A key player in efforts to mitigate climate change is right under our feet. Soil holds about three times as much organic carbon as the atmosphere, which means that making strategic changes to how soil systems are used could play a major role in combating climate change. The implications of past and future management changes affect soil organic carbon stocks globally can now be visualized with the Soils Revealed interactive platform.

The online tool provides a dynamic way of displaying and comparing areas with the greatest potential to increase soil organic carbon and advance food security, soil health and climate. Containing carbon underground in soil prevents further carbon emissions, removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and supplies ecosystem services to farmers. Users can model how soil organic carbon has fluctuated over the last 11,000 years and project future carbon-storing capacity based on scenarios issued by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Soils Revealed is intended to help policymakers and nongovernmental organizations meet regional and national climate goals by pinpointing key areas for soil restoration and for implementing land management practices that limit greenhouse gas emissions.

Researchers from The Nature Conservancy, Cornell University, Woodwell Climate Research Center and the International Soil Reference and Information Center collaborated in the development of Soils Revealed.

The online tool visualizes soil carbon stock changes over time. Source: Soils Revealed