Global warming will get worse as agricultural methods accelerate the rate of soil erosion, which depletes the amount of carbon the soil is able to store, a United Nations' Environment Programme report said on Monday. Soil contains huge quantities of carbon in the form of organic matter. which provides nutrients for plant growth and improves soil fertility and water movement.It may only be La Nina, but the massive amounts of rain we've gotten the last two winters has really torn up our fields. I guess I would fear that heavier storms and more frequent rain brought on by global warming might increase erosion, not increased erosion might worsen global warming. Unfortunately it might work both ways.
The top meter of soil alone stores around 2,200 billion tonnes of carbon, which is three times the level currently held in the atmosphere, said the UNEP Year Book 2012.
"Soil carbon is easily lost but difficult to rebuild," the report said.
"Soil carbon stocks are highly vulnerable to human activities. They decrease significantly (and often rapidly) in response to changes in land cover and land use such as deforestation, urban development and increased tillage, and as a result of unsustainable agricultural and forestry practices."
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Soil Erosion And Global Warming
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Was involved in a prairie grass restoration project a few years back. One of the MANY benefits of native prairie grasses (besides their 10-foot-deep root systems) is the ability of plants like giant bluestem (magnificent grass BTW) to fix carbon in the soil. In fact, most of the topsoil here in the northern corn belt is just remnants of the great grasslands.
ReplyDeleteSo soil carbon CAN be rebuilt—it's just a hassle.