Ronald Follett1, Hero Gollany2, Stephen Del Grosso3, Hillarius Kludze4, Dave Archer4, Paul C. Doraiswamy5, Bruce Kimball6, Jeffrey White7, and Yi Liang2. (1) USDA-ARS, Soil Plant Nutrient Research, Fort Collins, CO 80526-8119, (2) USDA-ARS, Columbia Plateau Conservation Research Center, PO Box 370, Pendleton, OR 97801, (3) USDA ARS NPA SPNR, 2150 Centre Ave, Building D, Suite 100, Fort Collins, CO 80526, (4) North Central Soil Conservation Research, 803 Iowa Avenue, Morris, MN 56267, (5) USDA/ARS/Hidrology and Remote Sensing Laboratory, 10300 Baltimore Avenue, Building 007, Room 104, BARC-West, Beltsville, MD 20705, (6) U.S. Water Conservation Laboratory, 21881 North Cardon Lane, Maricopa, AZ 85239, (7) US Water Conservation Lab, 21881 N. Cardon Lane, Maricopa, AZ 85239, United States of America
Global climate change is a natural process that currently appears to be strongly influenced by human activities which increase atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases (GHG) such as carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O). The GRACEnet (Greenhouse gas Reduction through Agricultural Carbon Enhancement network) represents a coordinated national effort by the Agricultural Research Service to provide information on the soil carbon (C) status and GHG emission of current agricultural practices and to develop new management practices to reduce net GHG emission and increase C sequestration primarily through soil management. An important product that is expected to result from the GRACEnet project is the development and evaluation of computer models created to assess management effects on net GHG emission. GRACEnet data bases will be developed and used to evaluate the adequacy of CQESTR, Century and Daycent, EPIC, and other models to better predict C sequestration and N2O and CH4 emissions that result from agricultural activities either regionally or nationally in the United States.