This animation shows the work cycle of biological carbon, driven by solar energy through photosynthesis. It is an energy graph, not a landscape.

The vertical position of your mouse pointer relative to the animation controls the rate of decay of complex carbon into simple carbon dioxide. Higher mouse positions mean that biological carbon stays longer in higher energy states. The spontaneous process of respiration or oxidation is slowed, and there is less low-energy carbon dioxide (in the atmosphere). Lower mouse positions will discourage the retention of carbon in complex compounds, as in biomass or organic matter, which means less potential energy to do work, less organic matter to retain and slow down water cycling, less biological productivity, and more atmospheric carbon.

Subtle shifts have significant long-term effects. Wait for the behavior of various positions to emerge.

Lower-energy states (lower mouse positions) are characteristic of degraded or desertified landscapes, where meager productivity is quickly oxidized, and the buildup of biomass does not occur. Low-carbon landscapes mean higher atmospheric carbon, and vice versa. Higher energy states (higher mouse positions) are characteristic of more productive landscapes, where there is abundance of organic matter.

In the terrestrial carbon cycle, carbon moves from the atmosphere, to vegetation via photosynthesis in the form of complex carbon compounds (plain C in the animation), to litter and soil when the plants or leaves die, and back to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide via decay, oxidation, or burning.

The approximate pools of carbon are indicated in gigatons (billion metric tons). These carbon pools are broad averages, and are proportional to the average residence time of carbon in them. The terrestrial carbon cycle is an emergent phenomenon, the sum of the metabolisms of countless self-motivated organisms, most of them microscopic.

Human management influences both the biomass pool and the soil pool, either shortening or lengthening the time that carbon spends in each. Human management of soil and vegetation thus has great leverage on the atmospheric pool.

Fossil fuel burning (not shown) also contributes carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, about a tenth of the total terrestrial circulation.

From a forthcoming animation on the carbon cycle. Figures are from Rattan Lal, Sequestration of atmospheric CO2 in global carbon pools, Energy and Environmental Science 1:86-100 (2008).

This is a preview of a forthcoming Flash animation about the carbon cycle and the work of the biosphere. It is an attempt to illustrate how alien the carbon cycle is to our understanding, which has typically been trained by our linear input-output systems and concepts of causation. And yet the carbon cycle is a background process to all life, and humans are increasingly influencing it.

However, change can happen, we can enhance the carbon cycle, and necessity is a powerful motivator.

The Soil Carbon Challenge, or World Carbon Cup, is an international prize competition to see how fast land managers can turn atmospheric carbon into soil organic matter. We're actively seeking partnerships and suggestions.

The Challenge is also an observatory, analogous to Keeling's observatory for atmospheric carbon concentrations on Mauna Loa which developed the iconic Keeling curve of rising atmospheric carbon dioxide since 1958. This "observatory" is dispersed over the world's soils, focusing on human management of the carbon cycle, via long-term monitoring of soil carbon.

Recognizing that the biological carbon cycle in a field or landscape has large variability over time, and that human decisions have an enormous impact on how this carbon cycle functions, let's seek out this variability, measure it accurately, and learn from it on a case-by-case basis.

Soil organic carbon has value above and beyond the needs of present or future carbon markets for offsets to fossil fuel consumption. The Challenge is not an offset market scheme, or a blueprint for particular strategies or practices. The greatest leverage (financial, social, and ecological) can be obtained through a monitored competition, where land managers (brought together by local groups) choose the strategies they will implement.

Scenario: One-page quick overview of what it's about.

Unscrambling the egg: Why we need a new policy model to deal with the "scrambled egg" of the biosphere.

Description of the prize competition; some background; why prize competitions can change the questions

Can policy build soil carbon?

The elevator discussion

A design draft

If you're still looking for more, try the links on the right hand side of the page.

The City of Wichita, Kansas is now paying farmers in one of its watershed areas $100 an acre to put in grass. This is an incentive handled by the Cheney Lake Watershed to improve water quality for the city by working with watershed landowners.

This is yet another example of local policy leadership on water cycling, and an example of ecosystem services payments where cost and benefit are nearby. The article quoted below is by Lisa French.

http://www.cheneylakewatershed.org/newsletter/2009-Summer.pdf

"Like most farmers, David Friesen has a few acres of cropland that are always difficult to farm. In David’s case, his field near the Ninnescah River has a tendency to stay wet. Getting a crop planted and harvesting the crop are both a challenge. With a new program offered by the Cheney Lake Watershed, David is going to be paid $100/acre to seed a little more than 5 acres to Eastern gamagrass for hay or grazing. As David says, “It looks like it’s a no-brainer.”

"The Cheney Lake Watershed is now offering one-time incentive payments of $100/acre, funded by the City of Wichita, for crop acres seeded to permanent vegetation. The species used depend on the producer’s goals, soil types, and site condition. Eligible land must have five years of cropping history and must be located within the watershed east of Highway 14. Land in this area is more likely to contribute sediment to Cheney Reservoir than other areas of the watershed.

Tim LaSalle at Rodale posted a nice piece in Treehugger pointing out the lack of performance criteria or monitoring in the US climate bill, and the high importance of monitoring.

"The best way to tell if a farmer’s fields are sequestering carbon is to measure annual changes in soil carbon."

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/07/waxman-markey-climate-bill-arent...

Cindy Dvergsten has a great piece on using sheep to maintain lawns.

Tony Lovell and Bruce Ward from Australia made a presentation about grassland carbon to the Manchester Report, a project of the Guardian newspaper in the UK. They report that it was enthusiastically received, and was new information to many.

The Manchester report is running a poll for the top 10 solutions to climate change. You can vote here before July 23, and no registration is necessary:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/poll/2009/jul/08/manchester-report...

see a piece of Tony's presentation here:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/jul/13/manchester-report-gras...

Frank Aragona of Agroinnovations.com interviewed me for a podcast earlier this month about policy and soil carbon. Thanks Frank for helping get the word out!