Science Forums 2

[Michaelangelica]

TP in Australia
[quote]

Methods that significantly enhance carbon sequestration in soil include no-till farming, residue mulching, cover cropping, and crop rotation, all of which are more widely used in organic farming than in conventional farming. Conversion to pastureland, particularly with good management of grazing, can sequester even more carbon in the soil.

Terra preta, an anthropogenic, high-carbon soil, is also being investigated as a sequestration mechanism. By pyrolysing biomass, about half of its carbon can be reduced to charcoal, which can persist in the soil for centuries, and makes a useful soil amendment, especially in tropical soils (biochar or agrichar).

Controlled burns on far north Australian savannas can result in an overall carbon sink. One working example is the West Arnhem Fire Management Agreement, started to bring "strategic fire management across 28,000 km² of Western Arnhem Land". Deliberately starting controlled burns early in the dry season results in a mosaic of burnt and unburnt country which reduces the area of burning compared with stronger, late dry season fires.
In the early dry season there are higher moisture levels, cooler temperatures, and lighter wind than later in the dry season; fires tend to go out overnight. Early controlled burns also results in a smaller proportion of the grass and tree biomass being burnt..

MyEBike.biz :: - geosequestration

Interesting but very dense article. Like being hit over the head with an old word processor (typewriter)
Still, lots of good info on CO2 Sequestration.

An article with lots of similarities here
Tree-Nation :: Carbon dioxide sink - Tree-Blog

GEOECOLOGY ENERGY ORGANISATION [GEO] is a registered Public Charitable Trust formed by people who have been closely associated with the work of various Institutions involved in ENVIRONMENTAL, CLIMATE CHANGE, NATURAL AND HUMAN RESOURCES - AGRICULTURE, TERRA PRETA, WATER, ENERGY, SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOODS, DISASTER MITIGATION AND RESPONSE, and INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY.

www.e-geo.org - _uacct = "UA-1735770-3"; urchinTracker();

A US political Forum that needs some help (erich?)
Terra Preta - PoliticalGroove Forums

Tree hugger forums
View topic - Terra Preta- Amazonian dark soil : TreeHugger Forums

Blog about glomalin

As a glycoprotein, glomalin stores carbon in both its protein and carbohydrate (glucose or sugar) subunits. It permeates organic matter, binding it to silt, sand, and clay particles. Not only does glomalin contain 30 to 40 percent carbon, but it also forms clumps of soil granules called aggregates. These add structure to soil, and keep other stored soil carbon from escaping.

Glomalin is causing a complete reexamination of what makes up soil organic matter. It is increasingly being included in studies of carbon storage and soil quality.
. . .
What interests me about all of this is the potential of the kind of biological matrix to reclaim nutrients that would otherwise wash right off fields and out of barn stalls straight into our rivers.
Would it be possible to grow soil this way instead of river algae?
If it is then there may be a way to take carbon out of our atmosphere, build soil, clean up agriculture and restore oxygen to our bodies of water by using nothing more than some charred wood and some fungus spores. Seen in this way the terra preta glomalin idea could be seen as a a kind of Roald Dahl magical sponge taking the crap out of our world and converting it into gold. Now that would be alchemy.

Since Terra Preta was popular… I bring you Glomalin Tokyo Babylon

A blog with an idea of using ashipping container as a charcoal maker.

Getting the job done - Biochar on the modern farm

Getting the job done on the modern farm is a challenge that needs to be confronted on a capital sensitive basis. A good analysis of the problems facing us comes from Tom Miles over at the Terra Preta website in links. I have also posted one of his posts today and the reader can get a taste of the current debate by visiting the Terra preta link.

Global Warming: Getting the job done - Biochar on the modern farm