“The beauty of book chapters stems from the fact that they are often written by experienced authors who make an effort to summarize their expertise in a given area in a way, which is accessible to students and―ideally―policy makers. The editor indeed took great care that all aspects of carbon sequestration are considered. In summary, we do not hesitate to call this book a true soil carbon sequestration bible. We highly recommend the book to students, researchers at any stage of their career as well as governmental and non-governmental organizations working on climate mitigation and related topics. We trust that the knowledge contained in this book will make a much-needed difference regarding global soil carbon status not only from a climate point of view, but also for the benefit of soil health in general.” (Dr Else K. Bünemann, FiBL, Switzerland – Book Review Published in Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems)
Soils are known to be an enormous reservoir of carbon and represent an important and dynamic part of the global carbon cycle. However, this reservoir is under constant threat due to a combination of issues, including mismanagement, climate change and intensive agricultural production which has led to depletion of soil organic carbon.
Understanding and fostering soil carbon sequestration reviews the wealth of research on important aspects of soil carbon sequestration, including its potential in mitigating and adapting to climate change and improving global food security. The collection explores our understanding of carbon sequestration in soils, detailing the mechanisms and abiotic factors that can affect the process, as well as the socioeconomic, legal and policy issues that can arise as a result of this use.
In its extensive exploration of soil carbon cycling and capture, the book highlights how an informed understanding of carbon sequestration in a variety of soil types can contribute to achieving a more sustainable agriculture, as well as the methods which can be implemented by farmers to optimise the process of fostering carbon in soils.
Dr Cornelia Rumpel is Director of Research in the Institute of Ecology and Environmental Sciences at the French National Research Center (CNRS) located at Sorbonne University, where she leads a team investigating the fate of organic matter in natural and managed terrestrial ecosystems, including the mechanisms determining soil organic carbon sequestration. Her work deals with temperate and tropical environments and has contributed to the change of several paradigms in this important area. She is also working with industry and at the science policy interphase providing expertise in the areas of land management and climate change.
Dr Matthias Kuhnert is an environmental modeller, with a wide range of experience in using data from different scales. His recent focus was on simulations of greenhouse gas emissions and soil organic carbon changes in croplands, impacts of data aggregation on model results and the development of measuring, reporting and verification systems for soil organic carbon.
Dr. Alan Franzluebbers is a Research Ecologist with the USDA-Agricultural Research Service on the campus of North Carolina State University in Raleigh NC. He has more than 30 years of research experience starting with a master’s program in Nebraska, PhD in Texas, post-doctoral position in Alberta Canada, and as a full-time soil scientist in Georgia and now in North Carolina. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the American Forage and Grassland Council and served in the past on the Board of Directors for the Soil Science Society of America. He is a Fellow of the American Society of Agronomy and the Soil Science Society of America.
Lydie-Stella Koutika is a soil scientist working at Research Centre on Productivity and Sustainability of Industrial Plantations (CRDPI) at Pointe-Noire, Republic of the Congo. She is a member of Scientific and Technical Committee (STC) of the ‘4 per 1000’ “Soils for food security and climate Initiative” since 2016. She is a laureate of ‘African Union Kwame Nkrumah Regional Scientific Award for Women’ (2014) and The World Academy of Science (TWAS) -Al-Kharafi Prize (2018). She has published >45 peer-reviewed journal papers and some book chapters.
Dr Iñigo Virto is an Assistant Professor at the Universidad Pública de Navarra (UPNA), Spain. He teaches in the field of Soil Science, Earth Sciences and Environmental Sciences at UPNA, and teaches MA courses at Universitat de Lleida, Spain and at AgroParisTech and AgroCampus Ouest (France). Dr Virto is Associate Editor of the Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science and serves as Deputy Head for Internationalization at the College of Agricultural Engineering and Biosciences.
