Carbon balances in US croplands during the last two decades of the twentieth century

Abstract

Carbon (C) added to soil as organic matter in crop residues and carbon emitted to the atmosphere as CO2 in soil respiration are key determinants of the C balance in cropland ecosystems. We used complete and comprehensive county-level yields and area data to estimate and analyze the spatial and temporal variability of regional and national scale residue C inputs, net primary productivity (NPP), and C stocks in US croplands from 1982 to 1997. Annual residue C inputs were highest in the North Central and Central and Northern Plains regions that comprise *70% of US cropland. Average residue C inputs ranged from 1.8 (Delta States) to 3.0 (North Central region) Mg C ha-1 year-1, and average NPP ranged from 3.1 (Delta States) to 5.4 (Far West region) Mg C ha-1 year-1. ResidueCinputs tended to be inversely proportional to the mean growing season temperature. A quadratic relationship incorporating the growing season mean temperature and total precipitation closely predicted the variation in residue C inputs in the North Central region and Central and Northern Plains. We analyzed the soil C balance using the crop residue database and the Introductory Carbon Balance regional Model (ICBMr). Soil C stocks (0–20 cm) on permanent cropland ranged between 3.07 and 3.1 Pg during the study period, with an average increase of *4 Tg C year-1, during the 1990s. Interannual variability in soil C stocks ranged from 0 to 20 Tg C (across a mean C stock of 3.08 ± 0.01 Pg) during the study period; interannual variability in residue Cinputs varied between 1 and 43 Tg C (across a mean input of 220 ± 19 Tg). Such interannual variation has implications for national estimates of CO2 emissions from cropland soils needed for implementation of greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation strategies involving agriculture.