Scientists from Argonne and two Midwest universities used DOE’s Free-Air CO2 Enrichment (FACE) experiment to show that elevated CO2 levels increase the cycling of carbon and nitrogren in soil organic matter.
C and N in cPOM, fPOM, and MAOM fractions under ambient and elevated CO₂. Values are CO₂ by species interaction means, and error bars are ±1 SE.
In contrast, elevated O3 tended to have the opposite effect. Thus, the potential for long-term soil carbon sequestration could be limited in a world with elevated levels of atmospheric CO2.