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Carbon sequestration in dryland ecosystems.

¹Carbon Management and Sequestration Center, The Ohio State University, 2021 Coffey Road, Columbus, Ohio, 43210, USA.

Environmental Management

|September 30, 2004

Summary

Drylands can sequester 12 to 20 petagrams of carbon over 50 years through restoration and improved land management. Key strategies include afforestation, soil amendments, and controlled grazing to combat desertification and enhance soil organic carbon.

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Area of Science:

Environmental Science
Soil Science
Ecology

Background:

Drylands cover 47.2% of the Earth's land, with a significant portion facing desertification.
These soils, despite low organic carbon concentration, hold a substantial global soil organic carbon (SOC) pool.
Desertification has led to considerable historical carbon (C) loss from dryland ecosystems.

Purpose of the Study:

To assess the potential for soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration in dryland soils.
To identify effective land use and management practices for restoring SOC.
To evaluate the significance of dryland SOC sequestration in the context of international climate agreements.

Main Methods:

Literature review and synthesis of existing data on dryland soils and carbon dynamics.
Analysis of potential SOC sequestration based on resequestering historic carbon losses.
Identification and categorization of land management practices for SOC enhancement.

Main Results:

Drylands have a total SOC sequestration potential of 12 to 20 petagrams (Pg) C over 50 years.
Effective practices include afforestation (e.g., Mesquite, Acacia, Neem), soil management (biosolids, mulching, water harvesting), and pasture management (controlled grazing).
Global SOC sequestration potential is estimated at 1 Pg C/year, with 50 teragrams (Tg) C/year for the U.S.

Conclusions:

Dryland restoration offers a significant opportunity to increase soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks.
Implementing sustainable land management is crucial for mitigating desertification and enhancing carbon sequestration.
The SOC sequestration potential in drylands is relevant for climate change mitigation strategies like the Kyoto Protocol.

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