The response of soil science to global climate change

There exists an enormous potential to sequester C in soils of agricultural ecosystems to curtail the rate of enrichment of CO2 concentration in the atmosphere. About 25 to 75% of the soil organic carbon (SOC) pool in agricultural ecosystems has been lost due to land misuse and soil mismanagement. Conversion to an appropriate land use and adoption of recommended agricultural practices can facilitate regaining the lost organic C in the soil. This strategy requires conducting feasibility studies towards identification of ecoregions and soils with large potential for C sequestration. It also is important to broaden the scope of soil science and reach out to other disciplines for developing interdisciplinary programs. In addition, it is imperative that processes and properties affecting soil C pool and fluxes be understood and the data bank on pedon level improved. With the new paradigm, soil science has a major role to play in addressing two principal challenges of the 21st century: achieving global food security and mitigating the accelerated greenhouse effect.