Access
To read this story in full you will need to login or make a payment (see right).
Letter
Nature 437, 245-248 (8 September 2005) | doi:10.1038/nature04038; Received 24 February 2005; Accepted 8 July 2005
Open Innovation Challenges
-
Optimizing Sub-cellular Localization Tags
The Seeker is looking for methods to optimize sub-cellular localization tags for protein expression....
-
Methods of Modeling Adaptation in Populations
The analysis of adaptation with a population is a frequently encountered computational modeling scen...
nature jobs
Environmental / Biotreatability Engineer
- Praj Matrix - Praj Industries Ltd
- Pune, Maharashtra Pune-411021 India
Bacterial Geneticist / Microbiologist
- TCG Lifesciences Ltd
- Kolkata India
Carbon losses from all soils across England and Wales 1978–2003
Pat H. Bellamy1, Peter J. Loveland1, R. Ian Bradley1, R. Murray Lark2 & Guy J. D. Kirk1
- National Soil Resources Institute, Cranfield University, Silsoe MK45 4DT, UK
- Rothamsted Research, Harpenden AL5 2JQ, UK
Correspondence to: Guy J. D. Kirk1 Correspondence and requests for materials should be addressed to G.J.D.K. (Email: g.kirk@cranfield.ac.uk).
Abstract
More than twice as much carbon is held in soils as in vegetation or the atmosphere1, and changes in soil carbon content can have a large effect on the global carbon budget. The possibility that climate change is being reinforced by increased carbon dioxide emissions from soils owing to rising temperature is the subject of a continuing debate2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. But evidence for the suggested feedback mechanism has to date come solely from small-scale laboratory and field experiments and modelling studies2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. Here we use data from the National Soil Inventory of England and Wales obtained between 1978 and 2003 to show that carbon was lost from soils across England and Wales over the survey period at a mean rate of 0.6% yr-1 (relative to the existing soil carbon content). We find that the relative rate of carbon loss increased with soil carbon content and was more than 2% yr-1 in soils with carbon contents greater than 100 g kg-1. The relationship between rate of carbon loss and carbon content is irrespective of land use, suggesting a link to climate change. Our findings indicate that losses of soil carbon in England and Wales—and by inference in other temperate regions—are likely to have been offsetting absorption of carbon by terrestrial sinks.
To read this story in full you will need to login or make a payment (see right).
MORE ARTICLES LIKE THIS
These links to content published by NPG are automatically generated.
NEWS AND VIEWS
Nitrate in drinking water: health hazard unlikelyNature News and Views (21 Jul 1977)
Weeds: Talking about ControlNature News and Views (14 Dec 1968)
See all 7 matches for News And ViewsRESEARCH
Stability of organic carbon in deep soil layers controlled by fresh carbon supplyNature Letters to Editor (08 Nov 2007)
Food Production in Great Britain and in Western EuropeNature Article (30 Nov 1940)
See all 39 matches for Research
