RSTCB
The Role of Soils in the Terrestrial Carbon Balance (RSTCB)

Completed

www.esf.org/esf_article.php?language=0&activity=1&domain=3&article=272&page=859

Type of Structure:	program
Regional Scope :	continental in the area: Europe
Parent Organisations :	esf
Child Organisations :
Duration :	2002 to 2007 COMPLETED
Contact Address :	Dr. Werner Kutsch Institut für Agrarrelevante Klimaforschung Johann Heinrich von Thünen-Institut Bundesallee 50 38116 Braunschweig Phone: +49 (0)531 596 25 69 FAX: +49 (0)531 596 26 99 e-Mail: werner.kutsch(at)vti.bund.de

holding an official function in RSTCB

Objectives of RSTCB:

- To increase confidence in soil carbon flux and stock change estimates to generate datasets that are reliable and consistent.
- To develop a new generation of models describing soil carbon dynamics.
- To investigate the effects of perturbation on soil carbon balance and the potential for mitigation of carbon missions.

Carbon stored in soils represents the largest terrestrial carbon pool.  Knowledge of the dynamics of this pool is essential if we are to understand the terrestrial carbon balance as a whole.  Without this knowledge we will be severely lacking in our understanding of the global carbon cycle, and we can have little hope of predicting what will be the impacts of climate change.  This Programme therefore aims to bring together soil carbon researchers to create a whole-Europe perspective on the role of soils in the terrestrial carbon balance.

For further details, link to the RSTCB Home Page

Last update: 2/19/04

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