Carbon sequestration uncertainty: is grazing-induced soil organic carbon accrual offset by inorganic carbon loss?

Kurt O. Reinhart; Matthew J. Rinella; Richard C. Waterman; Hilaire S. Sanni Worogo; Lance T. Vermeire

doi:10.1071/RJ24006

RESEARCH ARTICLE (Open Access)

Next Contents Vol 46(2)

Carbon sequestration uncertainty: is grazing-induced soil organic carbon accrual offset by inorganic carbon loss?

Kurt O. Reinhart

^A ^* , Matthew J. Rinella ^A , Richard C. Waterman ^A , Hilaire S. Sanni Worogo ^B and Lance T. Vermeire ^A

+ Author Affiliations

- Author Affiliations

^A United States Department of Agriculture - Agricultural Research Service, Fort Keogh Livestock & Range Research Laboratory, 243 Fort Keogh Road, Miles City, MT, USA.

^B Laboratory of Ecology, Health and Animal Productions, University of Parakou, Parakou, Benin.

^* Correspondence to: kurt.reinhart@usda.gov

The Rangeland Journal 46, RJ24006 https://doi.org/10.1071/RJ24006

Submitted: 15 March 2024 Accepted: 16 July 2024 Published: 7 August 2024

© 2024 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of the Australian Rangeland Society. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY).

Abstract

In drylands, soil inorganic carbon (SIC) represents the largest terrestrial carbon sink, and observational studies indicate a negative relationship and possible trade-off between SIC (e.g. calcium carbonate [CaCO₃]) and soil organic carbon (SOC). Some rangeland managers aim to increase SOC stocks to help decarbonise the atmosphere. Unfortunately, the fate of SIC (and SOC) is uncertain, and grazing-induced SOC accrual may correspond with CaCO₃ dissolution, which can produce CO₂ emissions. An added concern is whether carbon sequestration schemes focused on SOC stocks need to be discounted for putative CO₂ emissions due to CaCO₃ dissolution. We used data from a 5-year grazing experiment in the Northern Great Plains of the US. We tested whether grazing management treatments affect SIC, and whether grazing-induced SOC accrual was potentially offset by SIC loss. The experiment had a randomised complete block design and pretreatment data. Response variables were SOC and SIC stocks (0–60 cm depth). Moderate summer grazing (control) is regionally common and treatments that may alter soil stocks included: no grazing, severe summer grazing, moderate autumn grazing, and severe autumn grazing. We also tested for a negative relationship between SOC and SIC across all soil cores (n = 244). Severe grazing (summer and autumn) increased SOC by 0.83 and 0.88 kg × m⁻² relative to moderate summer grazing, respectively. However, no treatments affected SIC. Conversely, we found an overall weak but significant (r² = 0.04, P = 0.002), near one-to-one negative relationship between SIC and SOC stocks of soil cores. Our findings suggest severe grazing can increase SOC without affecting SIC, at least over the short term (5 years). This finding mirrors results from an observational study elsewhere in the Northern Great Plains that also failed to detect grazing effects on SIC. Long-term grazing experiments (>5 years) with pretreatment data may be required to detect grazing effects on SIC.

Keywords: carbon dioxide removal, carbon ranching, dryland, grassland, livestock grazing, natural climate solution, soil carbon sequestration, soil inorganic carbon, soil organic carbon.

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