Download What is the value of soil carbon in the Flint Hills region?

What is the value of soil carbon in the Flint Hills region?
Amber Brown¹, Tiffany Carter², Charles Rice²
¹Fort Valley State University, Fort Valley, Georgia 31030
²Department of Agronomy, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas 66506
Carbon is one of the most abundant elements, and holds many benefits. Some would even go as
far to say that it is invaluable. Soil organic carbon supports crop cultivation, climate change, the
survival of human life. Notwithstanding the many positive consequences of carbon, human
emissions of carbon dioxide contribute to global warming and climate change. By placing a
value on carbon, the number of carbon dioxide emissions can be significantly reduced. By
assigning this value to carbon, there will likely be an increase in global and national policies, and
awareness of how climate change works. The objective of this project was to place a monetary
value on soil carbon. This goal was achieved through calculating the nutrient values of nitrogen,
phosphorus, and sulfur, and also calculating a water value. The market value was also calculated
using the carbon offset value from the Alberta Climate Change.
Key Words: Soil Organic Carbon, Carbon, Climate Change, Monetary Carbon Value