Global Change and Terrestrial Ecosystems Soil Organic Matter Network, Rothamsted Research
Data Center Description
The GCTE SOMNET (Global Change and Terrestrial Ecosystems Soil
Organic Matter Network) is administrated at Rothamsted Research.
Soil organic matter (SOM) plays a central role in nutrient (N,
P, S, K) availability, soil stability and the flux of trace
greenhouse gases between land surface and the atmosphere. It
represents a major pool of carbon within the biosphere,
estimated at about 1400-1500 x 1015 g globally, roughly two to
three times that in atmospheric CO2 and acts as both a source
and a sink for carbon and nutrients. To facilitate scientific
progress in predicting the effects on SOM of changes in
land-use, agricultural practice and climate, the need for a
network of SOM modelers and long-term data holders was
recognized. To fulfill this scientific need, the global Soil
Organic Matter Network (SOMNET) was established during 1995
under one-year's funding as a Special Topic of NERC's TIGER
program.
Website: http://www.rothamsted.bbsrc.ac.uk/aen/somnet/index.htm
[Summary provided by Rothamsted Research, Global Change and
Terrestrial Ecosystems Soil Organic Matter Network.]
