After being drained by the millions of acres to make way for agriculture, wetlands are staging a small comeback these days on farms.
Some farmers restore or construct wetlands alongside their fields to trap nitrogen and phosphorus runoff, and research shows these systems can also retain pesticides, antibiotics, and other agricultural pollutants.
Important as these storage functions of wetlands are, however, another critical one is being overlooked, says Bill Mitsch, director of the Everglades Wetland Research Park at Florida Gulf Coast University and an emeritus professor at Ohio State University: Wetlands also excel at pulling carbon dioxide out of the air and holding it long-term in soil.
Writing in the July-August issue of the Journal of Environmental Quality, Mitsch and co-author Blanca Bernal report that two 15-year-old constructed marshes in Ohio accumulated soil carbon at an average annual rate of 2150 pounds per acre — or just over one ton of carbon per acre per year.
The rate was 70% faster than a natural, “control” wetland in the area and 26% faster than the two were adding soil carbon five years ago. And by year 15, each wetland had a soil carbon pool of more than 30,000 pounds per acre, an amount equaling or exceeding the carbon stored by forests and farmlands.
What this suggests, Mitsch says, is that researchers and land managers shouldn’t ignore restored and human-made wetlands as they look for places to store, or “sequester,” carbon long-term. For more than a decade, for example, scientists have been studying the potential of no-tillage, planting of pastures, and other farm practices to store carbon in agricultural lands, which cover roughly one-third of Earth’s land area.
Yet, when created wetlands are discussed in agricultural circles, it’s almost always in the context of water quality. “So, what I’m saying is: let’s add carbon to the list,” Mitsch says. “If you happen to build a wetland to remove nitrogen, for example, then once you have it, it’s probably accumulating carbon, too.”
In fact, wetlands in agricultural landscapes may sequester carbon very quickly, because high-nutrient conditions promote the growth of cattail, reeds, and other wetland “big boys” that produce a lot of plant biomass and carbon, Mitsch says. Once carbon ends up in wetland soil, it can also remain there for hundreds to thousands of years because of water-logged conditions that inhibit microbial decomposition.
“And carbon is a big deal — any carbon sinks that we find we should be protecting,” Mitsch says. “Then we’re going even further by saying: We’ve lost half of our wetlands in the United States, so let’s not only protect the wetlands we have remaining but also build some more.”
At the same time, he acknowledges that wetlands emit the powerful greenhouse gas (GHG), methane, leading some to argue that wetlands shouldn’t be created as a means to sequester carbon and mitigate climate change. But in a new analysis that modeled carbon fluxes over 100 years from the two constructed Ohio marshes and 19 other wetlands worldwide, Mitsch, Bernal, and others demonstrated that most wetlands are net carbon sinks, even when methane emissions are factored in. And among the best sinks were the wetlands in Ohio, possibly due to flow-through conditions that promoted rapid carbon storage while minimizing methane losses, the authors hypothesize.
The Latest Bing News on:
Farming Carbon
- Shropshire Farming Talk: British Grassland Society round-upon April 27, 2024 at 12:00 pm
For the second consecutive year, The British Grassland Society sponsored a session at the British Society of Animal Science (BSAS) Conference held this year in Belfast.
- A leader in US seaweed farming preaches, teaches and builds a wider networkon April 27, 2024 at 4:42 am
A leader in US seaweed farming preaches, teaches and builds a wider network Bren Smith and his GreenWave organization are helping lay the foundations for a generation of seaweed-growing farmers in the ...
- The Untold Story Of AI's Huge Carbon Footprinton April 26, 2024 at 4:15 am
We need to increase the power of processors to run new AI models, but at the same time, we need to reduce the energy demand of those processors.
- Davis company is farming without using soil. What to know about Gotham Greenson April 25, 2024 at 9:14 pm
In 2021, Gotham Greens planted roots in Davis and opened a 10-acre greenhouse. They grow different types of leafy greens and herbs and do it with water only. "So hydroponic growing allows plants to ...
- Regulators deny late requests to delay carbon dioxide pipeline decisionon April 25, 2024 at 5:52 pm
In a split vote, the Iowa Utilities Board declined to solicit more evidence before it decides whether to issue a pipeline permit to Summit Carbon Solutions, according to a Thursday board order. In ...
- Carbon Alliance worries bill could add red tape, cost to farm lendingon April 25, 2024 at 9:32 am
A bill under consideration in the Senate could add red tape and extra cost to ag lending, representatives from the Agriculture Carbon Alliance told senators April 18.
- An ancient farming technique is finding new life burying carbon and improving soilon April 24, 2024 at 11:00 am
Burying biochar on a farm also sequesters carbon. “You put it in soil, it's just there,” Cuchetti said. “You can just forget about it. It's gone.” Agriculture is the fifth-largest source of greenhouse ...
- Summit, in second attempt at permit, touts economic benefits of carbon pipelineon April 24, 2024 at 8:45 am
Rehearings on Summit's pipeline permit application started Monday. The PSC denied Summit's permit last year but agreed to reconsider a revised plan that includes changes to the pipeline route ...
- Vietnam implements new rice farming techniques in effort to mitigate methane emissionson April 23, 2024 at 6:17 am
Vietnam is aiming to transform its rice sector, making it more resilient to climate change while also reducing its emissions of methane, a greenhouse gas.
- Biochar — an ancient farming method — is finding new life improving soil and burying carbonon April 22, 2024 at 7:00 am
As the country tries to meet its climate goals, tackling emissions from farming will be key. One climate-smart agriculture strategy sequesters carbon while recycling agricultural waste and improving ...
The Latest Google Headlines on:
Farming Carbon
[google_news title=”” keyword=”Farming Carbon” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
The Latest Bing News on:
Soil carbon
- Using peat in soil destroys ecosystems: How to find the alternativeson April 25, 2024 at 8:38 am
Next time you need fresh soil for your flower bed ... Peatlands also store a lot of carbon, and large amounts of CO2 are released into the atmosphere when they are disturbed by commercial exploitation ...
- A New Use for Old Concrete Could Revolutionize Carbon Captureon April 25, 2024 at 6:30 am
Rock weathering is a natural process where minerals in the soil can capture carbon and sequester it as calcium carbonate in the oceans, but the process is an incredibly slow one. An Irish startup ...
- An ancient farming technique is finding new life burying carbon and improving soilon April 24, 2024 at 11:00 am
BioChar, an organic waste material that can aid in water retention, soil amendment, operate as a carbon sink, and more, is being studied and used on small to medium-sized farms around the United ...
- Soil carbon prices in India need to rise 60% to incentivise conservation agriculture -studyon April 24, 2024 at 8:29 am
Soil carbon prices in India will need to increase by 60% to encourage wider adoption of conservation agriculture for carbon credit generation in India under Verra's VM0042 methodology, a study ...
- noco-noco Collaborates with Binex to Develop Agriculture Based, Soil Sequestered Carbon into Creditson April 24, 2024 at 8:00 am
SINGAPORE and TOKYO, April 24, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- noco-noco Inc. (NASDAQ: NCNC), (“noco-noco”), signed a Memorandum of Understanding with ...
- Precision Pastures: Free events to boost your soil carbon know-how at Beef 2024on April 22, 2024 at 10:56 pm
Precision Pastures will be hosting several free events at Beef 2024 dedicated to helping producers to identify and solve soil health issues to optimise production and increase their soil carbon for a ...
- Trillions of Tons of Carbon Are Missing From Climate Modelson April 22, 2024 at 5:00 am
According to a new study by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, the top two meters of soil beneath our feet currently hold ...
- Biochar — an ancient farming method — is finding new life improving soil and burying carbonon April 22, 2024 at 2:00 am
As the country tries to meet its climate goals, tackling emissions from farming will be key. One climate-smart agriculture strategy sequesters carbon while recycling agricultural waste and improving ...
- Effects of organic matter input and temperature change on soil aggregate-associated respiration and microbial carbon useon April 18, 2024 at 11:25 am
The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is one of the most dramatically affected regions by global warming. For a long time, the region has been exposed by low temperature and soil moisture, which led to the severe ...
- Hidden pool of global soil carbon alters climate change modelson April 14, 2024 at 11:06 am
Recent research identifies soil inorganic carbon (SIC) as crucial for global carbon storage, surpassing vegetation carbon.
The Latest Google Headlines on:
Soil carbon
[google_news title=”” keyword=”soil carbon” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]