Environmental and topographic relationships with C storage and change and modeling approaches can also be applied when available. Remote sensing and other geographical information are valuable in appropriately representing areas in these spatially aggregated estimation methods. Accurate science-based methods are available for monitoring and verifying changes in soil C. Codifying a set of methods into protocols that can be used to account for C sequestration in public agreements or private trading contracts needs refinement and testing. The level of precision and effort required will vary with the purposes for which the measurements are applied. Since relatively small amounts of C sequestered in soils could significantly reduce the rate of increase of atmospheric CO 2 and effectively buy time until low-cost methods for reducing CO 2 emissions are available, there will be considerable pressure to increase the reliability and precision of monitoring soil organic C changes on even shorter time scales.
Scientists are very interested in participating in the development of soil C monitoring protocols.
However, in order to contribute to the development of these monitoring mechanisms, they need to know the economic and policy rules under which these mechanisms are anticipated to operate. Current and future technologies for monitoring soil carbon. Monitoring and verifying soil organic carbon sequestration. Proceeding of the St. Michaels Workshop, December 1998. Battelle Press .