Soils Have Limited Carbon Sequestration Capacity: North American, German Researchers

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Two separate studies conducted by American, Canadian and German Researchers show that soils have a limited capacity when it comes to sequestering carbon. It has been known for quite some time that plants absorb CO2 from the surroundings as they grow and process that carbon into their tissues. Upon a plant’s death, the carbon gets amalgamated into the soil and remains stored there with soil particles.

“Because carbon can reside in soils for a long time in a stable form, soils harbor, on the average, two-thirds of the carbon in the land-based ecosystem,” stated Haegeun Chung of the UC Davis’ Department of Plant Sciences.

The researches, published in the Soil Science Society of America Journal, show that soil can reach saturation when a certain amount of carbon is stored in them. The soil would not accept more carbon after this saturation level is attained.

The US Dept of Energy funded both the researches.