Photosynthetic limits on carbon sequestration in croplands
Photosynthetic limits on carbon sequestration in croplands
Simple item page
Full item details
- creativework.keywords - en
- carbon sequestration
- croplands
- decomposition
- photosynthesis
- creativework.keywords - fr
- piégeage du carbone
- terres cultivées
- décomposition
- photosynthèse
- dc.contributor.author
- Janzen, Henry H.
- van Groenigen, Kees Jan
- Powlson, David S.
- Schwinghamer, Timothy
- van Groenigen, Jan Willem
- dc.date.accessioned
- 2023-05-12T14:18:07Z
- dc.date.available
- 2023-05-12T14:18:07Z
- dc.date.issued
- 2022-03-15
- dc.description.abstract - en
- How much C can be stored in agricultural soils worldwide to mitigate rising carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations, and at what cost? This question, because of its critical relevance to climate policy, has been a focus of soil science for decades. The amount of additional soil organic C (SOC) that could be stored has been estimated in various ways, most of which have taken the soil as the starting point: projecting how much of the SOC previously lost can be restored, for example, or calculating the cumulative effect of multiple soil management strategies. Here, we take a different approach, recognizing that photosynthesis, the source of C input to soil, represents the most fundamental constraint to C sequestration. We follow a simple “Fermi approach” to derive a rough but robust estimate by reducing our problem to a series of approximate relations that can be parameterized using data from the literature. We distinguish two forms of soil C: ‘ephemeral C’, denoting recently-applied plant-derived C that is quickly decayed to CO2, and ‘lingering C,’ which remains in the soil long enough to serve as a lasting repository for C derived from atmospheric CO2. First, we estimate global net C inputs into lingering SOC in croplands from net primary production, biomass removal by humans and short-term decomposition. Next, we estimate net additional C storage in cropland soils globally from the estimated C inputs, accounting also for decomposition of lingering SOC already present. Our results suggest a maximum C input rate into the lingering SOC pool of 0.44 Pg C yr−1, and a maximum net sequestration rate of 0.14 Pg C yr−1 – significantly less than most previous estimates, even allowing for acknowledged uncertainties. More importantly, we argue for a re-orientation in emphasis from soil processes towards a wider ecosystem perspective, starting with photosynthesis.
- dc.identifier.citation
- Janzen, H., van Groenigen, K., Powlson, D., Schwinghamer, T., van Groenigen, J. (2022). Photosynthetic limits on carbon sequestration in croplands. Geoderma, 416. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2022.115810
- dc.identifier.doi
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2022.115810
- dc.identifier.issn
- 1872-6259
- dc.identifier.uri
- https://open-science.canada.ca/handle/123456789/278
- dc.language.iso
- en
- dc.publisher
- Elsevier
- dc.rights.openaccesslevel - en
- Gold
- dc.rights.openaccesslevel - fr
- Or
- dc.subject - en
- Agriculture
- dc.subject - fr
- Agriculture
- dc.subject.en - en
- Agriculture
- dc.subject.fr - fr
- Agriculture
- dc.title - en
- Photosynthetic limits on carbon sequestration in croplands
- dc.type - en
- Article
- dc.type - fr
- Article
- local.article.journaltitle
- Geoderma
- local.article.journalvolume
- 416
- local.peerreview - en
- Yes
- local.peerreview - fr
- Oui
Download(s)
Original bundle
1 - 1 of 1
Name: PhotosyntheticLimitsOnCarbonSequestrationInCroplands_2022.pdf
Size: 870.4 KB
Format: PDF
Collection(s)