Soil carbon sequestration potential and the identification of hotspots in the Eastern Corn Belt of the United States

Grace, Peter; Robertson, G. Philip

doi:10.1002/saj2.20273

Soil carbon sequestration potential and the identification of hotspots in the Eastern Corn Belt of the United States

Journal Article · Thu May 06 00:00:00 EDT 2021 · Soil Science Society of America Journal

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/saj2.20273· OSTI ID:1804296

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Queensland Univ. of Technology (Australia); Michigan State Univ., Hickory Corners, MI (United States); Queensland University of Technology School of Biology & Environmental Science
Michigan State Univ., Hickory Corners, MI (United States); Michigan State Univ., East Lansing, MI (United States)

Soil carbon sequestration is a significant CO₂ mitigation strategy but precise assessments of sequestration require spatially explicit modeling of potential changes in soil organic carbon (SOC) in response to soil, climate, land condition and management interactions. We assessed the SOC sequestration potential of the Eastern Corn Belt (ECB) in the USA (Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia) in response to the adoption of conservation farming practices and land use change (pasture and forestation) using the SOCRATES model. Input data was provided through an intersection of the STATSGO, National Land Cover Database and a PRISM climate surface. At the end of the 20th century, the 15.3 Mha of cropped soils in the ECB contained 632 Tg C, an estimated reduction of 52% since the introduction of agriculture in the mid-1800s. Complete adoption of no-tillage practices on Prime Cropland would potentially recover 147 Tg SOC over 20 years, whereas a continuation of conventional tillage would produce a loss of 35 Tg SOC. Sequestration hotspots (> 500 Gg increase in SOC) under no-tillage cover 2.3 Mha providing 28 Tg C over 20 years. The conversion of Marginal (non-Prime) agricultural lands to Forests would yield an additional 13 Tg C in SOC and 381 Tg C in aboveground biomass. The rehabilitation of Minelands to Forest would yield an additional 4 Tg C in SOC and 42 Tg C in biomass. Here, opportunities to sequester C in the ECB via tillage and reforestation are substantial and should be incorporated into regional and national climate change mitigation strategies.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, Madison, WI (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)

Grant/Contract Number:: SC0018409

OSTI ID:: 1804296

Journal Information:: Soil Science Society of America Journal, Journal Name: Soil Science Society of America Journal Journal Issue: 5 Vol. 85; ISSN 0361-5995

Publisher:: Alliance of Crop, Soil, and Environmental Science SocietiesCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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