Articles and Analysis

“Carbon that Counts”

“Carbon that Counts”  by Dr. Christine Jones, a world famous pioneer in sequestering carbon through cutting edge agricultural practices, is a report and commentary on the amount of carbon sequestered on Winona, a farm in Australia and one of the first sequestration demonstrations studied intensively. This study period extended from 2000 to 2010, which also happened to be a period of below average rainfall, making the results even more impressive. The amount of carbon sequestered actually increased over the 10 year study period, especially after livestock grazing was introduced as part of the management approach. In the last two years of the study period, approximately 13 tons of CO2 was being sequestered per acre per year. During the study period, the carbon was being sequestered at increasingly deeper levels in the soil and nearly 80% of the carbon was being sequestered in a highly stable form. Mineral availability also increased dramatically over the study period.

“Emerging land use practices rapidly increase soil organic matter”

“Emerging land use practices rapidly increase soil organic matter,”  is an article by Machmuller, et al, in Nature Communications. They found that “In a region of extensive soil degradation in the southeastern United States, we evaluated soil C accumulation for 3 years across a 7-year chronosequence of three farms converted to management-intensive grazing. Here we show that these farms accumulated C at 8.0 Mg ha−1 yr−1, [equivalent to approximately 11.7 tons of CO2/ac/yr] increasing cation exchange and water holding capacity by 95% and 34%, respectively. Thus, within a decade of management-intensive grazing practices soil C levels returned to those of native forest soils, and likely decreased fertilizer and irrigation demands. Emerging land uses, such as management-intensive grazing, may offer a rare win–win strategy combining profitable food production with rapid improvement of soil quality and short-term climate mitigation through soil C-accumulation.”

“Restoring Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide to Pre-Industrial Levels: Re-Establishing the Evolutionary Grassland-Grazer Relationship”

“Restoring Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide to Pre-Industrial Levels: Re-Establishing the Evolutionary Grassland-Grazer Relationship” by Provenza, et al. From the abstract: “We maintain that it has the potential to remove excess atmospheric carbon resulting from anthropogenic soil loss over the past 10,000 years and as well as all industrial-era greenhouse gas emissions. This sequestration potential, when applied to up to 5 billion hectares of degraded range and agricultural soils (former wild grasslands), could, in theory, return 10 or more gigatons of excess atmospheric carbon to the terrestrial sink annually and lower greenhouse gas concentrations to pre-industrial levels in a matter of decades.”

“Regenerative Organic Agriculture and Climate Change: A Down-to-Earth Solution to Global Warming”

“Regenerative Organic Agriculture and Climate Change: A Down-to-Earth Solution to Global Warming” is a report by the world renowned Rodale Institute that looks at the carbon sequestration rates achieved in field trials around the world and projects how much CO2 could be sequestered if these were implemented worldwide. They conclude “At Rodale Institute, we have proven that organic agriculture and, specifically, regenerative organic agriculture can sequester carbon from the atmosphere and reverse climate change… With the use of cover crops, compost, crop rotation and reduced tillage, we can actually sequester more carbon than is currently emitted, tipping the needle past 100% to reverse climate change.” The report explains the various techniques that have successfully sequestered massive amounts of CO2 and show that not only is regenerative organic agriculture more productive than conventional agriculture, it is much more profitable, and uses far less energy inputs.

“Carbon Sequestration in Semi-arid Ecosystems: Potential Benefits of Sagebrush Restoration”

“Carbon Sequestration in Semi-arid Ecosystems: Potential Benefits of Sagebrush Restoration” is a paper presented by Austreng, et al., at the Fall, 2011 meeting of the American Geophysical Union. From the Abstract: “The results of our work indicate that sagebrush restoration may have the potential to offset 23% of annual US carbon emissions. Invasion of native sagebrush communities by cheatgrass in semi-arid ecosystems of the Intermountain Northwest is degrading ecosystem structure and function and can significantly decrease soil carbon contents… The results of our work indicate that this stepwise reclamation strategy [to restore ecosystem structure and function] will produce significant increases in soil carbon storage with conversion of cheatgrass to bunchgrass facilitating carbon storage benefits of ~15 t C per hectare [approximately 22 tons of CO2/ac] and a bunchgrass to native sagebrush benefit of ~17 t C per hectare [approximately 25 tons of CO2/ac]. Extending these results to all ~10 million ha of cheatgrass-infested ecosystems in the Great Basin, suggests that sagebrush restoration may have the potential to compensate for 23% of US annual carbon emissions.” (Note: There is more than 100 million acres of sagebrush steppe in the U.S., much of it similarly degraded, and an additional more than 40 million acres of sagebrush shrubland, so there is huge potential for carbon sequestration just across these ecosystems. Based on this research, the entire U.S. carbon footprint could be sequestered annually in just the sagebrush lands of the U.S.)

Inter-University Consortium Calculates Global Sequestration Potential

A research group including Dr. David Johnson, a New Mexico State University scientist who has been doing groundbreaking research on improving crop productivity by enhancing the soil microbiome, has done projections on the potential for global carbon sequestration if the advanced practices they are demonstrating were employed on a global basis.   They estimate that the world’s temperate grazing lands and approximately half the arable lands could sequester about 45.7 gigatons of CO2 annually, considerably more than the approximately 37 gigatons currently generated by human activity. (Discussion starts at approximately 17:35 in Dr. Johnson’s presentation retrieved here.)

“Soil Carbon Sequestration and Age in the Historic Grasslands of the United States.”

“Soil Carbon Sequestration and Age in the Historic Grasslands of the United States.” This survey analyzed soil samples from historic grasslands in U.S. Great Plains states at depths down to 2 meters [about 6.6 feet]. About half of the carbon found in the soils was sequestered in the top 8 inches. “The remaining one-half [of soil carbon] is located from 20 to 200 cm [8 inches to 6.6 feet ] below the surface.  The mass of SOC [soil organic carbon] was between 85-150 t ha-1 [34 – 60 tons/ac]in the top 2 m of soil.  These data show the importance of protecting near-surface soil and its associated SOC from loss.  14C [carbon 14] dating of soil C indicates that the one-half of the SOC that is sequestered below 20 cm has mean residence times (MRT) that are greater than 1000 to 2000 years.  Soil C at depths of about 2 m has MRT of 9000 to 13000 years, but accounts for only about five percent of the total.  Thus, once sequestered, immense amounts of SOC have remained in soil profiles for a very long time.”

“The role of ruminants in reducing agriculture’s carbon footprint in North America”

“The role of ruminants in reducing agriculture’s carbon footprint in North America” is an article by Teague, et al. in which the authors recognize that “Owing to the methane (CH4 ) produced by rumen fermentation, ruminants are a source of greenhouse gas (GHG) and are perceived as a problem.” They tested their hypothesis that “with appropriate regenerative crop and grazing management, ruminants not only reduce overall GHG emissions, but also facilitate provision of essential ecosystem services, increase soil carbon (C) sequestration, and reduce environmental damage.” They found that agriculture practices other than grazing are the largest contributor of GHG emissions with soil erosion being the primary culprit. The further found that “ruminants consuming only grazed forages under appropriate management result in more C sequestration than emissions.” In other words, “grass fed” cattle sequestered more GHGs [including methane] than they produced and were an essential element in reducing overall GHG emissions from agriculture operations. They conclude “Collectively, conservation agriculture supports ecologically healthy, resilient agroecosystems and simultaneously mitigates large quantities of anthropogenic [human caused] GHG emissions.”

“GHG Mitigation Potential of Different Grazing Strategies in the United States Southern Great Plains”

“GHG Mitigation Potential of Different Grazing Strategies in the United States Southern Great Plains,” an article by Tong Wang, et al. published in the journal “Sustainability” looks at the question of net GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions from cattle grazing. It tested the impact of three different grazing approaches on unfertilized rangelands in this region of the U.S., which is characterized by relatively low quality forage content, a condition that increases relative methane emissions from cattle. Methane is considered to have about 25 times the global warming impact of CO2. Compared to conventional grazing practices, using multi-paddock (MP) rotational grazing not only improves forage quality and quantity but it sequesters enough CO2 to compensate for the warming impact of the methane emitted by the cattle and an additional approximately 800 lbs of CO2 per acre as well, making it a net sink. From the abstract: [Southern Great Plains] region are likely net carbon sinks for decades.” (Note that in making these calculations the authors did not take into consideration the consumption of the methane produced by the cattle by the methanotropic (methane eating) bacteria present in the soil. Since some researchers have concluded that these bacteria consume most or all of the methane produced by cattle on rangelands, the actual sequestration rates of CO2 by the MP grazing approach are much higher.

“Impacts of soil carbon sequestration on life cycle greenhouse gas emissions in Midwestern USA beef finishing systems”

“Impacts of soil carbon sequestration on life cycle greenhouse gas emissions in Midwestern USA beef finishing systems,” by Paige, et. al, is reported in Science Direct. They studied “on-farm beef production and emissions data combined with 4-year soil carbon analysis.”  Among the key findings: “Feedlot production produces lower emissions that multi-paddock grazing; adaptive multi-paddock grazing can sequester large amounts of soil carbon; emissions from the grazing system were offset completely by soil carbon sequestration; soil carbon sequestration from well-managed grazing may help to mitigate climate change.” (Emphisis added). 

“To Zero Hunger: The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World”

“To Zero Hunger: The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World” is the 2017 report by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization that reports that while there is enough food worldwide to feed the world, more than 800 million people go hungry. “As reflected in Sustainable Development Goal 2 (SDG 2), one of the greatest challenges the world faces is how to ensure that a growing global population-projected to rise to around 10 billion by 2050-has enough food to meet their nutritional needs. To feed another two billion people in 2050, food production will need to increase by 50 percent globally.” Yet, the world’s agricultural base is shrinking and it is becoming clearer that conventional industrial agriculture practices are not sustainable.

“Greg Judy and Green Pastures Farm-Increasing Profitability through Improving Soil Biology”

“Greg Judy and Green Pastures Farm-Increasing Profitability through Improving Soil Biology” is a case study of how one farmer in the U.S. Midwest who uses holistic management and regenerative agriculture practices was able to survive a drought year better than his neighbors. It is an example of how the win/win ecosolutions approach can help producers deal with uncertain weather events and continue to sequester carbon in soil.

“Carbon production on fire risk reduction: Toward a full accounting of forest carbon offsets”

“Carbon production on fire risk reduction: Toward a full accounting of forest carbon offsets” is an excellent article that looks at the CO2 emission from four of the largest forest fires in 2002 in the western U.S. with excellent illustrations showing the effectiveness of preventing the massive release of CO2 and methane by forest fires by “fire proofing” forests with proper management techniques. The authors found “Management of forests for carbon uptake is an important tool in the effort to slow the increase in atmospheric CO2 and global warming. However, some current policies governing forest carbon credits actually promote avoidable CO2 release and punish actions that would increase long-term carbon storage. In fire-prone forests, management that reduces the risk of catastrophic carbon release resulting from stand-replacing wildfire is considered to be a CO2 source, according to current accounting practices, even though such management may actually increase long-term carbon storage. Examining four of the largest wildfires in the US in 2002, we found that, for forest land that experienced catastrophic stand-replacing fire, prior thinning would have reduced CO2 release from live tree biomass by as much as 98%. Altering carbon accounting practices for forests that have historically experienced frequent, low-severity fire could provide an incentive for forest managers to reduce the risk of catastrophic fire and associated large carbon release events.”

“Fire‐induced carbon emissions and regrowth uptake in western U.S. forests: Documenting variation across forest types, fire severity, and climate regions”

“Fire‐induced carbon emissions and regrowth uptake in western U.S. forests: Documenting variation across forest types, fire severity, and climate regions” is an important effort to identify the various factors that affect the amount of CO2 released in forest fires and is one of the few to calculate both the amount released by the fire and after the fire. It also factors in the CO2 generated by forest type and severity, finding that severe fires release several times more CO2. Because of past forest management practices and climate changes, western forest fires are becoming both larger and more severe.

“Deep Soil: Quantification, Modeling, and Significance of Subsurface Carbon and Nitrogen”

“Deep Soil: Quantification, Modeling, and Significance of Subsurface Carbon and Nitrogen” is an article that found that, “Shallow soil sampling at best provides a biased estimate and at worst leads to misleading conclusions regarding soil C [carbon].” Further, the team stated, “We found that systematic soil sampling shallower than 1.5 meters [about 5 feet] significantly underestimated total soil C. On average, sampling to 2.5 meters [ about 8 1/3 feet] compared to 0.5 meters [about 20 inches] increased total C by 156%…”

“Deep Soil Horizons: Contribution and Importance to Soil Carbon Pools and in Assessing Whole-Ecosystem Response to Management and Global Change.”

“Deep Soil Horizons: Contribution and Importance to Soil Carbon Pools and in Assessing Whole-Ecosystem Response to Management and Global Change.” The authors, Harrison et al., found that “Shallow soil sampling can result in both a major underestimate of soil C [carbon] present in the soil profile and an inability to adequately measure the impacts of both treatments for specific goals or other changes (i.e., global [climate] change and atmospheric inputs)….In addition, analysis of results for 105 different studies of N [nitrogen] fertilization in forests and N fertilization or conversion [of marginal cropland] to switchgrass in agricultural studies shows that deeper sampling can actually change the conclusions of results of research studies.”

“A Surprising Supply of Deep Soil Carbon”

“A Surprising Supply of Deep Soil Carbon” is a USDA article reporting research by several scientists that found that “…[S]oil organic carbon levels [in cropland] varied within the first foot of the subsoil by as much as 18 tons per acre, while soil carbon levels 5 feet below the soil surface varied by as much as 90 tons per acre…The researchers were equally surprised that more than 50 percent of the soil organic carbon was found at depths between 1 foot and 5 feet below the soil surface. This region of the soil profile, which typically has not been sampled by other researchers…,is below the tillage zone and is therefore more stable over time.”

These are short analysis’ and commentary created by Win/Win CO₂ Solutions Group on a range of topics and issues.

“What the Paris Accord Really Says”

“What the Paris Accord Really Says” analyzes the actual intent of this agreement with a specific focus on its support for sequestering carbon in natural sinks and its concern with food security.

“The 4/1000 Initiative: Soils for Food Security and Climate”

“The 4/1000 Initiative: Soils for Food Security and Climate” summarizes this important international agreement with the goal of achieving net zero emission levels through carbon sequestration in natural systems for at least several decades and analyzes some of its overly conservative assumptions of the potential of this approach.

Measuring the Amount of Carbon Captured in Natural Systems