Articles | Volume 11, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-11-17-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-11-17-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Original research article
| 
08 Jan 2025
Original research article |
| 08 Jan 2025
| 08 Jan 2025
Large errors in soil carbon measurements attributed to inconsistent sample processing
Rebecca J. Even
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
Megan B. Machmuller
Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
Soil Carbon Solutions Center, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
Jocelyn M. Lavallee
Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
Environmental Defense Fund, 257 Park Ave S, New York, NY 10010, USA
Tamara J. Zelikova
Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
Soil Carbon Solutions Center, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
M. Francesca Cotrufo
Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
Soil Carbon Solutions Center, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
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- Innovation in environmental sustainability: Carbon credits with proof of reserve on rural properties according to the standards of regulated markets M. Ferronato et al. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pclm.0000639
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- Reconciling historic and contemporary sampling of soil organic carbon stocks: Does sampling approach create systematic bias? S. McNally et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2025.117338
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- On-farm assessment of soil C response to regenerative management: integrating erosional processes into daycent E. Ellis et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2026.117761
- Rethinking local spectral modelling: From per-query refitting to model libraries L. Ramirez-Lopez et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aca.2026.345682
- Economic and environmental performance of soybean-based cropping systems in the US Midwest C. Freitas et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2025.104444
- Technology and mechanism of water-ethanol induced soil friability: Enabling rapid ED-XRF analysis Y. JIANG et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedsph.2026.02.015
- Glued forever: incomplete dispersion hampers POM-MAOM fractionation in soils with high SOC and metal (hydr)oxide content M. Breure et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2026.117704
- MRV systems for agricultural soil organic carbon in offset markets: methods, uncertainty, and policy W. Wu & B. Lin https://doi.org/10.1007/s11027-026-10327-z
- Coarse carbonate fragments (CCFs) and their contribution to the soil carbon stocks in the northern Great Plains, USA M. Batool et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2025.117568
- A scoping review of temperate food forestry research: key themes, methodological considerations and research priorities A. Roodhof et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-025-01411-5
27 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Effects of biochar and fertilizer application on greenhouse gas emissions and soil carbon sequestration potential under field conditions B. Tikuye et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scca.2026.100209
- Optimizing soil sampling effort for carbon and bulk density assessment in sugarcane fields of South-Central Brazil G. Popin et al. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0014479726100295
- Evaluating drying-induced biases in soil biochemical properties: sensitivity patterns and texture controls X. Qin et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2025.117544
- A multi model ensemble reveals net climate benefits from regenerative practices in US Midwest croplands B. Basso et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-08419-y
- OpenLandMap-soildb: global soil information at 30 m spatial resolution for 2000–2022+ based on spatiotemporal Machine Learning and harmonized legacy soil samples and observations T. Hengl et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-18-989-2026
- A paradigm shift for rhizosphere priming effects to unearth new potential for more sustainable plant production? J. Michel https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-026-02021-8
- Regional Variation of Water Extractable Carbon and Relationships with Climate Conditions and Land Use Types F. Zhang et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15112623
- Global meta-analysis of intertidal and subtidal soft-sediment macrofauna community and ecosystem function in estuaries G. Petersen et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2026.109969
- Innovation in environmental sustainability: Carbon credits with proof of reserve on rural properties according to the standards of regulated markets M. Ferronato et al. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pclm.0000639
- Indigenous fungi inoculation drives organic carbon accumulation and phosphorus transformation in coal gangue-based artificial soil: role of mineral-bioactivation H. Zhang et al. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2026.1758978
- Data errors in soil tests compromise large-scale assessment of soil organic matter in Korea J. Lee https://doi.org/10.1186/s13765-025-01055-0
- Reconciling historic and contemporary sampling of soil organic carbon stocks: Does sampling approach create systematic bias? S. McNally et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2025.117338
- Meta-analysis of source identification and apportionment in soil: A systematic review of analytical procedures, receptor modeling, and environmental applications I. Radelyuk et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jes.2026.01.077
- What if publication bias is the rule and net carbon loss from priming the exception? J. Michel et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-11-755-2025
- Organic and inorganic carbon stocks in seagrass sediments of Mauritius S. Ramah et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2026.181396
- Modeling Soil Organic Carbon Changes Using Signal‐To‐Noise Analysis: A Case Study Using European Soil Survey Datasets X. Tian et al. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.70813
- Choosing the appropriate methodology to monitor soil organic carbon (SOC) in croplands: aligning methods with evolving monitoring reporting verification (MRV) frameworks A. Ihasusta et al. https://doi.org/10.1080/17583004.2026.2638317
- Missing the input: the underrepresentation of plant physiology in global soil carbon research S. Raza et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-11-363-2025
- Interactions of Tillage and Fertilizers Drive Soil Organic Carbon Changes and Co 2 Emissions in Sandy Soils W. Banakinaou & T. Aoda https://doi.org/10.1080/00103624.2026.2663906
- On-farm assessment of soil C response to regenerative management: integrating erosional processes into daycent E. Ellis et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2026.117761
- Rethinking local spectral modelling: From per-query refitting to model libraries L. Ramirez-Lopez et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aca.2026.345682
- Economic and environmental performance of soybean-based cropping systems in the US Midwest C. Freitas et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2025.104444
- Technology and mechanism of water-ethanol induced soil friability: Enabling rapid ED-XRF analysis Y. JIANG et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedsph.2026.02.015
- Glued forever: incomplete dispersion hampers POM-MAOM fractionation in soils with high SOC and metal (hydr)oxide content M. Breure et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2026.117704
- MRV systems for agricultural soil organic carbon in offset markets: methods, uncertainty, and policy W. Wu & B. Lin https://doi.org/10.1007/s11027-026-10327-z
- Coarse carbonate fragments (CCFs) and their contribution to the soil carbon stocks in the northern Great Plains, USA M. Batool et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2025.117568
- A scoping review of temperate food forestry research: key themes, methodological considerations and research priorities A. Roodhof et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-025-01411-5
Saved (final revised paper)
Latest update: 08 Jun 2026
Short summary
We conducted a service soil laboratory comparison study and tested the individual effect of common sieving, grinding, drying, and quantification methods on total, inorganic, and organic soil carbon (C) measurements. We found that inter-lab variability is large and each soil processing step impacts C measurement accuracy and/or precision. Standardizing soil processing methods is needed to ensure C measurements are accurate and precise, especially for C credit allocation and model calibration.
We conducted a service soil laboratory comparison study and tested the individual effect of...
