National Soil Carbon Network
Welcome! The National Soil Carbon Network (NSCN) is a community of scientists from academia, government, and the private sector working towards a large-scale synthesis of soil C research in the United States and internationally. The principal goals of the Network are to produce databases, models, and maps that enable users to understand: 1) how much C is stored in U.S. soils, 2) how long this C remains in the soil, and 3) the factors that make this soil C vulnerable to being lost (i.e., emitted to the atmosphere). Overarching these goals is the need for a spatially explicit approach, since measurements of soil C storage, turnover, and vulnerability all vary at spatial scales from several meters to thousands of kilometers, as well as across different depths within an individual soil profile. In addition to database development, modeling, and mapping, the Network also facilitates topical workshops, peer-reviewed publication, and presentations at professional conferences.
The Network is:
- compiling soil sampling, archiving and analysis protocols
- sharing scientific, analytical and logistical infrastructure
- synthesizing products beneficial to stakeholders and scientists
- planning workshops and sessions at professional meetings
Want to know more? Follow these links to get involved in the NSCN:
Register: Click here to join the NSCN (confirm the security exception to reach the page)Participate: Contribute data or information about your archived soils; join or start a Working Group
Communicate: Check out our online communication tools - multiple lines of communication with up to 150 NSCN members
Link: View our links page - a growing catalog of networks, analytical services, and other soil-related resources
Snoop: Peruse an inventory of NSCN documents and activities, including the Network Charter, workshop reports, conference presentations...
Why soil carbon?
Soil is a vital national resource and soil carbon is an integral component of soil structure and function. Soil is the largest terrestrial reservoir of carbon, containing an estimated 1550 Pg of organic carbon in the top meter alone. Soil contains twice as much carbon as the atmosphere (800 Pg in 2007), and three times that in global vegetation (~500 Pg). Although the global stock of soil carbon is immense, it is not static: about 120 Pg of carbon moves annually between soil and the carbon reservoirs in the atmosphere and vegetation. Soil carbon may thus play a singular but uncertain role in climate forcing during the coming decades, with significant net losses contributing to positive feedbacks, or significant sequestration helping to mitigate climate forcing.
Though important, climate regulation is not the only service provided by soil carbon. In fact, carbon held in soils provides a number of essential other services (i.e., ecosystem services) that either directly or indirectly support human well-being. For example, carbon held in soils plays a vital role in the improvement soil tilth, retention and supply of plant nutrients, isolation and decomposition of wastes and toxic substances, production of food and fiber, water retention and supply, flood protection, reduction of wind and water erosion, and maintenance of biodiversity. The loss of soil carbon or disruption of its cycling may impair the ecosystem services it provides, with consequent negative impacts on society. The NSCN gratefully acknowledges institutional and financial support from:
   
  
  
   
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Photos by J. Harden and J. Jastrowe
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