Soil carbon sequestration

Soil carbon sequestration is the net accumulation of carbon in soil over time as plants, organisms, and other inputs add carbon faster than losses remove it.

Soil organic matter: The carbon-rich mixture of decomposing organisms, microbial products, and other organic compounds in soil. It is the principal organic reservoir formed as carbon enters soil.
Cover cropping: Growing crops between or alongside main crops to protect and improve agricultural soil. Living cover can increase roots and residues that supply soil carbon.
Carbon cycle: The movement of carbon among the atmosphere, oceans, land, and living organisms. Soil storage shifts carbon within the larger system of sources and sinks.
Soil carbon measurement: Methods for estimating the amount and change of carbon stored in soil. Small changes are difficult to distinguish from large background variation.
Soil carbon stabilization: The processes that slow the decomposition or loss of organic carbon in soil. Mineral binding and physical protection help determine how much added carbon persists.
Conservation tillage: Crop production practices that reduce soil disturbance compared with conventional plowing. Reduced disturbance can protect surface carbon, though gains depend on depth and conditions.
Greenhouse gas: A gas that absorbs and emits infrared radiation, contributing to the greenhouse effect. Soil carbon changes can affect atmospheric carbon dioxide, while management also affects other gases.
Carbon farming additionality: The question of whether carbon storage occurred because of an intervention rather than ordinary practice. Sequestration credits require a credible estimate of what would have happened otherwise.
Soil aggregates: Clusters of soil particles bound together by organic and mineral materials. Carbon enclosed within aggregates can be less accessible to decomposers.
Biochar: A carbon-rich material produced by heating biomass with limited oxygen and applied to soil. Its relatively persistent carbon can add to soil carbon stocks.

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