Researchers at the University of Minnesota’s College of Biological Science have published the findings of their research on how nutrient levels can affect long-term carbon storage in soil. Professors Eric Seabloom, Elizabeth Borer, Sarah Hobbie, and their coauthors, used data from a 40-year experience at the Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve in Minnesota to study the impact of nutrients on carbon storage in abandoned croplands.
Through their research, they found that adding nutrients such as nitrogen initially boosted soil carbon storage in previously tilled croplands and that these carbon gains persisted for decades even after fertilization and tilling stopped. Despite plant growth and species composition returning to normal, the soil continued to hold carbon as long as they remained undisturbed.
The findings suggest that abandoned farmland could play a lasting role in sequestering carbon while supporting ecological recovery.