Search results for " Carbon sequestration"
showing 10 items of 21 documents
The role of hydrology on enhanced weathering for carbon sequestration in soils
2020
Natural climate solutions are attracting considerable research effort with the aim of reducing greenhouse gas emissions or sequestering carbon within the oceans or terrestrial environments. In this context, enhanced weathering can be a powerful means of increasing the natural weathering reaction rates, by adding some highly reactive minerals to the soil. The present study evaluates the effects of hydrologic fluctuations on Forsterite dissolution, a silicate mineral also known as Mg-olivine. This mineral is available in many parts of the world and its reaction rates with CO2 are much higher than those of other minerals. Toward this goal, we developed a mathematical model coupling biogeochemi…
Nano- to Global-Scale Uncertainties in Terrestrial Enhanced Weathering.
2022
Enhanced weathering (EW) is one of the most promising negative emissions technologies urgently needed to limit global warming to at least below 2 °C, a goal recently reaffirmed at the UN Global Climate Change conference (i.e., COP26). EW relies on the accelerated dissolution of crushed silicate rocks applied to soils and is considered a sustainable solution requiring limited technology. While EW has a high theoretical potential of sequestering CO2, research is still needed to provide accurate estimates of carbon (C) sequestration when applying different silicate materials across distinct climates and major soil types in combination with a variety of plants. Here we elaborate on fundamental …
The influence of climate change on the soil organic carbon content in Italy from 1961 to 2008
2011
Abstract Soils are the biggest carbon store in the world (1500 Gt, e.g. 1.5 × 10 21 g). The European Commission indicates the accounting of soil organic carbon (SOC) variations in space and time as the first step in the strategy for soil protection. It is indeed necessary in evaluating the risk of soil organic matter decline and soil biodiversity decline, and when evaluating the role played by soils in global CO 2 accounting. Previous maps of SOC variations in Italy did not consider the direct effect of climate. There is a marked inter-dependence between SOC and climate. SOC increases with the increase in precipitations and decreases with a rise in temperatures. It is also known that land …
Pedogenesis and carbon sequestration in transformed agricultural soils of Sicily
2021
The increasing atmospheric CO2 concentration is a consequence of human activities leading to severe environmental deteriorations. Techniques are thus needed to sequester and reduce atmospheric carbon. One of the proposed techniques is the transformation or construction of new soils into which more organic carbon can be sequestered and CO2 be consumed by increased weathering. By using a chronosequence of new and transformed soils on crushed limestone (0–48 years) in a Mediterranean area (Sicily), we tried to quantify the amount of organic carbon that could be additionally sequestered and to derive the corresponding rates. A further aim was to trace chemical weathering and related CO2 consump…
Synchronie entre l'offre et la demande dans le cycle des nutriments: apprendre des écosystèmes naturels pour construire des agrosystèmes durables
2023
Redesigning agrosystems with more ecological regulations can help feed a growing population, preserve soils for future productivity and reduce environmental impacts. However, guidelines for redesigning agrosystems from natural systems are limited. Reviewing the last knowledge of ecosystem functioning, we outlined four ecological systems synchronizing the supply of soluble nutrients by soil biota to fluctuating plant nutrient demand. This synchrony limits deficiencies and excesses of soluble nutrient, which usually penalize both production and regulating services of agrosystems such as nutrient retention and soil carbon storage. We detail how ecological systems promoting synchrony can be ins…
How much can regional agri-environmental measures contribute to SOC stocking in the soils of Sicily?
2014
Soils have a great potential in stocking soil organic carbon SOC, but how much can human activities, and particularly agricultural ones, contribute to increase (or decrease) the SOC content? Which kind of agricultural practices are the most effective? From the soil database of Sicily we have selected 52 profiles, whose first 40 cm from the soil surface were analyzed for the SOC, of which 15 analyzed also for nitrogen N content, localized in the clayey hills and limestone marine terraces of the western Sicily, cultivated with grain crops and orchards (mainly olive groves and vineyards), surveyed and analyzed in a period from 1995 to 2008. By interviews to the farmers owners of those parcels,…
Cambio climático y sustentabilidad económica y social: implicaciones sobre el bienestar social
2008
This article puts forward an explanation of climate change within the context of global change. Climate change can be seen as the spearhead; as a manifestation of the increasing unsustainability of planet Earth. We consider some of the effects of this change, examining its uneven impact on developed and under-developed countries. We then put forward various proposals of how to deal with climate change, highlighting Socolow’s theory in particular. Lastly, we move on to the debate raised by climate change, its impact and possible strategic steps to remedy the situation within the context of environmental sustainability. This will probably lead to a new economic, social and environmental parad…
Response of Soil Microbial Communities to Iron-Porphyrin Catalytic Amendments.
2010
Intensive agricultural practices strongly increase CO2 emission from soil. Synthetic metal-porphyrins were shown to significantly decreased CO2 emission from soil due to an in-situ catalysis of oxidative polymerization of soil organic matter. This research aimed to assess the effects of iron-porphyrin (POR) amendments on soil microbial communities in three arable soils under wheat and maize cropping located in Naples, Turin and Piacenza, characterized by different pedological and climatic conditions. Bulk-soil and rhizo-soil were sampled during 4 years and the microbial groups directly involved in organic matter (OM) mineralization and in key processes of the nitrogen cycle were examined. M…
Effect of iron-porphyrin treatment on soil microbial communities
2009
Intensive agricultural management have led to an increasing transfer of carbon from soil organic matter (SOM) to atmospheric CO2. It is noteworthy that the flux of CO2 from the soil is ten times greater than fossil fuel emission from industrial and automotive activities. Piccolo and co-workers (1999) suggested that hydrophobic humic components in soil exerted hydrophobic protection towards easily degradable compounds. They postulated that associations of apolar molecules deriving from plant degradation and microbial activity incorporate more polar molecules, thus preventing their otherwise rapid microbial degradation and enhancing their persistence in soil. Moreover, synthetic metal-porphyr…
Effect of agricultural practices on soil microbial communities
2008
Soil carbon sequestration is an important and immediate sink for removing atmospheric carbon dioxide and slowing global warming. Agricultural practices strongly impact CO2 emission from the soil and the loss of soil organic matter is lower when “no-till” agriculture is practiced. The present work was performed in order to investigate effects of different agricultural practices on soil microbial communities. Field experiments took place at three Italian locations strongly differing in pedological, chemical and climatic characteristics: Naples, Turin and Piacenza. Soils were subjected to four management practices such as traditional (TRA), minimum tillage (MIN) and amendments with compost (CO…