Is Agricultural Soil Erosion Really a Cause of Global Warming?

Al Gore made a documentary about global warming, and cows are even playing a part in global warming. There are many studies and debates currently about what is causing global warming and what is affecting it the most. There are also many ideas of how to decrease the emissions into the atmosphere by means of prevention and production.

Recently, there has been some debate about the effect agricultural soil erosion is having on global warming. It was originally believed that carbon emissions caused by soil erosion were a contributing factor to the problem of global warming. This idea was challenged with controversy by those who believed that agricultural soil erosion may be helping to remove carbon emissions from the atmosphere thus helping slow down the process of global warming.

Global warming is an extreme change in climate that is caused by the emission of carbon and other greenhouse gases. The gases emitted cause heat from the sun to be trapped inside the Earth's atmosphere. This is causing a drastic change of climate to occur; serious environmental changes are occurring quicker than formerly believed, and this is causing the polar ice caps to melt and water levels to rise.

Global warming may be a serious threat, and measures to decrease the rate in which greenhouse gases are being released into the air are being taken, and methods of removing emissions from the atmosphere are being taken as well. A recent study has shown evidence that might determine that agricultural soil erosion is not really releasing as much carbon as previously anticipated.

Tests have shown that carbon might actually be re-emitted into the soil by means of erosion, and the carbon from plant matter decomposing in the soil (Daily Science, 2007). The study measured the net amounts of carbon emitted into the atmosphere and the net amount of carbon being deposit into the soil.

The study indicates that the amounts of carbon being released into the atmosphere due to soil erosion are not as extreme as believed, but the amounts of carbon being deposited into the soil was not that extreme either. Soil erosion is not one of the biggest threats in the conflict of global warming, and the amount of carbons being taken out of the atmosphere and mixed into the soil was dramatically less beneficial than previously thought.

Global warming is an effect of increased greenhouse gases. What is truly causing it is still under much discussion, but I am curious to see what will come of these extreme environmental changes.

Reference:
Daily Science. (2007). Agricultural Soil Erosion Not Contributing to Global Warming. Retrieved October 26, 2007, from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071025143317.htm