Dr Jeff Baldock: researching organic carbon and nitrogen in soils

Dr Jeff Baldock’s primary research areas include soil carbon and nitrogen cycling and the emission of greenhouse gases from soils.

• 6 August 2009 | Updated 14 October 2011

• Current activities
• Background
• Academic qualifications
• Achievements
• Professional activities

Current activities

Dr Jeff Baldock is actively involved in projects quantifying the content, forms and cycling of organic carbon and nitrogen in soils.

He is currently leading a national research program aimed at defining the influence of agricultural management practices on the quantity and composition of soil organic carbon. He leads a project designed to improve the capability of the computer simulation modelling framework used by the Australian Government Department of Climate Change to assess the impact of land use on national greenhouse gas accounts including CO2, N2O and CH4 emissions.

Dr Baldock also leads projects in which the role of organic matter in defining the net delivery of nutrients (N and P) to the plant available pool is being defined in an effort to more accurately define fertiliser nutrient requirements.

Research topics of special interest have included field, laboratory and glasshouse studies that address the following areas of research in soils:

• Dr Baldock leads a project to assess the impact of land use on national greenhouse gas accounts.

  quantification of the forms and fluxes of organic carbon and nitrogen in soils with an emphasis on characterising the influence of environmental properties and management options
• identification of the role of mineral properties and environmental conditions that stabilise carbon and nitrogen against biological attack in natural systems
• definition and quantification of the functions of organic matter in soils
• characterisation of the chemistry of organic carbon and nitrogen using a variety of spectroscopic and chemical degradation methodologies
• simulation modelling of soil carbon and nitrogen and their contribution to greenhouse gas emissions. 

Background

Dr Baldock has been studying soil organic matter chemistry, dynamics and its contribution to soil productivity form more than 25 years. 

He has, and continues to, contribute to the development and use of solid state 13C NMR for the chemical characterisation of natural organic materials found in a diverse range of natural environments.

Dr Baldock’s current work with the Grain and Research Development Corporation, the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and the Department of Climate Change is providing a national framework for soil carbon and greenhouse gas emissions research across Australia in terms of measurement and modelling.

He has active collaborations at both national and international levels and is regularly invited to contribute to workshops and meetings.

Academic qualifications

Dr Baldock has been awarded a:

• Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from the University of Guelph, Canada in 1983
• Masters of Science Soil Science also from the University of Guelph in 1985
• Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Adelaide, South Australia, in 1989.

Achievements

Dr Baldock is the author of:

• 70 journal articles
• 10 book chapters
• over 100 conference and workshop oral papers.

He has also published a variety of extension articles in various periodicals aimed at farmers and agribusiness professionals.

Professional activities

Dr Baldock is a member of the Australian Soil Science Society.

Find out more about Soil Management.