ABSTRACT: The soil system stores twice as much carbon as the atmosphere and all the world’s vegetation combined. The exchange of greenhouse gases between the soil and the atmosphere controls the composition of the earth’s climate.  Over the last two centuries, human actions have increased the flux of greenhouse gases from soil to the atmosphere. Recent studies highlight soil management's role in reversing the increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere by implementing climate-smart land management practices. This presentation will discuss the fundamental mechanisms by which the soil system controls the earth’s climate and the potential of different land management practices to bend the curve of increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
In addition, Dr. Berhe will discuss her career trajectory from being a professor to leading one of the largest science funding agencies in the nation, infusing the perspective of an earth system scientist into science policy.