Harris News Service

Soil scientist digs into climate change research

By Sarah Kessinger
Harris News Service
Kansas State University soil scientist Chuck Rice thinks farms offer the "win-win" way to start mitigating the atmosphere's overload of carbon dioxide.
By using no-till methods, where farmers plant seed without plowing up fields, farms could keep carbon from escaping as soils are turned over.

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They then could sell "credits" earned by preventing carbon releases while also retaining moisture trapped in the soils. Companies that emit large amounts of CO2 could purchase the credits.
Carbon trading markets have just begun to develop in the United States.
Rice touts the environmental benefits as well.
" With less tillage, proper fertility would build up organic matter in the soils," said Rice. "The nice thing about that process is you're helping the environment while also improving the quality of soils."
The scientist joined several others from around the world recently to release a report on environmental remediation as part of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Rice notes that less tillage also requires less fuel.
But no-till's still not widespread in Kansas.
Across the United States, about 25 to 30 percent of soils are under no-till practices. But Rice noted it's actually closer to 12 to 15 percent on an ongoing basis, because the practice is not continuous.
Using perennial grasses as a source for bio-fuels, rather than planting corn or sorghum on an annual basis, could also reduce carbon emissions, he said.
Farms also can play a role in reducing other greenhouse gases produced in agriculture:
Methane reduction is possible through waste management of livestock facilities, Rice noted.
Methane is about 23 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than CO2.
Nitrous Oxide, used in fertilizer, is the other gas of concern for agriculture.
" It's almost 300 times more potent," Rice said, "so better fertilizer management can help with that."
Most people would agree the planet is warming, he said, and that it is highly linked to human activity.
The question for soil scientists, he said, is what will happen to precipitation as a result.
" The models show Kansas dryer, warmer or the same. It's really uncertain."
Work on the intergovernmental panel, Rice said, made him more aware of global issues.
"I hope people view at least our chapter," he said. "It fairly represents the science. I think hopefully it will provide some options to mitigate greenhouse gases."
The longer people wait to respond to climate change, he said, the more costly it will become.
"There are some real opportunities for agriculture."
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The report is available online at: www.ipcc.ch
05/18/07