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Soil Carbon
Storing carbon dioxide in soil is known as carbon sequestration. Soil has the ability to store, or sequester, carbon dioxide which then means less carbon is released into the atmosphere.
The ability to store carbon is particularly relevant to the agriculture sector due to the amount of land that is allocated to agriculture across Australia.
If the levels of carbon stored in soils are increased, Australia would have healthier soils which would in turn increase farm productivity.
This is why better soil management is a priority under the Climate Change Research Program.
The amount of carbon that soils can store changes from region to region and season to season.
Under the Soil Carbon Research Program research into soil management and carbon storage will look at creating a nationally standard system for collecting and analysing soil samples across the country.
The standardised system will enable our primary producers, universities, researchers, industry groups and government departments to use the recorded information.
Research will also look into how some land uses and management practices can increase the levels of carbon in the soil.
We need a nationally consistent method of measurement, and we need to understand the effects of different farming systems and land use practices on soil carbon storage. Research under the Climate Change Research Program will help achieve this.
Further information about methodologies currently used for sample collection and analysis can be found in the CSIRO report National Soil Carbon Research Program: Field and Laboratory Methodologies.
For more information call 1800 638 746 or email Australia's Farming Future.
13 Dec 2011