The Potential of U.S. Cropland to Sequester Carbon and Mitigate the Greenhouse Effect 1St edition by John M. Kimble, Ronald F. Follett, C. Vernon Cole, Rattan La (1998) Hardcover

by Rattan Lal

This report assesses the potential of U.S. cropland to sequester carbon, concluding that properly applied soil restorative processes and best management practices can help mitigate the greenhouse effect by decreasing the emissions of greenhouse gases from U.S. agricultural activities and by making U.S. cropland a major sink for carbon sequestration. Topics · Describe the greenhouse processes and global tends in emissions as well as the three principal components of anthropogenic global warming potential · Present data on U.S. emissions and agriculture's related role · Examines the soil organic carbon (SOC) pool in soils of the U.S. and its loss due to cultivation · Provides a reference for the magnitude of carbon sequestration potential · Analyzes the primary processes governing greenhouse gas emission from the pedosphere · Establishes a link between SOC content and soil quality · Outlines strategies for mitigating emissions from U.S. cropland · Discusses soil erosion management · Assesses the potential of using cropland to create biomass for direct fuel to produce power · Details the potential for sequestering carbon by intensifying prime agricultural land The Potential of U.S. Cropland to Sequester Carbon and Mitigate the Greenhouse Effect provides an exceptional framework for the adoption of science-based management methods on U.S. cropland, encouraging appropriate agricultural practices for the sustainable use of our natural resources and the improvement of our nation's environment.

Hardcover

First published August 1, 1998

About the author

Rattan Lal, Ph.D., is a Distinguished University Professor of Soil Science and Director of the CFAES Rattan Lal Center for Carbon Management and Sequestration at The Ohio State University, as well as an Adjunct Professor of University of Iceland and the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), India.