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SSS5.14 | Soil organic matter sequestration and greenhouse gas emissions mitigation
Soil organic matter sequestration and greenhouse gas emissions mitigation
Convener: Di Wu | Co-convener: Yue LiECSECS
Global warming is one of the most urgent environmental challenges of our time, driven predominantly by the excessive release of greenhouse gases (GHGs) such as carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), and nitrous oxide (N₂O). Human activities have been the primary contributors to the rise in GHG emissions, making the mitigation of these emissions through sustainable ecosystem management a critical strategy for achieving global climate targets. Soils, as the largest carbon reservoir in terrestrial ecosystems, play a pivotal role in this context. Even small changes in soil organic carbon (SOC) levels can lead to significant fluctuations in atmospheric CO₂, potentially intensifying climate change through positive feedback loops. However, the response of SOC to climate change remains one of the major uncertainties in predicting future climate scenarios. For instance, how SOC stability will respond to ongoing global warming is still poorly understood.
Furthermore, soil serves as both a source and a sink for N₂O and CH₄, with the magnitude and direction of these fluxes determined by the balance between production and consumption processes. To effectively mitigate global warming, it is essential to simultaneously promote soil organic matter sequestration and reduce GHG emissions. Yet, many strategies aimed at achieving these goals often produce unintended trade-offs, where addressing one issue exacerbates another. For example, agricultural practices intended to increase SOC storage, such as the application of organic matter and no-tillage farming, can inadvertently stimulate N₂O emissions by promoting denitrification processes. Therefore, future research must urgently focus on developing integrated strategies that account for these trade-offs, ensuring a balanced approach that optimizes both carbon sequestration and GHG emission reductions without triggering adverse side effects.