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Cited by 126Soil Carbon and Nitrogen DynamicsSoil erosion and sediment transportCO2 Sequestration and Geologic Interactions

Photosynthetic limits on carbon sequestration in croplands

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Janzen, H. Henry, van Groenigen, Kees Jan, Powlson, David S., Schwinghamer, Timothy, van Groenigen, Jan Willem·2022·Geoderma
DOI 10.1016/j.geoderma.2022.115810
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Abstract

How much C can be stored in agricultural soils worldwide to mitigate rising carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations, and at what cost? This question, because of its critical relevance to climate policy, has been a focus of soil science for decades. The amount of additional soil organic C (SOC) that could be stored has been estimated in various ways, most of which have taken the soil as the starting point: projecting how much of the SOC previously lost can be restored, for example, or calculating the cumulative effect of multiple soil management strategies. Here, we take a different approach, recognizing that photosynthesis, the source of C input to soil, represents the most fundamental constraint to C sequestration. We follow a simple “Fermi approach” to derive a rough but robust estimate by reducing our problem to a series of approximate relations that can be parameterized using data from the literature. We distinguish two forms of soil C: ‘ephemeral C’, denoting recently-applied plant-derived C that is quickly decayed to CO2, and ‘lingering C,’ which remains in the soil long enough to serve as a lasting repository for C derived from atmospheric CO2. First, we estimate global net C inputs into lingering SOC in croplands from net primary production, biomass removal by humans and short-term decomposition. Next, we estimate net additional C storage in cropland soils globally from the estimated C inputs, accounting also for decomposition of lingering SOC already present. Our results suggest a maximum C input rate into the lingering SOC pool of 0.44 Pg C yr−1, and a maximum net sequestration rate of 0.14 Pg C yr−1 – significantly less than most previous estimates, even allowing for acknowledged uncertainties. More importantly, we argue for a re-orientation in emphasis from soil processes towards a wider ecosystem perspective, starting with photosynthesis.

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  • Janzen et al. (2022) estimated a global SOC sequestration potential of around 0.52 Gt CO2 year-1, constrained by photosynthesis.

    “The authors estimated global photosynthetic C inputs and, from this, estimated a global SOC sequestration potential of around 0.52 Gt CO 2 year -1 .”

    From Carbon for soils, not soils for carbon (2023) · cites this paper as Janzen et al. (2022)

  • The most recent estimated initial SOC sequestration rate (0.52 Gt CO2 year-1 by Janzen et al., 2022) would suggest an insignificant contribution of between 0% and 1%.

    “The most recent estimated initial SOC sequestration rate (0.52 Gt CO 2 year -1 by Janzen et al., 2022) would suggest an insignificant contribution of between 0% and 1%.”

    From Carbon for soils, not soils for carbon (2023) · cites this paper as Janzen et al., 2022

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Janzen, H. H., van Groenigen, K. J., Powlson, D. S., Schwinghamer, T., & van Groenigen, J. W.
Affiliations
  • Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (CA)
  • Rothamsted Research (GB)
ORCID
Venue
Geoderma
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2022-06
Volume
416
Pages
115810
ISSN
0016-7061 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.geoderma.2022.115810
OpenAlex
W4220775462
Cited by
126
References
5
Citations by year
2026: 15 · 2025: 31 · 2024: 33 · 2023: 31 · 2022: 16
FWCI
15.58
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Geoderma (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Socio-Environmental Systems Modeling (acceptedVersion, cc-by)
  • Federal Open Science Repository of Canada / Le Dépôt fédéral de science ouverte du Canada (submittedVersion)
  • Rothamsted Repository (Rothamsted Repository) (submittedVersion)
  • Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • Open Research Exeter (University of Exeter) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Funders
  • UK Research and Innovation
  • Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Soil Science › Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Soil Science › Soil erosion and sediment transport
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Environmental Engineering › CO2 Sequestration and Geologic Interactions
Keywords
soil organic carbon sequestration, cropland, photosynthesis, net primary productivity, soil decomposition, climate change mitigation, agricultural soils

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