Project: Organic and inorganic carbon dynamics in calcareous soils

Acronym	SIC-SOC-DYN (Reference Number: 111)
Duration	01/04/2022 - 31/03/2025
Project Topic	Soil is the largest continental carbon (C sink and contributes to the global C cycle. Two thirds of soil C is organic (Soil organic carbon, SOC. SOC results from the balance between captured atmospheric CO2 (via photosynthesis and the incorporation of litter decomposition products, and the CO2 emissions, via the respiration of roots and heterotrophic microorganisms. SOC plays a key role in the physical, chemical, and biological properties of soils. Understanding its dynamics is a major challenge for maintaining soil fertility while participating in the storage of C. However, one third of soil C is inorganic (Soil Inorganic Carbon SIC. SIC consists of lithogenic, or petrogenic, (primary carbonate inherited from the bedrock and pedogenic (secondary carbonate precipitated in the soil. Because SIC pools are generally considered more stable and less impacted by human activities than SOC pools, the SIC dynamics are of less interest in the short-term. Moreover, analytical difficulties in studying SOC and SIC separately have impeded knowledge on the dynamics of SOC in carbonate soils. The C stocks of these soils, even though they cover one third of the Earth's surface, are given little consideration in the global C balance. Although interactions between SIC and SOC pools have been described in the short-term, they are poorly understood. Isotopic analyses have shown that carbonate soils emit CO2 from both C pools. There is also an inherited or neoformed origin of SIC, as organisms (bacteria, roots, fungi have the ability to precipitate biominerals from metabolic pathways of organic matter transformation. Our project proposes the study of both SOC and SIC contents, quality and dynamics in various contexts. The main objectives are to propose innovative analytical tools and to acquire knowledge on the C balance in carbonate soils according to their use and management.
Network	EJP SOIL
Call	1st EJP SOIL external call for proposals

Project partner

Number	Name	Role	Country
1	Institut de Recherche pour le Développement	Coordinator	France
2	University of Milan	Partner	Hungary
3	Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada	Partner	Canada
4	Geographical Institute, Research Centre for Astronomy and Earth Sciences	Partner	Italy
5	IFPEN	Partner	France