Grassland Management and Conversion into Grassland: Effects on Soil Carbon
- Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory
Grasslands are heavily relied upon for food and forage production. A key component for sustaining production in grassland ecosystems is the maintenance of soil organic matter (SOM), which can be strongly influenced by management. Many management techniques intended to increase forage production may potentially increase SOM, thus sequestering atmospheric carbon (C). Further, conversion from either cultivation or native vegetation into grassland could also sequester atmospheric carbon. We reviewed studies examining the influence of improved grassland management practices and conversion into grasslands on soil C worldwide to assess the potential for C sequestration. Results from 115 studies containing over 300 data points were analyzed. Management improvements included fertilization (39%), improved grazing management (24%), conversion from cultivation (15%) and native vegetation (15%), sowing of legumes (4%) and grasses (2%), earthworm introduction (1%), and irrigation (1%). Soil C content and concentration increased with improved management in 74% of the studies, and mean soil C increased with all types of improvement. Carbon sequestration rates were highest during the first 40 y after treatments began and tended to be greatest in the top 10 cm of soil. Impacts were greater in woodland and grassland biomes than in forest, desert, rain forest, or shrubland biomes. Conversion from cultivation, the introduction of earthworms, and irrigation resulted in the largest increases. Rates of C sequestration by type of improvement ranged from 0.11 to 3.04 Mg C · ha–1 y–1, with a mean of 0.54 Mg C · ha –1 · y–1, and were highly influenced by biome type and climate. We conclude that grasslands can act as a significant carbon sink with the implementation of improved management.For access to the data files, click this link to the CDIAC data transition website: http://cdiac.ess-dive.lbl.gov/programs/CSEQ/terrestrial/Conant2001/conant2001.html
- Research Organization:
- Environmental System Science Data Infrastructure for a Virtual Ecosystem (ESS-DIVE) (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USEPA; U.S. DOE > Office of Science (SC) > Biological and Environmental Research (BER) (SC-23)
- OSTI ID:
- 1389522
- Report Number(s):
- doi:10.3334/CDIAC/TCM.005; cdiac:doi 10.3334/CDIAC/tcm.005
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Carbon sequestration in reclaimed minesoils
Restoring Sustainable Forests on Appalachian Mined Lands for Wood Product, Renewable Energy, Carbon Sequestration, and Other Ecosystem Services
Related Subjects
cultivation
grassland management
grasslands
grazing management
pasture
soil carbon
soil organic matter
Carbon Cycle
Carbon Sequestration
CARBON SEQUESTRATION-TERRESTRIAL
Citation
Management Change
Duration (years)
Depth (cm)
Initial soil C
Final soil C
Units^1
Latitude
Longitude