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Soil Carbon Sequestration

Climate change poses an existential threat to humanity. Soil carbon sequestration is widely being recognized as a part of the solution to this problem. Here’s how it works: Plants absorb carbon from the atmosphere during photosynthesis, producing simple sugars and other related compounds. Plants then invest a substantial proportion (~40%) of these carbon-rich compounds (exudates) into the soil , in order to feed specific groups of microorganisms, namely bacteria and fungi. They do this because they expect to receive nutrients in return (as explained above).

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Bacteria and fungi use this carbon-rich food source to increase their numbers, building their bodies predominantly from carbon. Fungal hyphae can remain intact in the soil for hundreds of years, and are thereby capable of locking up large quantities of carbon in the soil. Some scientists have been able to increase soil carbon by as much as 20 (metric) tonnes per hectare, per year. It has been estimated that by regenerating the world’s soils using the Soil Food Web, we can take atmospheric carbon levels back to the ‘safe-level’ as defined by the United Nations IPCC – which is 350ppm, and that this could be achieved within 15 years or less!

This Playlist: How it Works

The Soil Food Web
In this series of animations, you will discover how the Soil Food Web …

Nutrient Cycling
This is the process by which beneficial microorganisms harvest nutrients…

The Formation of Structure
Beneficial bacteria produce glues that facilitate the formation…

Weed Suppression
The presence of beneficial fungi in the soil has been shown…

Inhibiting Pests and Diseases
The vast majority of disease-causing microorganisms are anaerobes…

Soil Carbon Sequestration
Climate change poses an existential threat to humanity. Soil carbon…

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