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CO2 – H20 & Climate Change
Are you worried about climate change? Have you considered healing the patch of soil you control to help mitigate our earth’s natural processes?
When we started this series of posts on soil carbon we looked at how carbon flows through air, plants, animals, soil and water, always in flux. Revisiting the concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the earth’s atmosphere we quickly realize that CO2 makes up a small fraction of the air we breathe. Actually a very small part of the air volume. CO2 is currently around 425 parts per million (ppm). Do you realize that means CO2 makes up less than 1 percent of 1 percent of the atmosphere? CO2 = 0.0425 % of the atmosphere.
Climate impact – Water vapor or Carbon dioxide?
When it comes to climate impact, scientist Walter Jehne explains that water drives “95% of the heat dynamics of the blue planet” we call earth. Our atmosphere does an important job of trapping heat that radiates from the earth, known as the greenhouse effect. With H20 vapor (on average) at 10,000 ppm versus CO2 at 425 ppm in our atmosphere, it makes sense that water would have a larger effect on global heat dynamics than carbon dioxide. In addition, Jehne notes a molecule of water can absorb 8 times the heat compared to a molecule of carbon dioxide.
So if you are worried about climate change, a heating planet or a cooling planet, Jehne argues we need to look at maintaining a healthy water cycle.
Soil carbon, soil water & the climate link
Through our previous soil carbon discussion posts we have explained that our soils have suffered from a loss of carbon over the past 150 years. Again, this carbon is not lost from our closed earth system, it is currently cycling elsewhere such as in the air and oceans. The degradation of soils has depleted the ability of our land to absorb, store and filter water. Even though, soil water accounts for a very small fraction of all water on earth, soil degradation has a large impact on the water cycle. If the water cycle has the largest impact on our climate heat dynamics, it makes sense we can help mitigate climate extremes by rebuilding what Jehne refers to as the “soil carbon sponge”.
Healthy soils with soil carbon reserves can hold (sponge) water at a higher rate than degraded soils. Some of this extra water holding capacity is due to the added carbon but most of the increased water capacity of the soil is due to improved soil health. Let’s look at two soils and how they handle water:
Unhealthy vs Healthier Soil and Soil Water
The soil pictured above on the left is currently cropped while the soil on the right has been converted back to pasture. Key comparisons concerning soil water:
| Unhealthy Soil | Healthier Soil |
| Soil surface crusting, water runs off (contributing to flood and drought) | Soil surface porous, water infiltrates, storing water for timely release mitigating floods and drought |
| Compacted layers, water infiltration is poor, limited to matrix flow | Vertical soil fractures, water infiltrates well by matrix and preferential flow |
| Old root channels collapsed/closed by tillage, poor infiltration | Water flows into soil through open old root channels |
| Lack of worm burrows/tunnels | Water flows into soil through worm burrows/tunnels |
| Higher Bulk Density, less pores space to hold water | Lower Bulk Density, more pore space to hold water |
| Lower soil carbon | Higher soil carbon (sponge) |
All of the key points for improved water infiltration and water holding capacity of healthy soils mitigate both flooding and drought. Here is a quote from Jehne and his thoughts on soils and the water cycle:
“CO2 drawdown is essential because we need to rebuild organic matter in soils in order to have the soil carbon sponge that supports the water cycle. But the only way we can safely and naturally cool the planet and prevent the climate catastrophe is by restoring these hydrological processes. … that’s climatology 101. But in a sense it is new, because we’ve been focused on reducing CO2 emissions for so long.“
Walter Jehne, Soil Microbiologist & Climate Scientist
(https://www.ecofarmingdaily.com/supporting-the-soil-carbon-sponge/)
Here is an interesting quote from the USDA Yearbook of Agriculture, 1941, CLIMATE and MAN. It seems that carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has been part of the climate discussion for years, note also the recognition of water vapor:
“Much has been written about varying amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere as a possible cause of glacial periods. The theory received a fatal blow when it was realized that carbon dioxide is very selective as to the wave lengths of radiant energy it will absorb, filtering out only such waves as even very minute quantities of water vapor dispose of anyway. No probable increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide could materially affect either the amount of insolation reaching the surface or the amount of terrestrial radiation lost to space.“
Climate Change Through the Ages, Richard Joel Russell, Yearbook of Ag, 1941, CLIMATE and MAN.
Climate changes numerous variables…
NASA was able to isolate the exact wave lengths that CO2 effects and conclude that CO2 is a major factor in the greenhouse effect. But it does seem to get complex when trying to account for all climate variables:
| Atmosphere | Earth Angle On Axis | Earth Rotation |
| Sun & other planets | Radiation in, out and around | Convective circulation |
| Albedo effect | Water\Carbon\other cycles | Hemispheric circulation cells |
Maybe with all these variables, that is why folks say, “if you don’t like the weather wait a minute, it will change.” We are dealing with numerous cycles all wrapped up into one big WHOLE called EARTH. If we tinker with one part of one cycle there will be responses that ripple through all others.
Stressing over climate change?
Let’s not stress over climate change. Let’s do what we can with what we have control over.
If you have influence over a piece of land consider how you can be a good steward of that land resource. At DS Family Farm we will keep working with known principles, regenerative agriculture principles, to improve our soil carbon sponge.
- Keep the soil covered
- Maintain a living root in the soil year round
- Encourage plant diversity
- Appropriate soil disturbance
- Planned animal impact
Obviously purchasing local food that is raised using regenerative ag principles is a great choice to reduce your environmental impact. We vote for what kind of future we want with each bite we take.
Health soils = healthy plants = healthy animals = healthy Humans living on a healthy earth.
What are your thoughts on Climate Change?
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Update: 02/26/2020. Shortly after writing about the importance of water in the climate change discussion, Joel Salatin of Polyface Farms had a couple related blog posts on the same topic. Joel’s blog links below:
