Soil Carbon Sequestration in Action: Mechanisms, Practices, and Innovations

Soil is one of the largest terrestrial carbon reservoirs and a key player in global climate mitigation strategies. Beyond its climate role, soil organic carbon is essential for improving nutrient retention, water holding capacity, and overall soil health. These properties enhance ecosystem functioning and agricultural productivity under both temperate and increasingly variable climatic conditions.

This Special Issue of the Spanish Journal of Soil Science seeks to explore the mechanisms, innovations, and critical limitations of soil carbon sequestration from a multidisciplinary perspective. We particularly invite contributions that examine:
• The linkages between carbon sequestration and improvements in soil nutrient and water retention
• The biogeochemical processes governing carbon dynamics
• A realistic assessment of soil carbon storage potential considering soil type, climate, land use, and saturation thresholds.

We encourage critical evaluations that address whether soil carbon sequestration can be scaled effectively, and under what environmental conditions it remains a viable long-term mitigation strategy.

Topics of interest include:
• Mechanisms of soil carbon stabilization: mineral associations, microbial necromass, aggregate formation
• Soil carbon's influence on nutrient cycling and water retention
• Modeling and measuring carbon saturation thresholds in different soil systems
• Biochar and organic amendments: impacts on biogeochemistry and sequestration efficiency
• Integrative approaches using isotopic, spectroscopic, and molecular tools
• Monitoring tools and long-term carbon accounting frameworks
• Case studies and meta-analyses across biomes and land uses
• Policy and financial incentives to enhance realistic soil carbon storage.

Article types and fees

This Special Issue accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Special Issue description:

• Brief Research Report
• Commentary
• Editorial
• Letter to the Editor
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Review

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Special Issue accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Special Issue description:

• Brief Research Report
• Commentary
• Editorial
• Letter to the Editor
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Review

Keywords: Biochar, Biogeochemistry, Carbon Sequestration, Microbial Necromass, Modeling, Nutrient Retention, Policy Incentives, Saturation Thresholds, Soil Health, Water Holding Capacity