RUSSELL REVIEW Soil carbon stewardship: Thinking in circles

IF 4 2区 农林科学 Q2 SOIL SCIENCE European Journal of Soil Science Pub Date : 2024-10-10 DOI:10.1111/ejss.13536
H. Henry Janzen
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Abstract

The words we choose to describe our research ultimately directs its course. A dominant term in soil science now, is ‘sequestration’, referring to the removal of carbon (C) from air and its irreversible seclusion in soil, ideally as stable soil organic carbon (SOC). An emerging view, however, now sees SOC as an inherently dynamic assemblage of forms, all potentially vulnerable to decay, with no discrete, measurable fraction holding C in ‘sequestered’ form. Rather than speaking of C ‘sequestration’, then, we might refer instead to SOC ‘stewardship’. This word, now, enfolds the entire spectrum of SOC, not merely some elusive ‘persistent’ or ‘stable’ fraction, perhaps redirecting inquiry; for example, does C need to be ‘sequestered’ in stable form for SOC to serve as effective repository of excess atmospheric CO2? ‘Stewardship’ explicitly accepts the relentless turnover of SOC, emphasizing the need to manage not only fixed stocks of C, but also the cyclical flows of C through ecosystems that drive their functions. Among other benefits, ‘stewardship’ might motivate us to consider all functions of SOC (not only climate mitigation), consider the entire C cycle (not only enhancing soil C), and preserve existing troves of SOC (not only augmenting them in selected places.) Perhaps most fundamentally, by its etymology, ‘stewardship’ poses a compelling, timeless question: for whom do we steward SOC? Asking why look after SOC, not only reflects our own underlying quest for resilience, but also expands our potential audience and entices the more creative minds that must succeed us. Although ‘stewardship’ may elicit new and fruitful inquiry, we may need to look for words even more evocative, more alluring, more true to our mandate of living well within the circling C that must always sustain us.

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RUSSELL REVIEW 土壤碳管理:绕圈子思考
我们在描述自己的研究时所选择的词语最终会决定研究的方向。目前,土壤科学的一个主要术语是 "固碳",指的是从空气中去除碳(C),并将其不可逆转地封存在土壤中,最好是形成稳定的土壤有机碳(SOC)。然而,一种新出现的观点认为,土壤有机碳是一种固有的动态组合形式,所有这些形式都有可能发生衰变,没有一个离散的、可测量的部分以 "固碳 "的形式持有碳。因此,与其说是碳 "固存",不如说是有机碳 "管理"。现在,这个词涵盖了 SOC 的整个范围,而不仅仅是某个难以捉摸的 "持久 "或 "稳定 "部分,这或许会重新引导人们的探究方向;例如,SOC 是否需要以稳定的形式 "封存 "C,才能有效地储存大气中过量的 CO2?管理 "明确接受 SOC 的无情更替,强调不仅需要管理固定的碳储量,还需要管理驱动生态系统功能的碳在生态系统中的周期性流动。除其他益处外,"管理 "可能促使我们考虑 SOC 的所有功能(而不仅仅是减缓气候),考虑整个碳循环(而不仅仅是增加土壤中的碳含量),并保护现有的 SOC 库(而不仅仅是在选定的地方增加它们)。为什么要保护可持续有机碳?这个问题不仅反映了我们对恢复能力的根本追求,而且还扩大了我们的潜在受众范围,吸引了必须继承我们事业的更具创造性的头脑。尽管 "管理 "可能会引发新的和富有成果的探究,但我们可能需要寻找更传神、更诱人、更忠实于我们任务的词语,即在必须始终支撑我们的 "C "圈内好好生活。
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来源期刊
European Journal of Soil Science
European Journal of Soil Science 农林科学-土壤科学
CiteScore
8.20
自引率
4.80%
发文量
117
审稿时长
5 months
期刊介绍: The EJSS is an international journal that publishes outstanding papers in soil science that advance the theoretical and mechanistic understanding of physical, chemical and biological processes and their interactions in soils acting from molecular to continental scales in natural and managed environments.
期刊最新文献
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