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FIG. 2. This outline of the sources and pathways of soluble organic C (SOC) flowing among interaggregate macropores depicts pathways for SOC diffusion into myriads of newly formed intra-aggregate micropore networks produced by frequent drying and wetting cycles. Many of these new micropores are dead-end pores that store additional immobile water, as defined by DeSmedt and Wierenga (1979), within aggregate centers. A continuous flux of SOC into these newly exposed mineral surfaces contributes to the further stabilization of aggregates and appears to protect C from microbial mineralization (Park and Smucker, 2007).
