Annual
changes in soil carbon stock are considered of the abandoned managed
agricultural lands that were under natural regrowth over the territory of Russia
within the period 1990-2002. Total area of abandoned agricultural land is 21,6
millions ha. The projections of changes in the carbon stock have been made for
the period from present to 2010. The ROTHC model was employed in the
investigation of carbon dynamics in soils. The territory of Russia
was subdivided into 40 regions. The average basic soil and climatic parameters,
as well as the annual input of organic matter into soils due to natural
succession were estimated for each region. Average annual net-emission over the
territory of abandoned lands was 2,1 ± 1,8 Tg C/yr in 1990-1999. CO2
removal from the atmosphere by soils was 5,2 ± 2,8 Tg C/yr on average in
2000-2002. A total increase in carbon stock of the abandoned lands over the
country can be as high as 153 Tg C (that corresponds to the removal of 561 Tg
of CO2 from the atmosphere) in 2010. Central regions of the European
part of Russia, south of
East Siberia and the Far East will have the
highest intensity of carbon sequestration.
Author: A.A. Romanovskaya (Aromanovskaya at comail dot ru)
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