Soil carbon has been measured for over a century in applications ranging from understanding biogeochemical processes in natural ecosystems to quantifying the productivity and health of managed systems. Consolidating diverse soil carbon datasets is increasingly important to maximize their value, particularly with growing anthropogenic and climate change pressures. In this progress report, we describe recent advances in soil carbon data led by the International Soil Carbon Network and other networks. We highlight priority areas of research requiring soil carbon data, including (a) quantifying boreal, arctic and wetland carbon stocks, (b) understanding the timescales of soil carbon persistence using radiocarbon and chronosequence studies, (c) synthesizing long-term and experimental data to inform carbon stock vulnerability to global change, (d) quantifying root influences on soil carbon and (e) identifying gaps in model-data integration. We also describe the landscape of soil datasets currently available, highlighting their strengths, weaknesses and synergies. Now more than ever, integrated soil data are needed to inform climate mitigation, land management and agricultural practices. This report will aid new data users in navigating various soil databases and encourage scientists to make their measurements publicly available and to join forces to find soil-related solutions.
1.Stanford Univ, Stanford, CA 94305 USA 2.Wilfrid Laurier Univ, Waterloo, ON, Canada 3.Univ Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 USA 4.ISRIC World Soil Informat, Wageningen, Netherlands 5.Smithsonian Environm Res Ctr, Edgewater, MD USA 6.Max Planck Inst Biogeochem, Jena, Germany 7.Oak Ridge Natl Lab, Environm Sci Div, Climate Change Sci Inst, Oak Ridge, TN USA 8.Oregon State Univ, Corvallis, OR 97331 USA 9.US Geol Survey, Geol & Environm Change Sci Ctr, 959 Natl Ctr, Reston, VA 22092 USA 10.Natl Ctr Atmospher Res, POB 3000, Boulder, CO 80307 USA 11.Univ Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309 USA 12.Univ Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland 13.Stockholm Univ, Stockholm, Sweden 14.Bolin Ctr Climate Res, Stockholm, Sweden
Recommended Citation:
Malhotra, Avni,Todd-Brown, Katherine,Nave, Lucas E.,et al. The landscape of soil carbon data: emerging questions, synergies and databases[J]. PROGRESS IN PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY-EARTH AND ENVIRONMENT,2019-01-01