Greenhouse Gases
Soil plays significant roles in the cycling of three major greenhouse gases: carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. Land management practices that increase the amount of carbon (organic matter) stored in soil are reducing the amount of CO2 released to the atmosphere. Microorganisms in poorly aerated soils, such as in rice paddies or wetlands, produce methane as they decompose organic matter. Nitrous oxide is a product of denitrificationA process occurring naturally in soil, where bacteria break down nitrates to give nitrogen gas, which returns to the atmosphere. in soil. As well as being a greenhouse gas, nitrous oxide (N2O) depletes stratospheric ozone.
Value of Soil:
- Water quality
- Air quality
- Greenhouse gases
- Biodiversity
- Water flow and flood control
- Sustainability
- Aesthetics
Updated: September 19, 2011
This site is a collaboration between the
NRCS East National Technology Support Center, NRCS National Soil Survey Center, ARS National Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment,
NCERA-59 Scientists,
and Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
This site designed by the NRCS East National Technology Support Center.