Carbon sequestration and reclamation of severely degraded soils in Iceland.

Abstract

SUMMARY Iceland has extensive deserts and barren patches in spite of it’s humid environment. The soils of the deserts are sandy Andisols, with limited sources of macro-nutrients and low water holding capacity. Andisols have a general tendency to immobilize carbon, and undisturbed, fully vegetated Andisols in Iceland often contain >40 kg C m ‐2 , often to more than 1.5 m depth. The difference between soils of barren areas, with 50 yrs. This number does not include sequestration in aboveground or belowground biomass, (0.01‐0.5 t ha ‐1 yr ‐1