Soil carbon

Soil carbon is carbon stored in soil as organic matter, including decomposed plant and animal material, and as inorganic compounds such as carbonates.

Soil organic matter: The mixture of living organisms and decomposed plant and animal material in soil. It is the main organic form in which soil carbon is stored.
Soil organic carbon: Carbon contained in soil organic matter, excluding inorganic carbonates. It is the organic fraction of the broader soil-carbon concept.
Carbon sequestration: The capture and durable storage of carbon from the atmosphere or other sources. Increasing soil carbon is one possible route for storing atmospheric carbon.
Atmospheric carbon dioxide: Carbon dioxide present in Earth's atmosphere, where it acts as a greenhouse gas. Soil stores carbon that may otherwise enter or return to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.
Carbon permanence: The duration for which stored carbon remains out of the atmosphere. Soil carbon gains can be reversed by later disturbance or changes in climate and management.
Soil respiration: The release of carbon dioxide from soil through organismal respiration and decomposition. It returns some soil carbon to the atmosphere as organisms process organic matter.
Soil inorganic carbon: Carbon in soil minerals and dissolved inorganic forms, including carbonates and bicarbonate. It is the mineral and dissolved fraction, distinct from soil organic carbon.
Regenerative agriculture: A farming approach that aims to improve soil and ecosystem health through management practices. Practices such as cover cropping can alter carbon inputs and losses in farm soils.
Biomass carbon: Carbon contained in living plants, animals, and microorganisms. Living biomass is a neighboring terrestrial pool, while soil carbon includes dead material and minerals.
Soil carbon modeling: The use of mathematical models to estimate soil-carbon stocks and their changes over time. Models differ in how they represent decomposition, stabilization, and environmental limits.

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