On organic soil carbon and CO 2

Abstract

Cultivation of virgin lands released about 150 x 10’’ kg of carbon as CO, to the atmosphere during the last 100 years, at rates of 1 to 2 x lo1,kg/yr. These rates exceeded the CO, evolved from fossil fuel combustion until the mid-1960s. Soil organic carbon, in organic and mineral soils, may play a considerablerole in the CO, cycle and in controlling the CO, concentration of the atmosphere.