Is soil carbon being underestimated? Research shows 30% or more sits below 30cm

New findings from pilot farms suggest current soil carbon measurements could be missing a significant share stored deeper in the profile, raising questions for carbon accounting and farm policy

clock • 1 min read
AHDB analysis suggests that 30% or more of soil organic carbon stock sits below the 30cm depth.
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AHDB analysis suggests that 30% or more of soil organic carbon stock sits below the 30cm depth.

Soil carbon on UK farms could be significantly underestimated, with pilot data showing more than 30% of soil organic carbon (SOC) lies below the commonly measured 30cm depth. The AHDB finding has major...

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