Primarily, this thesis addresses the need for a cost and time efficient methodology to quantify both chemically and physically stabilized soil organic carbon (SOC) fractions. The time and cost saving would be gained if the need to physically and chemically separate soil samples to measure carbons of different fractions could be reduced. Some progress has been made by quantifying SOC using spectroscopy techniques (NIR and MIR) in place of combustion, which both give quantitative and qualitative (organic functional groups) measurement for SOC. What remains is to see if the comprehensive data that can be gained from the spectroscopic techniques can be used to quantify and characterize SOC in soil fractions while using minimal or no physical and/or fractionation pretreatments. Chapter 2 of this thesis is a comprehensive review of the literature focusing on soil C pools and significant aggregate theories currently developed. From the literature, it is apparent that soil aggregation is mediated by SOC and aggregate fractions of various sizes are stabilized by a range of SOC functional groups. At the same time SOC and aggregation models were being developed SOC pools were also being defined to populate soil carbon turnover models (e.g. Roth-C). Only recently, has research been undertaken which attempt to combine soil aggregation with soil C turnover models. A limitation to using these models is the time taken to separate aggregate and carbon fractions and the review of the literature indicates that using spectroscopic techniques may be a solution to this
