Soil monitoring 'could tell us about global warming'

Scientists looking to predict the effects of global warming might get a clearer picture through soil monitoring, it has been suggested.

The University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC) is conducting a study into how the molecular structure of organic matter in soil could be altered by changes in the climate.

Science Daily reports that the scientists found that soil contains over double the amount of carbon that the atmosphere does.

"Through our research, we've sought to determine what soils are made up of at the molecular level and whether this composition will change in a warmer world," said Myrna J Simpson, principal investigator and associate professor of environmental chemistry at UTSC.

Scientists have been relatively unaware of the molecular composition of soil prior to the publication of the results in the Nature Geoscience journal.

Earlier this month, a soil monitoring study by Cornell University revealed that in warm air conditions, some soils may not release as much carbon dioxide as previously thought.