![]() ![]() The scientific literature to evaluate diverse scenarios for increasing C storage is currently limited. Achieving those increases will vary according to the new land use and management practices, net emissions of GHGs associated with additional management activities, and land use policies. On average, the soil and above-ground parts of trees hold the major portions, roughly 60% and 30% respectively, of the total C stored in a forest the rest is mostly in forest litter (9%) and understory vegetation (1%) (Birdsey, 1992).Īccording to the IPCC (2000), potential increases in C storage may occur in agricultural and forest lands via (1) improved management within a land use, (2) conversion to a land use with higher C stocks, or (3) increased C storage in harvested products. The total amount sequestered in each part varies greatly depending on the region, type and age of the forest, the quality of the site, and land use history. In a forest ecosystem, C sequestration occurs in four components of the system: soil, trees, forest floor, and understory vegetation. What are the major pools of sequestered carbon in agricultural and forest lands? Improved management of forests and agricultural lands could provide an effective tool to help stabilize atmospheric GHGs. Florida’'s forest cover declined 36% between 19 (although it still covers 43% of the 34.3 million land acres) during the same period, crop and pasture lands increased by 22% (USDA/ERS, 2006). Over the coming decades, Florida forestry and agriculture could significantly offset and reduce the projected emission increases in the state. The use of biomass and biofuels to replace CO 2 emitting petroleum based fuels as energy sources has great potential for mitigating GHG emissions in the southeastern United States (EPA 2005). Methane emissions from enteric fermentation and manure management represented about 23% and 7% of total CH 4 emissions from anthropogenic activities, respectively. In 2006, CH 4 and N 2O were the primary greenhouse gases emitted by agricultural activities. In contrast, the agriculture sector is a net emitter of GHGs (EPA 2008). Between 19, total land use, land-use change, and forestry net C flux resulted in a 20% increase in CO 2 sequestration, primarily due to an increase in the rate of net C accumulation in forest C stocks, particularly in aboveground and belowground tree biomass. Over 84% of this net sink occurs on forest lands. ![]() CO 2 emissions, or 12.5% of total greenhouse gas emissions. This represents an offset of approximately 14.8 percent of total U.S. GHG Inventory 2006 (EPA 2008), land use, land-use change, and forestry activities comprise a net sequestration of 883.7 million metric tons (mmt) of CO 2-Eq. In most cases, atmospheric CO 2 removal through C sequestration exceeds CO 2 emissions from these land-use types, particularly from forests. When forests, croplands, and grazing lands sequester C, they are referred to as C “sinks".įorest and agricultural lands have received considerable attention as potential C sinks. Examples include planting or preserving trees, altering crop production practices, planting vegetation in areas prone to soil erosion, and changing the way grazing lands are managed. Biological sequestration encompasses various ways of using agricultural and forest land to enhance the natural storage of atmospheric CO 2. Thus current discussions are focused on biological methods for sequestering C.īiological C sequestration transfers C (from CO 2) in the atmosphere to biomass through photosynthesis and ultimately stores it in plants (foliage, wood, and roots) and soils. Geological sequestration, which has a fairly large technological potential, has not yet been demonstrated on a scale anticipated to mitigate CO 2 emissions. Carbon sequestration involves "removing C from the atmosphere and depositing it in a reservoir" (UNFCCC 2006).Ĭarbon can be sequestered in two major ways: biological and geological. ![]() Options for achieving this goal include reducing future emissions as well as sequestering CO 2 that has already accumulated. ![]() It is widely believed that reducing the atmospheric concentration of CO 2 could reduce future climate-related damage and would be more beneficial than costly. Environment & Pollution :: Carbon Sequestration ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |