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Soil carbon stock estimations: methods and a case study of the Maranhão State, Brazil

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Abstract

Soils feature significant variations in soil carbon stocks through land-use changes, management practices, and intrinsic characteristics. The aim of this study was to estimate the changes in soil carbon stock under different scenarios of land use and agricultural management in the Maranhão State, Brazil, considering the conversion from the conventional agriculture into conservationist management systems. Changes in soil carbon stocks were estimated from the scenario t0 to the current scenario (2010), followed by the adoption of a conservationist scenario by the year 2030. Soils under pasturelands presented the highest average of carbon stocks (62.19 Mg ha−1), followed by forestry lands (61.60 Mg ha−1) and agricultural lands (38.28 Mg ha−1). The conversion of native vegetation into an intensive agricultural use contributed to soil carbon losses of 1.57 Mt C, with pasturelands accounting for 1.36 Mt C and agricultural lands for 0.21 Mt C by 2010. The replacement of intensive agricultural systems into conservationist systems in the current areas has a technical potential for soil carbon sequestration of 0.6 Mt by 2030, with livestock and agricultural lands accounting for 0.54 and 0.03 Mt C, respectively.

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Fig. 1

adapted from Embrapa, 2013)

Fig. 2

(adapted from Hengl et al., 2014)

Fig. 3

adapted from Cooper et al., 2005)

Fig. 4

(adapted from Bernoux et al., 2002), Maranhão State, Brazil

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Federal University of Maranhão (UFMA), Chapadinha, MA, Brazil

    Telmo José Mendes

  2. Faculty of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences, Universidade Estadual Paulista (FCAV-UNESP), Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil

    Diego Silva Siqueira, José Marques Júnior & Newton La Scala Jr.

  3. Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar), Araras, SP, Brazil

    Eduardo Barretto de Figueiredo

  4. Brazilian Biorenewables National Laboratory (LNBR), Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), Campinas, SP, Brazil

    Ricardo de Oliveira Bordonal & Mara Regina Moitinho

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  1. Telmo José Mendes
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Mendes, T.J., Siqueira, D.S., de Figueiredo, E.B. et al. Soil carbon stock estimations: methods and a case study of the Maranhão State, Brazil. Environ Dev Sustain 23, 16410–16427 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-021-01351-x

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