Global Soil Carbon Sequestration Rates from 67 Long-Term Agricultural Experiments

276 paired treatments from 67 long-term agricultural experiments quantify soil organic carbon sequestration rates. The data indicates a change from conventional to no-till can sequester 57 ± 14 g C m–2 yr–1, while enhancing rotation complexity sequesters 14 ± 11 g C m–2 yr–1. This dataset was compiled by Tristram O. West of Oak Ridge National Laboratory for a global analysis.

Use Cases

• Modeling regional carbon sequestration potential based on reported sequestration rates for different crops.
• Analyzing the impact of tillage intensity reduction on soil carbon accumulation over time.
• Comparing the long-term soil carbon equilibrium timelines for tillage changes versus crop rotation enhancements.
• Validating soil carbon models using empirical data from long-term paired treatment experiments.

Strengths

• Data is derived from 67 long-term agricultural experiments, suggesting a foundation in empirical research.
• Includes 276 paired treatments, allowing for comparative analysis of management practices.
• Provides specific sequestration rate estimates with reported uncertainties (e.g., 57 ± 14 g C m–2 yr–1).

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.

Provenance

Source

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (via CDIAC/ESS-DIVE archive)

Collection Method

Analysis of a global database of long-term agricultural experiments.

Geography

Global