Dossier
Climate and soils
The soil and the way we use it can play an important role in reducing the effects of climate change. Greenhouse gases like CO2 and N2O are stored in the soil, a natural process that helps reduce the amount of these gases in the atmosphere. Research into such complex soil processes is a very important step towards improving soil management and use. WUR is leading the way in this soil research.
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After the oceans, the soil is the largest store of carbon, one of the building blocks of CO2. Plants and trees absorb CO2 from the atmosphere and use the sun to convert it into oxygen and plant biomass such as roots and leaves through photosynthesis. Some of the carbon captured by plants is quickly absorbed by the soil when it leaks from plant roots or is actively excreted and forms a source of food for soil organisms. Most of the carbon in the soil is produced by dead plant matter and the excrement of organisms that live off plants. This organic matter consists of nitrogen and many other compounds (in addition to carbon), but in a form that plants cannot absorb as food. Soil organisms play a crucial role here, particularly the microorganisms that live off these compounds and break them down. These organisms release CO2 (soil respiration) and also nutrients that plants can use.
In natural systems, organic matter decomposes slower than new matter builds up, so that carbon derived from CO2 is stored in the soil. The soil can retain this carbon for thousands of years. When the soil is disturbed, for example due to tillage or draining of wet areas (such as peat bogs), the organic matter is exposed to oxygen which accelerates the process of decomposition by microorganisms.
Clay particles also play an important role in the retention of carbon in the soil. The formation of microstructures results in carbon storage because organic matter is attached to mineral soil particles in such a way that it cannot be used by microorganisms. Disturbing the soil causes some of these structures to be broken down and this makes the organic matter accessible to microorganisms again. A soil structure that has slowly developed over centuries can hence lose its carbon storage function in a very short period of time.
Improving the soil for the climate
The soil’s ability to capture carbon depends on the quantity and types of plants and organic matter, the amount of input and type of organic matter, the oxygen and water balance, water and soil organisms, and the type of land use. WUR combines fundamental and applied knowledge to find integrated and unique solutions for sustainable soil management.
Our research focuses on climate mitigation – making optimal use of the soil and crops to capture greenhouse gases (CO2 and N2O) – and climate adaptation, which involves developing soils that are resistant to the effects of climate change such as salinization, erosion and extreme drought.
Examples of our research projects
- Recovering degraded land through soil restoration
- More efficient photosynthesis to increase carbon sequestration and crop yields
- Improving our understanding of the important effects of interaction between plants and microorganisms in the C and N cycle
- Plant breeding; developing crops that are more resistant to the effects of climate change
- New cultivation systems such as strip cultivation
News on climate and soils
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Inauguration Gerard Velthof: ‘Stop manure, nitrogen and climate policies working against each other’
- As a farmer, how should you manage your soil in the labyrinth of environmental policy? Gerard Velthof will focus on this question in his inaugural lecture on Thursday 30 May 2024. He has been Special Professor of Soil Nutrient and Carbon Management at Wageningen University & Research since December last year. -
Soil carbon sequestration in grazing systems does not lead to net-zero
- Solely relying on soil carbon sequestration in grasslands to offset the warming effect of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from current ruminant systems is not feasible. That is the main conclusion of research of Wageningen University & Research (WUR) published in the scientific journal Nature Communications. -
Coastal river deltas threatened by more than climate change
- Worldwide, coastal river deltas are home to more than half a billion people, supporting fisheries, agriculture, cities, and fertile ecosystems. In a unique study covering 49 deltas globally, researchers from Lund University, Utrecht University and Wageningen University & Research have identified the most critical risks to deltas in the future. The research shows that deltas face multiple risks, and that population growth and poor environmental governance might pose bigger threats than climate change to the sustainability of Asian and African deltas, in particular. -
Achievable climate goal for Dutch mineral agricultural soils
- Carbon sequestration in mineral agricultural soils, aiming to contribute to the climate issue while sustainably managing agricultural soils, is it possible? After five years of research in the ‘Smart Land Use’ research program, an assessment has been made. Conclusion: the climate goal of an additional 0.5 Megatons of CO2 sequestration in mineral agricultural soils is theoretically achievable. The condition is that measures contributing to this goal are applied sufficiently and skilfully by agricultural entrepreneurs. -
Why soil carbon sequestration is overrated
- Increasing the carbon content of agricultural soils is promoted by several international policy initiatives (like the UN, the EU & the IPPC) as a win-win action for both climate change mitigation and food security. Researchers of Wageningen University & Research (WUR) and a colleague from PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency show that such a win-win is the exception, not the rule, as a benefit for the one often leads to a loss for the other. Recently, they published their findings in a perspective paper in Global Change Biology. -
Soil: the foundation of life
- In a special issue of Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences, international researchers champion the role of soil as an essential foundation of society. Nature provides services that contribute to human prosperity, health and wellbeing, and these are known as ecosystem services, or Nature’s Contributions to People (NCPs). The special issue emphasises how soils make positive contributions to all 18 of the services defined as NCPs, as well as to the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. Wageningen researchers Gerlinde De Deyn (Soil Biology) and Lammert Kooistra (Laboratory of Geo-information Science and Remote Sensing) have contributed to the special issue with an article on the role of soils in creating, maintaining and restoring habitats. -
Researchers map how trees, fungi and bacteria collaborate on nutrient exchange worldwide
- In and around the tangled roots of the forest floor, fungi and bacteria grow with trees. They collaborate on exchanging nutrients for carbon. A new effort to map the most abundant of these symbiotic relationships, involving more than 1.1 million forest sites and 28,000 tree species, has revealed which climate, soil, and decomposition factors determine where different types of symbionts will flourish. This study, published in the scientific journal Nature, helps scientists to understand how symbiotic partnerships structure the world’s forests and how they could be affected by a warming climate.
Projects on climate and soils
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More videos
- Soils and climates by the Soil Science Society of America
- Soil Solutions to Climate Problems by the Center for Food Safety