Agricultural soil erosion and global carbon cycle: controversy over?

Abstract

Abstract Recent research on the contribution of soil erosion on agricultural land to atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emphasizes either the contribution of soil organic matter (SOM) mineralization during transport as source for atmospheric CO 2 , or the deep burial of SOM‐rich sediment in agricultural landscapes as a sink. The contribution of either process is subject to a controversial debate. In this letter, we present preliminary results on our research on interrill carbon (C) erosion, SOM transport by rill erosion and the stationarity of C erosion during the Holocene. None of those issues has been incorporated comprehensively and with global coverage in the debate on the role of C erosion in the global C cycle. Therefore, we argue that only an eco‐geomorphologic perspective on organic C movement through landscapes can reconcile the two positions. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.