Research project Soil organic carbon sequestration potential of agricultural soils in Europe

Main research question

CarboSeq is an internal research project of EJP SOIL. Carbon sequestration in soils is a negative emission technology that contributes to climate change mitigation. The aim of CarboSeq is to estimate the feasible soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration potential of different management options considering technical and economic constraints in the different regions and countries in Europe. The project wants to align with the global FAO soil carbon sequestration-potential map (GSOCseq).

Research approach

Carboseq will estimate the carbon sequestration potential using two approaches. The first approach (Tier 2) assesses the emission (sequestration) factors of management options based on data from long term field experiments across Europe. ILVO is responsible for collecting data from Flanders and leads a work package in which data for crop management options is gathered. A second approach (Tier 3) uses soil carbon input and stability data for modeling (mainly based on the Roth-C model). At the same time trade-off effects such as N20 emissions will be considered. The potential area of implementation will be developed together with the national expert hubs.

Relevance/Valorization

The SOC-sequestration potential maps and data for different management options will guide policy makers regional specific to the most efficient agricultural management options to sequester SOC for climate mitigation.

Financing

EU Horizon2020