Measuring and Monitoring Soil Carbon - Soil Carbon: Science, Management and Policy for Multiple Benefits - page 192

Table 16.2. Summary of soil monitoring networks and sample design. (From van Wesemael et al ., 2011.)

Belgium Germany Mexico New Zealand Sweden USA Australia Brazil Canada China

Objective National

SOC
monitoring

National
SOC
monitoring

National
SOC
monitoring

National
SOC
monitoring

National
SOC
monitoring

National
SOC
monitoring

Baseline
SOC for
land use/soil
combinations

SOC response
to land use/
management
change

SOC response
to land use/
management
change

Regional
SOC
monitoring

Region
covered

Cropland and
grassland
in southern
Belgium

Cropland
and
grazing
land

Forest and
non-forest
land in
particular
pasture and
shrubs

All regions
and land
uses

Cropland
~ 3 Mha

Cropland
and
grazing
land in
the USA

Cropland and
grazing land b

Rodônia and
Mato Grosso

No-till sites in
Saskatchewan
province

North-east
( 120 sites),
north (241),
east (356),
south (119),
north-
west (148),
south-
west (97)

Starting
date

National Soil
Survey
1950-1970;
resampled
2004-2007

November
2010

Started in
2003; each
year 1/ 5 of
the sites
will be
resampled

National soils
database
from 1938.
Land use
and carbon
analysis
system
(LUCAS)
started in
1996 a

Full scale in
1995,
some
data from
1988

Planned July 2009 2007 1997 78% started

before 1985
and 87.5%
continued
until at
least 1996

Site density
(km² per
site)

18 km² 64 km² 78 km² 202 km² 10 km² Croplands:

438 km²;
grazing
lands:
1040 km²

Total number
of locations
is not known
at this time.

N/A N/A N/A

Site
selection

Stratified Grid Grid Stratified Grid Stratified Stratified Stratified Stratified Stratified