Soils with high clay content are also able to form chemical bonds that protect carbon from microbes.
Mycorrhizal fungi, which produce sticky compounds that facilitate soil aggregation, are able to transfer 15 percent more carbon into the soil than other microbes. This occurs when tiny particles of soil clump together, sheltering carbon particles inside them. One key way that happens is through the formation of soil aggregates. When the plants die, soil microbes break down their carbon compounds and use them for metabolism and growth, respiring some back to the atmosphere.īecause microbial decomposition releases carbon dioxide, the soil can store more carbon when it is protected from microbial activity. This secretion feeds the microbes (bacteria, fungi, protozoa and nematodes) that live underground. As the plants respire, they return some carbon dioxide to the atmosphere and exude some carbon as a sugary substance through their roots. They use water and sunlight to turn the carbon into leaves, stems, seeds and roots. Through photosynthesis, plants absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. If we can figure out how to manage that soil carbon pool size, it could be really effective.” “The carbon in soils is greater than all the carbon in our biomass and the atmosphere combined, so even small changes in that pool are going to have really large effects for us. candidate in Columbia University’s Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology. “Thinking about ways to increase soil carbon storage is a really important weapon in the arsenal ,” said Ben Taylor, an ecosystem ecologist and Ph.D. The Earth’s soils contain about 2,500 gigatons of carbon-that’s more than three times the amount of carbon in the atmosphere and four times the amount stored in all living plants and animals. Better land management and agricultural practices could enhance the ability of soils to store carbon and help combat global warming. Sequestering carbon in soil, however, is a relatively natural way of removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere with fewer impacts on land and water, less need for energy, and lower costs. If used on a scale large enough to be effective, they would require too much land, water, or energy, or are too expensive. But strategies like capturing and storing the carbon emissions from biofuel-burning power plants, or planting new forests to absorb carbon, can create their own problems. Achieving that will likely involve removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
To avoid the most dangerous effects of climate change, the Paris Accord recommends limiting global warming to less than 2˚ C above pre-industrial levels.
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