In 2022, Kimberly A. Novick from the O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs in Indiana University—Bloomington and coauthors discussed opportunities for ecosystem observations to inform nature based carbon sequestration solutions (NbCS).
The study "outline[s] steps for creating robust NbCS assessments at both local to regional scales that are informed by ecosystem-scale observations, and which consider concurrent biophysical impacts, future climate feedbacks, and the need for equitable and inclusive NbCS implementation strategies."
The study envisions the creation of "gold-standard datasets" that represent a full suite of carbon stock and flux measurements, including NbCS "treatments", baseline controls, and information about historical land use. The sources of the datasets include flux tower, survey, remote sensing, and models.
Opportunities:
(1) Flux tower data with limited spatial fingerprint may be combined with broader tree survey data.
(2) We do not have spatially explicit maps of cropland NbCS mitigation potentials, and do not know where climate conditions may favor or disfavor the use of cover crops to enhance carbon uptake.
(3) Coastal sequestration in tidal wetlands and seagrass are promising opportunities (~25 Tg CO2e year-1). Flux towers can be used to analyze the impacts of optimizing NbCS in carbon uptake and sequestration.
(4) Next-generation remote sensing measurements include solar-induced fluorescence, column-averaged atmospheric CO2, instruments for sensing ecosystem water stress (ECOSTRESS), microwave data on canopy water content. Some of these are at scales that match individual farms. There are also drone-mounted instruments. These can be merged with flux tower data following past approach like machine learning, but for a specific region to produce more accurate regional baseline maps.
(5) Reduce uncertainty in ecosystem models. Price in the uncertainty into market systems. How does high resolution simulations improve results. Model-data assimulation for near term ecological forecasting and landscape scale model-data fusion.
(6) NbCS projects modify local water and energy cycles, which makes it necessary to consider potential negative consequences in these that consistitute trade-offs with the global climate benefit.
(7) Design and validation of new market structures and inclusivity of solutions.
Case study
(1) The benefit-cost trade off of establishing a flux tower site for monitoring NbCS project is calculated.
(2) A conceptual diagram for combining tree intentory, soil cares, static chambers, flux tower, and remote sensing to create project carbon grids for monitoring purpose.
