Researchers have used machine learning and georeferenced soil profiles to map stabilized soil organic carbon across the globe. The study estimates that 1,304 petagrams of carbon are stored in the upper one meter of soil, with high concentrations found in wetlands and cold temperate regions. The findings introduce the concept of soil negative carbon potential to measure stabilization efficiency. Improving this metric can lead to lower greenhouse gas emissions and better economic outcomes for land management with minimal impact on crop yields.
