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Soil is a major carbon sink, absorbing huge amounts of the element as part of Earth’s natural carbon cycle. The carbon in soil takes both organic forms, such as decomposed plant and animal matter, and inorganic forms, such as carbon locked inside minerals. 

Organic soil carbon improves the fertility of the land, but many common farming practices reduce the amount of organic soil carbon, meaning that careful management is required to achieve the best crop production outcomes. Activities that release carbon dioxide from the soil also contribute to higher percentages of the heat-trapping gas in the atmosphere. 

NASA’s Earth satellites collect vast amounts of data about the planet’s carbon cycle and soil characteristics, including soil carbon measurements. These data products help researchers understand the complexities of soil carbon management, including in the areas of ecosystem health, atmospheric composition, and agriculture.

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The image above shows measurements of the boreal forest taken through a flux tower.
The Dirt on Carbon
The quiet forests of Canada may slowly be losing carbon, not from the trees themselves, but from the frozen soils underneath, where deep pools of carbon are locked within permafrost.
Screenshot of the Multi-Mission Algorithm and Analysis Platform dashboard.
MAAPing Aboveground Terrestrial Carbon
The Multi-Mission Algorithm and Analysis Platform provides the aboveground terrestrial carbon research community with airborne and space-based data that provides improved geographic coverage at better spatial resolutions.
Global maps showing aboveground and belowground biomass.
Mapping Carbon Beyond Forests: New Harmonized Global Maps of Above and Belowground Biomass Carbon
New maps combine remotely sensed biomass data for different land cover types into harmonized global maps of above and belowground biomass.
Discover and Visualize Soil Carbon Data
NASA data help us understand Earth's changing systems in more detail than ever before, and visualizations bring these data to life, making Earth science concepts accessible, beautiful, and impactful.
Data visualization is a powerful tool for analysis, trend and pattern recognition, and communication. Our resources help you find world-class data visualizations to complement and enhance your research. We also have tools and tutorials to help you translate soil carbon data into compelling visuals.
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The Soil Moisture Active-Passive platform's first global radiometer map.
The Soil Moisture Active-Passive platform produced its first global radiometer map in April 2015. This platform collects data on soil around the globe that allow scientists to calculate soil carbon levels. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/GSFC

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