Challenges in soil carbon modelling and measurement:  a decade of experimental data vs. RothC simulations in  an organic olive grove

Contreras, Francisco; Cayuela, María L.; Sánchez-García, María; Ronchin, Erika; Mondini, Claudio; Sánchez-Monedero, Miguel A.

doi:10.5194/soil-12-773-2026

Articles | Volume 12, issue 2

https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-12-773-2026

© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-12-773-2026

© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 12, issue 2

Original research article

|

27 Jul 2026

Original research article |

| 27 Jul 2026

Challenges in soil carbon modelling and measurement: a decade of experimental data vs. RothC simulations in an organic olive grove

Francisco Contreras, María L. Cayuela, María Sánchez-García, Erika Ronchin, Claudio Mondini, and Miguel A. Sánchez-Monedero

Supplement

https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-12-773-2026-supplement

Data sets

Data and code for "Challenges in Soil Carbon Modelling and Measurement: A Decade of Experimental Data vs. RothC Simulations in an Organic Olive Grove" Francisco Contreras et al. https://doi.org/10.20350/digitalCSIC/20835

Model code and software

Data and code for "Challenges in Soil Carbon Modelling and Measurement: A Decade of Experimental Data vs. RothC Simulations in an Organic Olive Grove" Francisco Contreras et al. https://doi.org/10.20350/digitalCSIC/20835

Short summary

Reliable estimates of soil carbon storage are essential for climate change mitigation and carbon credit schemes. This study compared long-term field measurements with carbon model based simulations in an olive grove amended with organic materials. Both approaches identified biochar as the most effective treatment, but differences between measured and simulated values remained. Integrating measurements and modelling can improve confidence in agricultural carbon accounting.