Soil organic carbon sequestration and climate change

Publication date: 07/11/2022
Extent: 34 pages

Contributions by: M. Sanaullah and T. Afzal, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Pakistan; T. Shahzad, Government College University Faisalabad, Pakistan; and A. Wakeel, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Pakistan

Chapter synopsis: Anthropogenic activities, in particular the burning of fossil fuels and land use changes, have resulted in a substantial increase in greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere, which are causing measurable climate change. Climate change directly affects agricultural production and food security through changes in precipitation patterns, elevated temperature, and occurrence of extreme events. It warrants strategies to draw down anthropogenic GHGs from the atmosphere and their long-term storage in soil as soil organic matter, known as soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration. Terrestrial ecosystems, comprising of forests, grasslands, croplands, drylands, and peatlands, significantly impact the global C cycle. This chapter presents a comprehensive overview of the factors causing climate change with special reference to the terrestrial ecosystem. Moreover, the impacts of various climate changes (i.e. elevated carbon dioxide (CO2), elevated temperature, altered precipitation) and other extreme climatic events on SOC storage and C sequestrations in the terrestrial ecosystem are described in detail.

DOI: 10.19103/AS.2022.0106.08