Journal article

The potential for carbon sequestration in Australian agricultural soils is technically and economically limited

SK Lam, D Chen, AR Mosier, R Roush

Scientific Reports | Published : 2013

Abstract

Concerns about increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, primarily carbon dioxide (CO 2), have raised worldwide interest in the potential of agricultural soils to be carbon (C) sinks. In Australia, studies that have quantified the effects of improved management practices in croplands on soil C have generally been inconclusive and contradictory for different soil depths and durations of the management changes. We therefore quantitatively synthesised the results of Australian studies using meta-analytic techniques to assess the technical and economic feasibility of increasing the soil C stock by improved management practices. Our results indicate that the potential of th..

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Grants

Funding Acknowledgements

We wish to thank Emeritus Professor Robert White and Dr Ian Willett for valuable comments on our manuscript, Dr. Kees Jan van Groenigen for assistance in meta-analytic procedures, and the authors who provided information for the construction of the database. This work was supported by Australian Research Council, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and Dean's strategic research fund of our School.