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Terrestrial Biosphere as a Source and Sink of Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide

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Abstract

The terrestrial biosphere has lost a considerable amount of its antecedent carbon (C) pool because of anthropogenic activities since the dawn of settled agriculture about 12–14 millennia ago. Deforestation and land use conversion has presumably caused cumulative emission of 476 Pg C (1 Pg = 1015 g). Of this, 78 ± 12 Pg C may have been depleted from world’s soils. Globally, about 2,300 Pg C are stored to 3-m depth in the soil organic carbon (SOC) pool, 1,700 Pg C in permafrost, 600 Pg C in peatlands, and up to 1,700 Pg C in the soil inorganic carbon (SIC) pool. While a large fraction of C emissions may have been absorbed by the ocean and land-based sinks, the knowledge about the historic loss provides a reference point about the technical C sink capacity of the terrestrial biosphere. The later may be as much as a draw-down of 50 ppm of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) over century or more, which in view of the already accumulated levels of atmospheric CO2 of 390 ppm is significant. Priority soils and ecosystems for recarbonization of the ­biosphere include degraded soils (eroded, salinized, depleted, polluted and drained peatland soils), and desertified ecosystems. Whereas the generic technologies for sustainable intensification exist for croplands, grazing lands, forest lands and restoration of degraded soils, these technologies must be validated and fine-tuned for soil-and-site specific conditions. The adverse externalities of land use change for both, climate and soils requires policy actions for corrective incentives. However, there is no panacea, and a wide range of technological options need to be carefully and prudently evaluated under site-specific situations. Policy interventions must incentivize land managers for implementing sustainable land use-, soil- and crop management practices that are avoiding the adverse effects for climate and soils. Incentives that foster the natural process of recarbonization of the biosphere can be a cost-effective strategy, and would have numerous co-benefits.

Keywords

Abrupt climate change Terrestrial biosphere Land use Land cover change Urbanization Fossil fuel combustion Ecosystem C pool Anthromes Afforestation Deforestation Soil restoration Soil erosion Carbon transported by erosion Mineral-associated carbon Rubisco C4 plants C3 plants Policy implications Ecosystem services Payments for ecosystem services Zero emission technology Aerosols Co-benefits Payments for ecosystem services 

Abbreviations

ACC

Abrupt climate change

C

Carbon

CCS

Carbon capture and storage

CDM

Clean Development Mechanism

Gha

Gigahectare

GCC

Global carbon cycle

GHGs

Greenhouse gases

LULCC

Land use land cover change

Mha

Million hectare

NPP

Net primary productivity

ppm

Parts per million

Pg

Petagram

SIC

Soil inorganic carbon

SOC

Soil organic carbon

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Copyright information

© Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2012

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Carbon Management and Sequestration CenterThe Ohio State UniversityColumbusUSA
  2. 2.Global Soil ForumIASS Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies e.V.PotsdamGermany
  3. 3.Deutsches GeoForschungszentrum GFZ Helmholtz Center PotsdamPotsdamGermany
  4. 4.Zentrum für EntwicklungsforschungUniversität BonnBonnGermany

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