The climate is changing in response to the increase in the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. While the burning of fossil fuels has made a major contribution to the levels of carbon dioxide, soils have been responsible for part of this increase through the cultivation of native soils and through deforestation and biomass burning.
Natural wetlands and rice cultivation also produce methane and nitrogen fertilizer in agriculture contributes to nitrous oxide. At the same time, soils have the potential to store carbon, in grassland and forest soils, and particularly in peatland soils, through the removal of carbon dioxide during photosynthesis. Soils themselves may respond to climate change, leading to both positive and negative feedback effects.
For these reasons, we are concerned with assessing the role of soils in Scotland in climate change: