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Managed well, soil’s ability to trap carbon dioxide is potentially much greater than previously estimated, according to researchers who claim the resource could “significantly” offset increasing global emissions. Organic matter in soil, such as decomposing plant and animal residues, stores more carbon than do plants and the atmosphere combined.
Unfortunately, the carbon in soil has been widely lost or degraded through land use changes and unsustainable forest and agricultural practices, fires, nitrogen deposition and other human activities. The greatest near-term threat comes from thawing permafrost in Earth’s northern reaches, which could release massive amounts of carbon into the atmosphere. Improving how the land is managed could increase soil’s carbon storage enough to offset future carbon emissions from thawing permafrost, the researchers find. Among the possible approaches: reduced tillage, year-round livestock forage and compost application. Planting more perennial crops, instead of annuals, could store more carbon and reduce erosion by allowing roots to reach deeper into the ground.Image credit: USDA
