A soil carbon and land use database for the United Kingdom

Bradley, R. I.; Milne, R.; Bell, John; Lilly, Allan; Jordan, C.; Higgins, Alex

doi:10.1079/sum2005351

Cited by 177 publications

(209 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…The key principles in this respect are to avoid loss of carbon from the soil and to manage the application of nutrients in fertilizers and manure to maximize uptake by plants. In terms of soil, the type of soil is closely associated with the amount of carbon it contains and there is a huge variability across the UK with Scotland holding around a half of the organic carbon content of soils in Great Britain (Bradley et al, 2005). Recent research has shown that there is little change in soil carbon under permanent pasture (Hopkins et al, 2008), with the major changes being related to changes in land use (Smith, 2008).…”

Section: Gill Smith and Wilkinsonmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mitigating climate change: the role of domestic livestock

Gill

Smith

Wilkinson

2010

Animal

242

180

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Livestock contribute directly (i.e. as methane and nitrous oxide (N 2 O)) to about 9% of global anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and around 3% of UK emissions. If all parts of the livestock production lifecycle are included (fossil fuels used to produce mineral fertilizers used in feed production and N 2 O emissions from fertilizer use; methane release from the breakdown of fertilizers and from animal manure; land-use changes for feed production and for grazing; land degradation; fossil fuel use during feed and animal production; fossil fuel use in production and transport of processed and refrigerated animal products), livestock are estimated to account for 18% of global anthropogenic emissions, but less than 8% in the UK. In terms of GHG emissions per unit of livestock product, monogastric livestock are more efficient than ruminants; thus in the UK, while sheep and cattle accounted for 32% of meat production in 2006, they accounted for , 48% of GHG emissions associated with meat production. More efficient management of grazing lands and of manure can have a direct impact in decreasing emissions. Improving efficiency of livestock production through better breeding, health interventions or improving fertility can also decrease GHG emissions through decreasing the number of livestock required per unit product. Increasing the energy density of the diet has a dual effect, decreasing both direct emissions and the numbers of livestock per unit product, but, as the demands for food increase in response to increasing human population and a better diet in some developing countries, there is increasing competition for land for food v. energy-dense feed crops. Recalculating efficiencies of energy and protein production on the basis of human-edible food produced per unit of human-edible feed consumed gave higher efficiencies for ruminants than for monogastric animals. The policy community thus have difficult decisions to make in balancing the negative contribution of livestock to the environment against the positive benefit in terms of food security. The animal science community have a responsibility to provide an evidence base which is objective and holistic with respect to these two competing challenges.

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Section: Gill Smith and Wilkinsonmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mitigating climate change: the role of domestic livestock

Gill

Smith

Wilkinson

2010

Animal

242

180

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“…Several studies have estimated SOC stocks on a large scale by using national and global soil maps and a certain amount of representative soil profiles, or by combining soil and land cover spatial data sets (Batjes, 1996(Batjes, , 2005Batjes and Dijkshoorn, 1999;Arrouays et al, 2001;Morisada et al, 2004;Bradley et al, 2005;Leifeld et al, 2005). Commonly, inventories are based on a combination of soil land use mapping units and assignment of mean SOC values from soil profiles, which makes it possible to determine patterns in SOC variability related to soil and land use features.…”

Section: Muñoz-rojas Et Al: Organic Carbon Stocks In Mediterraneamentioning

confidence: 99%

Organic carbon stocks in Mediterranean soil types under different land uses (Southern Spain)

et al. 2012

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Abstract. Soil C sequestration through changes in land use and management is one of the sustainable and long-term strategies to mitigate climate change. This research explores and quantifies the role of soil and land use as determinants of the ability of soils to store C along Mediterranean systems. Detailed studies of soil organic C (SOC) dynamics are necessary in order to identify factors determining fluctuations and intensity of changes. In this study, SOC contents from different soil and land use types have been investigated in Andalusia (Southern Spain). We have used soil information from different databases, as well as land use digital maps, climate databases and digital elevation models. The average SOC content for each soil control section (0-25, 25-50 and 50-75 cm) was determined and SOC stocks were calculated for each combination of soil and land use type, using soil and land cover maps. The total organic C stocks in soils of Andalusia is 415 Tg for the upper 75 cm, with average values ranging from 15.9 Mg C ha −1 (Solonchaks under "arable land") to 107.6 Mg C ha −1 (Fluvisols from "wetlands"). Up to 55 % of SOC accumulates in the top 25 cm of soil (229.7 Tg). This research constitutes a preliminary assessment for modelling SOC stock under scenarios of land use and climate change.

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“…This paper suggests that the maximum carbon capture potential of urban soils using biochar and inorganic carbon accumulation is approximately 7 Mt C y -1 , which is over three times the quantity of carbon released during land use change from forest, cropland and grassland soils to UK cities (DEFRA, 2009). The maximum potential of organic carbon accumulation is unknown, but tree planting can sequester 0.6-0.8 kg C m -2 y -1 into biomass (Read et al, 2009), and carbon storage in UK woodlands soils is estimated to be 25 kg m -2 to 1m depth (Bradley et al, 2005), which appears to be considerably higher than values reported for urban woodlands (Table 1). This suggests there may be potential to manage urban woodlands to achieve higher soil sequestration, but further studies are required to establish this.…”

Section: Implications For Engineers and Plannersmentioning

confidence: 39%

“…Within the UK, there is a paucity of data on soil carbon storage in towns and cities, and where estimates have been made, they have been based on rather crude assumptions. For example, carbon concentrations in suburban areas were assumed to be half that found in typical pasture soils (Bradley et al, 2005), an assumption not supported by current data (Table 1). Research now being conducted in the city of Leicester is measuring soil and vegetation carbon storage and sequestration to help inform management of greenspaces in UK urban areas (www.4mfootprint.org).…”

Section: Organic Carbon In Urban Soilsmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…The artificial surfaces cap formerly active soils, and currently little is known about the fate of organic carbon within these sealed soils, so that the concentrations of organic carbon measured in urban soils should not be extrapolated over the whole urban area. However, Pouyat et al (2006) assumed an organic carbon density of 3.3 kg m -2 (based on data for clean fill soils) for capped soils in the USA, whereas in the UK a value of 0 kg C m -2 was assumed for urban areas (including capped and uncapped soils) for a national scale estimate of soil organic carbon storage (Bradley et al, 2005). Built-up urban areas in Europe account for approximately 4% of total landcover (EEA, 2010), within which a large proportion of the soil surface may be sealed, for example in Germany it is estimated that capped surfaces account for approximately 52% of the total urban area (EEA, 2006).…”

Section: Organic Carbon In Urban Soilsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Designing a carbon capture function into urban soils

Renforth

Edmondson

Leake

et al. 2011

Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Urban Desig

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Soils, if designed and managed correctly, can retain carbon from the atmosphere as accumulated organic matter, refractory forms of carbon (e.g. biochar) or stable, inorganic, carbonate minerals. This soil 'carbon capture function' is highly applicable to the constructed environment in urban areas and should be considered when planning for new or existing developments. The total carbon capture potential of soils in cities may be as high as 7 Mt y -1 within the UK using biochar and accumulated carbonate minerals, which is equivalent in significance to other forms of geoengineering. Furthermore, soil and vegetation management practices may be implemented to accumulate plant-derived organic carbon in urban soils. The potential for substantial soil-based carbon sequestration in urban environments has yet to be realised, and the varied praxis of soil carbon capture presents accreditation and regulatory challenges to the planning system which need to be resolved.

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A soil carbon and land use database for the United Kingdom

Cited by 177 publications

References 4 publications

Mitigating climate change: the role of domestic livestock

Mitigating climate change: the role of domestic livestock

Organic carbon stocks in Mediterranean soil types under different land uses (Southern Spain)

Designing a carbon capture function into urban soils

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