By NOEL MURPHY
SOIL carbon levels in the Surf Coast and Otways are up to eight times the national average, according to the CSIRO.
The CSIRO’s new map of Australia’s stored soil carbon shows rates of up to 230 tonnes of carbon per hectare through the Otways compared to the national average of 29.7 tonnes in the first 30cm of soil.
Researcher Dr Raphael Viscarra Rossel said the CSIRO now had a reliable benchmark to plot the impact of changes in land cover, climate, land management and greenhouse gas offset activities on soil carbon stocks and associated carbon dioxide (CO2) removal from the atmosphere.
The region hosted some of the largest soil organic carbon stores in the country, he said.
“These larger stocks … tend to coincide with southern states and regions fringing the coastlines, where wetter and cooler conditions produce more vegetation growth with slower decomposition and loss of carbon dioxide”
Co-researcher Dr Jeff Baldock said the the high carbon content of the local soil could enhance farming productivity, inhibit releases of CO2 into the atmosphere and “help boost the capture of carbon”.
“It offers a double benefit of increasing productivity and increasing the flow of carbon back into soil,” Dr Baldrock said.
