Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration in Terrestrial Biomes of the United States

This book collates, reviews and synthesizes information on how soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks differ among major terrestrial biomes of the U.S.A. Information on soil inorganic carbon (SIC) stocks for different terrestrial biomes of the U.S.A. will also be presented. The book deliberates options for increasing SOC stocks and enhancing SOC sequestration in terrestrial biomes by soil and land-use management practices. It concludes with an overview of terrestrial biomes of the U.S.A. where targeted soil and land-use management practices may result in the greatest increases in SOC stocks and enhancements in SOC sequestration.

Klaus Lorenz, Ph.D., is Senior Research Associate and Assistant Director of the CFAES Rattan Lal Center for Carbon Management and Sequestration at The Ohio State University (OSU), Columbus, Ohio, USA. He is an experienced soil scientist with research interests in climate change, and the chemistry of soil organic carbon. His goal is to provide greater understanding of soil carbon protection and stabilization mechanisms to manage soils for climate change adaptation and mitigation, and for enhancing soil quality. He received a Diploma in Biology from University of Freiburg, Germany (1997), and a Ph.D. in Agricultural Sciences from University of Hohenheim, Germany (2001). He served as Chief Soil Scientist/Research Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies e.V. in Potsdam, Germany (2011-2014), and as Postdoctoral Researcher/Research Scientist/Senior Research Associate at OSU (2004 to date). He has written articles about the importance of the composition of soilorganic matter for carbon sequestration, the potential of the subsoil to store soil carbon inputs, and the role of soil organic carbon as an indicator for soil and land degradation in relation to the Sustainable Development Goals. He has previously written books about carbon sequestration in forest and in agricultural ecosystems, and co-edited books on recarbonization of the biosphere, and on ecosystem services and carbon sequestration in the biosphere.



​Rattan Lal, Ph.D., is a Distinguished University Professor of Soil Science and Director of the CFAES Rattan Lal Carbon Management and Sequestration Center at The Ohio State University, as well as an Adjunct Professor of University of Iceland and the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), India. He received a B.S. from Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, India (1963); M.S. from Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India (1965); and Ph.D. from the Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio (1968). He served as Sr. Research Fellow with the University of Sydney, Australia (1968-69), Soil Physicist at IITA, Ibadan, Nigeria (1970-87), and Professor of Soil Science at OSU (1987 to date). He has authored/co-authored over 1000 refereed journal articles and more than 550 book chapters, has written and edited/co-edited more than 100 books. He was included in the Thomson Reuters list of the World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds (2014-2016), and he is among Clarivate’s Highly Cited Researchers in Agriculture (2014-2020), as well as ranked #1 in Agronomy and Agriculture overall, #44 globally for the year 2019, and #110 globally for career from 1996-2019 among the top 2% of scientists by Stanford’s Ioannidis (2019, 2020). He has received an Honoris Causa degree from nine universities throughout Europe, USA and Asia; the Medal of Honor from UIMP, Santander, Spain (2018); the Distinguished Service Medal of IUSS (2018); and is fellow of the five professional societies.Dr. Lal has mentored 112 graduate students and 181 visiting scholars from around the world. He was President of the World Association of Soil and Water Conservation (1987-1990), International Soil and Tillage Research Organization (1988-1991), Soil Science Society of America (2006-2008), and the International Union of Soil Sciences (2017-2018). He is Chair in Soil Science and Goodwill Ambassador for Sustainability Issues for the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), and member of the 2021 United Nations Food Security Summit Science Committee and Action Track 3. Dr. Lal is laureate of the GCHERA World Agriculture Prize (2018), Glinka World Soil Prize (2018), Japan Prize (2019), U.S. Awasthi IFFCO Prize (2019), Arrell Global Food Innovation Award (2020), World Food Prize (2020), and Padma Shri Award (2021)