The Soil Carbon Solutions Center offers scientifically validated tools and expertise for accurate soil carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas emission quantification. They develop standardized methodologies and advanced analytical techniques to support the scaling of climate-smart agriculture and credible carbon markets.
Funding
Funding not disclosed
Founders
Product
Problem
The agricultural sector faces challenges in accurately quantifying soil carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, hindering the development and scaling of credible climate solutions. Inconsistent methodologies for soil sampling, processing, and analysis lead to variability in data, undermining trust in carbon accounting and the effectiveness of incentive programs.
Solution
The Soil Carbon Solutions Center provides scientifically rigorous tools and expertise to advance soil-based climate solutions. They develop and validate methodologies for precise soil carbon quantification and GHG emission assessment, enabling the accurate measurement of climate impacts. Through research, tool development, and implementation support, the center facilitates the scaling of sustainable agricultural practices that enhance soil health and carbon drawdown. Their work aims to bridge the gap between scientific understanding and practical application, supporting the development of robust carbon markets and climate-smart agriculture.
Target Audience
Primary customers include agricultural producers, carbon market entities, corporate sustainability offices, policymakers, researchers, and academic institutions seeking to improve the accuracy and credibility of soil carbon sequestration and GHG emission assessments.
Features
- Development and validation of standardized methodologies for soil sampling, processing, and laboratory analysis to ensure accurate soil organic carbon (SOC) quantification.
- Research into advanced analytical techniques, including elemental analysis (EA), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and pressure transducer methods for precise soil carbon and inorganic carbon (SIC) measurement.
- Creation and dissemination of ecosystem models, such as DayCent and MEMS, for simulating carbon and nutrient cycling and predicting GHG emissions from various agricultural systems.
- Provision of comprehensive training programs, including the Carbon Finance Bootcamp and DayCent model training, to upskill professionals in soil carbon accounting and climate-smart agriculture.
- Curation of extensive datasets and resources, including external databases and data products, to support modeling, biogeochemistry research, and data wrangling.
- Facilitation of the Ecosystem Modeling and Data Consortium, offering shared access to models and data for rigorous soil carbon and GHG accounting.
- Research projects focused on quantifying carbon drawdown capacity, optimizing incentive structures for adoption of climate-smart practices, and understanding soil biogeochemistry.