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PREFERRED TERM

 

DEFINITION

  • Soil organic carbon (SOC) refers to the carbon held within the soil and is expressed as a percentage by weight (gC/Kg soil). Climatic shifts in temperature and precipitation have a major influence on the decomposition and amount of SOC stored within an ecosystem and that released into the atmosphere. Globally, the amount of carbon stored in soils is twice the amount that is stored in all terrestrial plants. Soil organic carbon (SOC) is essential for maintaining fertility, water retention, and plant production in terrestrial ecosystems. The amount of SOC stored within an ecosystem, is dependent on the quantity and quality of organic matter returned to the soil matrix, the soils ability to retain organic carbon (a function of texture and caption exchange capacity), and biotic influences of both temperature and precipitation. The global decline in SOC as a result of deforestation, shifting cultivation and arable cropping have made significant contributions to increased levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2).

    Created: 9/27/18

    (en)

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URI

http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_389fe908

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RDF/XML TURTLE JSON-LD Created 9/21/18, last modified 11/29/23