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The organic carbon content of soil influences the amount of greenhouse gases evaporated. It is essential to monitor its quantity to make timely decisions on soil management and ensure sustainable development. RUDN University ecologists measured soil organic carbon in an African oasis, showing that with proper management, the soil can retain carbon and prevent it from evaporating as greenhouse gases.
“Soil organic carbon is a critical component of food security and climate change mitigation through carbon sequestration. Land use changes have significantly contributed to global warming through carbon dioxide emissions. To reduce the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, it is possible to retain carbon in terrestrial ecosystems,” said Dmitry Kucher, Ph.D., Head of the Scientific Center for Research, Integrated Design and Development of Urban and Agricultural Sciences at RUDN University.
Ecologists collected 45 soil samples from depths of up to 30 centimeters in the Fayoum oasis in Egypt, southwest of Cairo. It is a tectonic depression 43 meters deep below sea level. Much of the oasis grows grain, cotton, and other crops. The samples studied by RUDN University ecologists were taken from areas with different soil structures and types of land use.
The average concentration of organic carbon on cultivated land was 32 tons per hectare, and on non-cultivated land, it was 6.5 tons. The least carbon was found in sandy soil, and the most in clay and loam. Fruit crops retain the most carbon.
RUDN University ecologists concluded that by improving soil cultivation and watering, as well as selecting suitable crops, we can increase the amount of carbon “locked” in the soil and thereby reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Environmentalists have calculated that we can reduce emissions by 414,233 tons of carbon dioxide.
“We confirmed the hypothesis that carbon sequestration capacity is influenced by soil texture and type of use. As a result, carbon dioxide emissions depend on this. A beneficial reduction in the volume of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere can be influenced by an increase in the area of arable land due to reclamation. Areas with high levels of organic carbon can be used to sequester this element. Fruit trees, which absorb a significant amount of carbon, also have great potential,” said Dmitry Kucher, Ph.D., head of the Scientific Center for Research, Integrated Design and Development of Urban and Rural Agriculture.
