchase, NY, USADepartment of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, Brooklyn, NY, USA; School of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USAIndependent Artist and Researcher, Brooklyn, NY, USADepartment of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, Brooklyn, NY, USA; Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The Graduate Center of the City University of New York, New York, NY, USADepartment of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, Brooklyn, NY, USA; Environmental Sciences Initiative, The Advanced Science Research Center at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, New York, NY, USAUrban sustainability initiatives rely on healthy soils, and increasingly turn to constructed soils or constructed Technosols (CTs) to create green spaces, green infrastructure, and urban agriculture. However, CTs must be better understood, particularly in terms of their nutrient dynamics, to optimize their ecological functions. In the Carbon Sponge pilot study, located at the New York Hall of Science in Queens, NY, USA, our objective, through an artist-led collaboration, was to evaluate the effects of different plant communities on CT formation and carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycling. The artistic processes were rooted in social practice, focused more on practical outcomes than aesthetics. We constructed soils from excavated glacially-deposited sediments from the NYC Clean Soil Bank and urban municipal composts at a 2:1 vol:volume (v:v) ratio, and created 24 beds under 8 different planting regimes: control (bare, no plants); sunflowers; edibles (ground cherries and okra); cover crop mixture; and each of their combinations. We found that soils changed significantly over the study duration of 21 months (p = 0.001), particularly in terms of microbial biomass N content, an index of internal soil N cycling processes; the presence of sunflowers increased soil C and ammonium; and the presence of cover crop mixtures increased nitrate and ammonium. Over time, we observed an increase in microbial biomass C and N content and a decline in microbial respiration, suggesting the development of a soil microbial community that actively cycles C and N. Diverse planting combinations enhanced microbial development, yet all plants thrived in CTs, demonstrating their suitability for urban agriculture and horticulture, while enhancing ecosystem services and facilitating art-and-community-based initiatives.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016706125002605Urban soilUrban agricultureCompostMicrobial activitiesSoil carbon stewardshipTransdisciplinary collaboration |
| spellingShingle | Sara Perl Egendorf Maha Deeb Brooke Singer Nkwi Flores Marisa Prefer Zhongqi Cheng Peter Groffman Carbon and nitrogen cycling in an urban constructed technosol: The artist-led carbon sponge pilot study Geoderma Urban soil Urban agriculture Compost Microbial activities Soil carbon stewardship Transdisciplinary collaboration |
| title | Carbon and nitrogen cycling in an urban constructed technosol: The artist-led carbon sponge pilot study |
| title_full | Carbon and nitrogen cycling in an urban constructed technosol: The artist-led carbon sponge pilot study |
| title_fullStr | Carbon and nitrogen cycling in an urban constructed technosol: The artist-led carbon sponge pilot study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Carbon and nitrogen cycling in an urban constructed technosol: The artist-led carbon sponge pilot study |
| title_short | Carbon and nitrogen cycling in an urban constructed technosol: The artist-led carbon sponge pilot study |
| title_sort | carbon and nitrogen cycling in an urban constructed technosol the artist led carbon sponge pilot study |
| topic | Urban soil Urban agriculture Compost Microbial activities Soil carbon stewardship Transdisciplinary collaboration |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016706125002605 |
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