New Study Is First Step in Predicting Carbon Emissions in Agriculture

For the first time, researchers at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities (UMN) and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) have demonstrated that it is possible to provide accurate, high-resolution predictions of carbon cycles in agroecosystems, which could help mitigate the impacts of climate change.

The study by scholars from the UMN-led National Artificial Intelligence Institute for Climate-Land Interactions, Mitigation, Adaptation, Tradeoffs and Economy (AI-CLIMATE) and UIUC-led Agroecosystem Sustainability Center was recently published in Nature Communications, a peer-reviewed, open access, scientific journal.

The study’s findings are a critical first step in developing a credible Measurement, Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MMRV) of agricultural emissions that can be used to incentivize the implementation of climate smart practices while boosting rural economies. This follows the national strategy, set by the White House, highlighting the need to quantify greenhouse gas emission across sectors with a goal of net-zero emissions by no later than 2050.

Source: ENN