SE Valley Times

Arizona State University researchers Becky Ball and Heather Throop are conducting a study in the Namib Desert, Africa, focusing on soil carbon patterns. Their work aims to understand how photosynthesis contributes to soil carbon storage in this hyper-arid region.

"We are working to understand how photosynthesis in the Namib puts carbon into the soil," said Throop, a professor at ASU’s School of Earth and Space Exploration. Throop has been involved in research in Namibia since her tenure as a Fulbright Scholar in 2015.

The Namib Desert is known for its extreme dryness and unique ecosystem, home to various endemic species including the welwitschia plant, which can survive up to 2,000 years. The researchers are based at the Gobabeb Namib Research Institute within the Namib-Naukluft Park.

“This summer’s field research is about collecting the soil,” stated Ball, a professor at ASU’s School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences. "We won’t know what carbon stories we have to tell until we get the samples back to ASU and analyze them."

Throop elaborated on their research: “We are ecosystem ecologists with a common interest in soil carbon cycling in dryland ecosystems. This means we want to understand how carbon gets put into the soil through photosynthesis, where it goes and how long it stays there.”

Ball emphasized the importance of their work: “The carbon cycle is critical for understanding global climate. Soil is a major storage bank for carbon, globally containing more carbon than the atmosphere and land vegetation combined."

Throop explained one focus of their study: "Looking out over the (desert) landscape, you might not see much plant life or evidence of photosynthesis, but if you flip over a quartz rock … there it is! A little green crust on the bottom of the rock." This green crust is from cyanobacteria that perform photosynthesis under translucent quartz rocks.

Ball discussed another focus: “The other type of photosynthesis we chase is a unique plant called welwitschia... They seem to manage to photosynthesize even when there hasn’t been any rainfall — less than 1 mm in years!”

Describing their daily routine, Throop noted they start early with breakfast before driving out to specific research sites using four-wheel drive trucks. Sampling involves careful collection methods such as using spoons for hypolithic soils or standard soil corers around welwitschia plants.

Ball mentioned they already know from previous research that "soil carbon is higher under hypoliths than bare soil without quartz." They now aim to measure how deeply this cyanobacterial carbon penetrates into the soil.

Both researchers expressed personal motivations for their work. Throop values both scientific inquiry and connections with local students and collaborators. Ball enjoys studying extreme ecosystems where life persists against odds.