Falklands : The potential for Carbon sequestration under improved pasture in the Falkland Islands
Submitted by Falkland Islands News Network (Juanita Brock) 20.08.2008 (Article Archived on 03.09.2008)
Oxford University student Charles Russ has recently spent three weeks in the Falkland Islands undertaking research for his Post Graduate Diploma in Geography.
Photo (c) Charles Russ - Unimproved and improved grassland at Saladero
The potential for Carbon sequestration under improved pasture in the Falkland Islands
Unimproved and improved grassland at Saladero
Oxford University student Charles Russ has recently spent three weeks in the Falkland Islands undertaking research for his Post Graduate Diploma in Geography. The title of Mr Russ’ dissertation is ‘The potential for carbon sequestration in Falkland’s soils following pasture improvement’. A member of Oxford University Officer Cadets Corps Mr Russ, though paying his way, was able to utilise MPC as a base during his research.
For those who are unsure, carbon sequestration is the process by which carbon sinks remove CO2 from the atmosphere. ‘Carbon sinks’ are reservoirs of carbon that increase in size, as opposed to carbon sources such as natural gas or oil reserves that can emit carbon. Soils can serve as carbon sinks and absorb harmful carbon from the atmosphere. It is estimated that the potential for carbon storage in the agricultural soils of EU-15 is in the order of 0.45 billion metric tons per year.
Paired Plots at Kingsford Valley
Changes in grassland management intended to increase productivity can lead to sequestration of substantial amounts of atmospheric carbon in soils. A recent literature review concluded that a variety of management practices including rotational grazing, sowing improved grass and legume species, and fertilization all promote carbon sequestration in grasslands. Carbon sequestration could therefore be an ancillary benefit of the FIG Department of Agriculture’s pasture improvement programme.
As part of his research, Mr Russ took soil samples from paired plots, whereby two proximate plots differing only in management were compared. Maintaining uniformity between plots is especially important for paired plot comparisons because soil characteristics can influence land use and land management decisions. Any differences in soil carbon pools between plots could therefore be attributed solely to management. Collecting comparative soil samples from unimproved or ‘set-stocked’ areas and areas that had been direct drilled with legumes or improved grass species was particularly important to obtain useful data.
Soil samples were collected from each horizon in the soil profile to a depth of 50 cm. Soil moisture, soil temperature and soil pH were also recorded at each sampling site. The samples were then stored, labelled, and taken back to the UK on a soil import licence for analysis at Oxford University Centre for the Environment labs.
Soil Core from Swan Inlet
This is as far as Mr Russ has got with his research at the moment, but he hopes to be able to hang up the lab coat and come back to the Falklands with some concrete results within the next couple of weeks. If the results show that improved grassland in the Falklands are a substantial potential carbon sink, then perhaps farmers could benefit financially from big carbon emitters looking to offset their CO2 emissions! Mr Russ promises to keep us posted!
|
