Impact of Land Use Change and Soil Erosion in Upper Mississippi River Valley on Soil Organic Carbon Retention and Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Abstract. The onset and expansion of agriculture has accelerated soil erosion by rainfall and runoff substantially, mobilizing vast quantities of soil organic carbon (SOC) globally. Studies show that at timescales of decennia to millennia this mobilized SOC can significantly alter previously estimated carbon emissions from land use change (LUC). However, a full understanding of the impact of erosion on land-atmosphere carbon exchange is still missing. The aim of our study is to better constrain the terrestrial carbon fluxes by developing methods compatible with Earth System Models (ESMs) in order to explicitly represent the links between soil erosion by rainfall and runoff and carbon dynamics. For this we use an emulator that represents the carbon cycle of a land surface model, in combination with the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation model. We applied this modeling framework at the global scale to evaluate the effects of potential soil erosion (soil removal only) in the presence of other perturbations of the carbon cycle: elevated atmospheric CO2, climate variability, and LUC. We found that over the period 1850–2005 AD acceleration of soil erosion leads to a total potential SOC removal flux of 100 Pg C of which 80 % occurs on agricultural, pasture and natural grass lands. Including soil erosion in the SOC-dynamics scheme results in a doubling of the cumulative loss of SOC over 1850–2005 due to the combined effects of climate variability, increasing atmospheric CO2 and LUC. This additional erosional loss decreases the cumulative global carbon sink on land by 5 Pg for this specific period, with the largest effects found for the tropics, where deforestation and agricultural expansion increased soil erosion rates significantly. We also show that the potential effects of soil erosion on the global SOC stocks cannot be ignored when compared to the effects of climate change or land use change on the carbon cycle. We conclude that it is necessary to include soil erosion in assessments of LUC and evaluations of the terrestrial carbon cycle.

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Global soil organic carbon removal by water erosion under climate change and land use change during AD 1850–2005

Biogeosciences ◽

10.5194/bg-15-4459-2018 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 15 (14) ◽

pp. 4459-4480 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Victoria Naipal ◽

Philippe Ciais ◽

Yilong Wang ◽

Ronny Lauerwald ◽

Bertrand Guenet ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Soil Erosion ◽

Organic Carbon ◽

Land Use Change ◽

Soil Organic Carbon ◽

Climate Variability ◽

Carbon Cycle ◽

Land Surface ◽

Erosion Rates ◽

Soil Erosion Rates

Abstract. Erosion is an Earth system process that transports carbon laterally across the land surface and is currently accelerated by anthropogenic activities. Anthropogenic land cover change has accelerated soil erosion rates by rainfall and runoff substantially, mobilizing vast quantities of soil organic carbon (SOC) globally. At timescales of decennia to millennia this mobilized SOC can significantly alter previously estimated carbon emissions from land use change (LUC). However, a full understanding of the impact of erosion on land–atmosphere carbon exchange is still missing. The aim of this study is to better constrain the terrestrial carbon fluxes by developing methods compatible with land surface models (LSMs) in order to explicitly represent the links between soil erosion by rainfall and runoff and carbon dynamics. For this we use an emulator that represents the carbon cycle of a LSM, in combination with the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model. We applied this modeling framework at the global scale to evaluate the effects of potential soil erosion (soil removal only) in the presence of other perturbations of the carbon cycle: elevated atmospheric CO2, climate variability, and LUC. We find that over the period AD 1850–2005 acceleration of soil erosion leads to a total potential SOC removal flux of 74±18 Pg C, of which 79 %–85 % occurs on agricultural land and grassland. Using our best estimates for soil erosion we find that including soil erosion in the SOC-dynamics scheme results in an increase of 62 % of the cumulative loss of SOC over 1850–2005 due to the combined effects of climate variability, increasing atmospheric CO2 and LUC. This additional erosional loss decreases the cumulative global carbon sink on land by 2 Pg of carbon for this specific period, with the largest effects found for the tropics, where deforestation and agricultural expansion increased soil erosion rates significantly. We conclude that the potential effect of soil erosion on the global SOC stock is comparable to the effects of climate or LUC. It is thus necessary to include soil erosion in assessments of LUC and evaluations of the terrestrial carbon cycle.

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Impacts of Land-Use Change, Slope, and Erosion on Soil Organic Carbon Retention and Storage

Soil Science ◽

10.1097/ss.0b013e318244d8d2 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 177 (4) ◽

pp. 269-278 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Kenneth R. Olson ◽

Alexander N. Gennadiyev ◽

Andrey P. Zhidkin ◽

Maxim V. Markelov

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Organic Carbon ◽

Land Use Change ◽

Soil Organic Carbon ◽

Carbon Retention ◽

And Storage

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Distribution of soil organic carbon impacted by land-use change and check dam on the Loess Plateau of China

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-2066 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Peng Shi ◽

Yan Zhang ◽

Kexin Lu ◽

Zhaohong Feng ◽

Yang Yu

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Soil Erosion ◽

Organic Carbon ◽

Land Use Change ◽

Soil Organic Carbon ◽

Loess Plateau ◽

Dam Construction ◽

Check Dam ◽

The Loess Plateau ◽

The Impact

<p>Vegetation restoration, terrace and check dam construction are the major measures for soil and water conservation on the Loess Plateau. These effective measures of stabilizing soils have significant impacts on soil organic carbon (SOC) distribution.&#160;To understand the impact of land-use changes combined with check dam construction on SOC distribution, 1060 soil samples were collected across a watershed on the Loess Plateau. Forestland, shrubland and terrace had significant higher SOC concentrations in the 0-20 cm soil layer than that of sloping cropland. &#160;&#160;&#160;Land use change affects the process of runoff and sediment transportation, which has an impact on the migration and transformation of soil carbon. The soil erosion of sloping farmland is the most serious, and the maximum annual erosion rate is as high as 10853.56 t&#183;km<sup>-2</sup>. Carbon sedimented in the dam land was mainly from sloping cropland, and this source percentage was 65%. The application of hydrological controls to hillslopes and along river&#160;channels should be considered when assessing carbon sequestration within the soil erosion subsystem.&#160;</p>

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Consequences of feasible future agricultural land-use change on soil organic carbon stocks and greenhouse gas emissions in Great Britain

Soil Use and Management ◽

10.1111/j.1475-2743.2010.00283.x ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 26 (4) ◽

pp. 381-398 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

P. Smith ◽

A. Bhogal ◽

P. Edgington ◽

H. Black ◽

A. Lilly ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Great Britain ◽

Organic Carbon ◽

Land Use Change ◽

Soil Organic Carbon ◽

Greenhouse Gas ◽

Agricultural Land ◽

Carbon Stocks ◽

Agricultural Land Use ◽

Soil Organic Carbon Stocks

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An analysis of iLUC and biofuels – Regional quantification of climate-relevant land use change and options for combating it

Sugar Industry ◽

10.36961/si11312 ◽

2011 ◽

pp. 224-228

Author(s):

Uwe Lahl

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Land Use Change ◽

Greenhouse Gas Emissions ◽

Greenhouse Gas ◽

Regional Model ◽

Specific Region ◽

Policy Options ◽

Gas Emissions ◽

Regional Approach ◽

Indirect Land Use Change

The study proposes a regional approach to calculating indirect land use change (iLUC). The goal is to determine the greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) of biofuels brought about by iLUC in a specific region. A regional approach can be based on the conditions specific to the respective region and the data for this region which is contained in country statistics. This makes the results more resilient. It also appears that LUC is mainly caused locally or regionally. Relevant policy scenarios for different regions were calculated with a regional model. The calculations show reliable results. It is possible to introduce such a regional model in regulations for combating iLUC. The analysis of the policy options for combating iLUC shows that a regional approach would have a much more effective steering effect.

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Topographic Position, Land Use and Soil Management Effects on Soil Organic Carbon (Vineyard Region of Niš, Serbia)

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy11071438 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (7) ◽

pp. 1438

Author(s):

Snežana Jakšić ◽

Jordana Ninkov ◽

Stanko Milić ◽

Jovica Vasin ◽

Milorad Živanov ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Surface Layer ◽

Spatial Distribution ◽

Soil Erosion ◽

Organic Carbon ◽

Soil Organic Carbon ◽

Soil Compaction ◽

Soil Management ◽

Forest Land ◽

Topographic Position

Spatial distribution of soil organic carbon (SOC) is the result of a combination of various factors related to both the natural environment and anthropogenic activities. The aim of this study was to examine (i) the state of SOC in topsoil and subsoil of vineyards compared to the nearest forest, (ii) the influence of soil management on SOC, (iii) the variation in SOC content with topographic position, (iv) the intensity of soil erosion in order to estimate the leaching of SOC from upper to lower topographic positions, and (v) the significance of SOC for the reduction of soil’s susceptibility to compaction. The study area was the vineyard region of Niš, which represents a medium-sized vineyard region in Serbia. About 32% of the total land area is affected, to some degree, by soil erosion. However, according to the mean annual soil loss rate, the total area is classified as having tolerable erosion risk. Land use was shown to be an important factor that controls SOC content. The vineyards contained less SOC than forest land. The SOC content was affected by topographic position. The interactive effect of topographic position and land use on SOC was significant. The SOC of forest land was significantly higher at the upper position than at the middle and lower positions. Spatial distribution of organic carbon in vineyards was not influenced by altitude, but occurred as a consequence of different soil management practices. The deep tillage at 60–80 cm, along with application of organic amendments, showed the potential to preserve SOC in the subsoil and prevent carbon loss from the surface layer. Penetrometric resistance values indicated optimum soil compaction in the surface layer of the soil, while low permeability was observed in deeper layers. Increases in SOC content reduce soil compaction and thus the risk of erosion and landslides. Knowledge of soil carbon distribution as a function of topographic position, land use and soil management is important for sustainable production and climate change mitigation.

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Dynamics of soil organic carbon in the steppes of Russia and Kazakhstan under past and future climate and land use

Regional Environmental Change ◽

10.1007/s10113-021-01799-7 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (3) ◽

Author(s):

Susanne Rolinski ◽

Alexander V. Prishchepov ◽

Georg Guggenberger ◽

Norbert Bischoff ◽

Irina Kurganova ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Land Use ◽

Organic Carbon ◽

Land Use Change ◽

Soil Organic Carbon ◽

Arable Land ◽

Future Climate ◽

Future Climate Change ◽

Climate Scenarios ◽

The Impact

AbstractChanges in land use and climate are the main drivers of change in soil organic matter contents. We investigated the impact of the largest policy-induced land conversion to arable land, the Virgin Lands Campaign (VLC), from 1954 to 1963, of the massive cropland abandonment after 1990 and of climate change on soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks in steppes of Russia and Kazakhstan. We simulated carbon budgets from the pre-VLC period (1900) until 2100 using a dynamic vegetation model to assess the impacts of observed land-use change as well as future climate and land-use change scenarios. The simulations suggest for the entire VLC region (266 million hectares) that the historic cropland expansion resulted in emissions of 1.6⋅ 1015 g (= 1.6 Pg) carbon between 1950 and 1965 compared to 0.6 Pg in a scenario without the expansion. From 1990 to 2100, climate change alone is projected to cause emissions of about 1.8 (± 1.1) Pg carbon. Hypothetical recultivation of the cropland that has been abandoned after the fall of the Soviet Union until 2050 may cause emissions of 3.5 (± 0.9) Pg carbon until 2100, whereas the abandonment of all cropland until 2050 would lead to sequestration of 1.8 (± 1.2) Pg carbon. For the climate scenarios based on SRES (Special Report on Emission Scenarios) emission pathways, SOC declined only moderately for constant land use but substantially with further cropland expansion. The variation of SOC in response to the climate scenarios was smaller than that in response to the land-use scenarios. This suggests that the effects of land-use change on SOC dynamics may become as relevant as those of future climate change in the Eurasian steppes.

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