According to researchers at the University of Western Australia (UWA), in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture and Food WA (DAFWA), Western Australia’s surface soils are storing as much carbon as they are able.
In fact, in agricultural regions in the southwest of Western Australia, the soil, usually between 0-10 cm, stores as much carbon as possible, given the current climate.
Experts are finding that increased carbon in soil may offset greenhouse gas emissions while simultaneously making the soil more fertile… all of this a direct result of more sophisticated carbon management practices.
Experts have also discovered that deeper soils, between 10 and 30 cm below ground might even be able to store double the amount of carbon.
Researchers at UWA have undertaken a new project that aims to determine the potential of emerging and existing carbon management practices. This work is being funded by Australian Government’s Carbon Farming Futures – Filling the Research Gap Program.
Ultimately, the researchers hope to give farmers various options to work around limitations to carbon storage in WA soils used for agriculture. They are determining if soil carbon at a great depth can be increased by claying, liming, or ploughing, or spading.
