Climate Change and Terrestrial Carbon Sequestration in Central Asia

Bringing together current knowledge of terrestrial C sequestration in Central Asia, this book covers biophysical environments, water resources, sustainable agriculture, soil degradation, the effects of irrigation schemes on secondary salinization, soil management and its relationship to carbon dynamics; the relationship between forest management and carbon dynamics, economic analyses of land use practices, issues in using GIS, remote sensing, and carbon budgeting and scaling. It will be of interest to a wide variety of environmental scientists, economists and those interested in policy issues for the sustainable management of natural resources.

This book brings together current knowledge of terrestrial C sequestration in Central Asia. The themes treated include: biophysical environments, water resources, sustainable agriculture, soil degradation, the effects of irrigation schemes on secondary salinization, soil management and its relationship to carbon dynamics; the relationship between forest management and carbon dynamics, economic analyses of land use practices, important methodological issues arising from the use of GIS, remote sensing, carbon budgeting and scaling, and a review of the knowledge gaps in carbon and climate change. The book is a reference source for soil, water, vegetation, climate, land use and management in the region. The book will be of interest to a wide variety of environmental scientists, economists and those interested in policy issues for the sustainable management of natural resources.

A. Biophysical Environment B. Water Resources of Central Asia C. Agricultural and Soil and Environmental Degradation D. Soil Management and Carbon Dynamics E. Forest Management and Carbon Dynamics F. Economic Analysis G. Methodological and Technological Challenges H. Research and Development Priorities

Rattan Lal is a professor of Soil Physics and director of the Carbon Management and Sequestration Center at The Ohio State University. He earned his B.Sc degree from Punjab Agricultural University, his M.Sc degree from Indian Agricultural Research Institute, and his Ph.D. degree from The Ohio State University. His research focuses on soil processes and carbon dynamics, and soil erosion and productivity. Dr. Lal is the President of the Soil Science Society of American, and a member of the U.S. National Committee of Soil Science of the National Academy of Sciences. He is a Fellow of the ASA, SWCS, and AAAS.Mekhlis Suleimenov is Doctor of Agricultural Sciences, Professor, Full Member of Academy of Sciences, Kazakhstan. He has extensive experience in agronomy and cropping systems with emphasis on crop rotations, cultural practices and conservation tillage in dryland agriculture, currently Consultant to ICARDA’s Regional Program on Central Asia and the Caucasus. Dr. B.A. Stewart is a Distinguished Professor of Agriculture, and Director of the Dryland Agriculture Institute at West Texas A&M University, Canyon, TX. Prior to joining West Texas A&M University in 1993, he was Director of the USDA Conservation and Production Research Laboratory, Bushland, TX. Dr. Stewart is a past president of the Soil Science Society of America.Dr. Hansen currently serves as Associate Dean and Director for International Programs in the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences at The Ohio State University. He has worked on issues of rural and institutional development for over 30 years. In recent decades he has worked on issues of climate change, soil and water management and remediation of natural resource degradation.Paul Doraiswamy is a senior scientist at the Agricultural Research Service of the United States Department of Agriculture at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center in Marylan