Soil organic matter (SOC)has been recognized as a primary soil property with an essential role in soil conservation and sustainable agriculture (Johnston, 1994). SOC participates prominently in the global carbon cycle by serving as a repository that regulates the amounts that transfer annually among land, atmosphere and oceans. The degree of this regulation, however, is subject to management. Soils have acted as net sources of atmospheric CO2 during the conversion of forests and grasslands to agriculture. The Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change (IPCC) (Cole et al., 1996) estimates losses from cultivated soils to have been 55 Pg (including 11 Pg from wetland Soils).
Revised: January 5, 2007 |
Published: January 1, 2001
Citation
Izaurralde R.C., K.H. Haugen-Kozyra, D.C. Jans, W.B. Mcgill, R.F. Grant, and J.C. Hiley. 2001.Soil C Dynamics: Measurement, Simulation and Site-to-Region Scale-Up. In Assessment Methods for Soil Carbon, edited by R. Lai, et al. 553-575. Boca Raton, Florida:Lewis Publisher.PNNL-SA-37511.