When it comes to carbon storage, trees get a lot of attention. But researchers are now finding carbon trapped in unusual places, including ancient landslides.
Scientists at the University of Oregon co-led a study modeling how much carbon is stored in landslides along the Oregon Coast. There are nearly 10,000 landslides across the region, ranging in age from 4 to 480,000 years old. It turns out that these mixtures of rock and soil hold onto much more carbon than scientists initially thought.
The findings could help other researchers understand how mountainous areas mitigate climate change by keeping carbon out of the atmosphere. And that understanding could inform carbon markets, in which businesses earn financial incentives by conserving areas that hold onto or absorb carbon…