The dynamic impact of land-use changes on soil organic carbon
Abstract
This study examines the response of soil organic carbon (SOC) to land-use changes (LUCs) across Europe. Using field data from the LUCAS survey and satellite-based Corine Land Cover data, we find that SOC losses due to conversions to cropland are immediate (63% occurs within the first 1.5 years) whereas SOC accumulation following conversions from cropland to grassland or forest is more gradual (10–20 years) but still with a notable peak in the first 1.5 years. Our dynamic approach reveals a potentially much higher carbon sequestration from LUC (an indicative 572 MtC between 1990 and 2021) than reported by current national inventories (76 MtC), although both approaches come with substantial limitations. These findings suggest that conservative IPCC Tier 1 estimates may understate the mitigation potential of land-use policies. We provide ready-to-use, country-specific emission factors to improve the precision of national greenhouse gas inventories and to support compliance with public regulation, though further validation is needed for forest-related LUCs due to small sample sizes and the possible incorporation of forest litter into topsoil measurements.
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BibTeX
@article{diao2026dynamic,
title = {{The dynamic impact of land-use changes on soil organic carbon}},
author = {Liang Diao and Jean-Sauveur Ay and Valentin Bellassen},
journal = {Environmental Research Letters},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1088/1748-9326/ae9e50},
url = {https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-05749947v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - The dynamic impact of land-use changes on soil organic carbon
AU - Liang Diao
AU - Jean-Sauveur Ay
AU - Valentin Bellassen
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/11
JO - Environmental Research Letters
DO - 10.1088/1748-9326/ae9e50
UR - https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-05749947v1
AB - This study examines the response of soil organic carbon (SOC) to land-use changes (LUCs) across Europe. Using field data from the LUCAS survey and satellite-based Corine Land Cover data, we find that SOC losses due to conversions to cropland are immediate (63% occurs within the first 1.5 years) whereas SOC accumulation following conversions from cropland to grassland or forest is more gradual (10–20 years) but still with a notable peak in the first 1.5 years. Our dynamic approach reveals a potentially much higher carbon sequestration from LUC (an indicative 572 MtC between 1990 and 2021) than reported by current national inventories (76 MtC), although both approaches come with substantial limitations. These findings suggest that conservative IPCC Tier 1 estimates may understate the mitigation potential of land-use policies. We provide ready-to-use, country-specific emission factors to improve the precision of national greenhouse gas inventories and to support compliance with public regulation, though further validation is needed for forest-related LUCs due to small sample sizes and the possible incorporation of forest litter into topsoil measurements.
SN - 1748-9326
ER -