Biochar is highly stable in soils, and lasts centuries-millennia as Terra
Preta.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biochar
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terra_preta
I understand it also bulks up the soil, trapping '3rd party' carbon.

I am unsure whether this either affects the hydrological properties of the
soil, or promotes forest regrowth.  If either were the case, it could have
the cloud-inducing effects discussed.  This effect could be highly
significant and I hope someone expert can consider it.

A

2009/4/12 dsw_s <[email protected]>

>
> But wouldn't the carbon in the biochar get returned to the atmosphere
> fairly quickly if it were used that way?
>
> On Apr 11, 6:24 pm, Andrew Lockley <[email protected]> wrote:
> > It would be very interesting to see if biochar has a similar effect.  If
> > biochar could lock up carbon in soils, thicken soils, preserve and spread
> > forests and brighten clouds it would have benefits that could reasonably
> be
> > described as 'ginormous'.
> > I'd be interested to know if anyone in this group could explore these
> > effects and potentially look at doing a paper or a model run on them.
> >
> > A
> >
> > 2009/4/10 dsw_s <[email protected]>
> >
> >
> >
> > > That sounds a lot like how I imagine geoengineering can work.  A
> > > suggestion I've made is that materials like expanded vermiculite and
> > > perlite (basically rock popcorn) could be used to increase water
> > > retention in soil for both agricultural and climatic benefit.  The
> > > climate benefit includes CO2 removal by weathering, but the
> > > distribution could also be chosen to optimize cloud patterns.
> >
> > > On Apr 9, 11:50 am, Ray Taylor <[email protected]> wrote:
> > > > Hello all,
> >
> > > > I've been in consultation with a range of land-atmosphere
> > > > and cloud meteorologists, looking at scope for increasing
> > > > stratus and cumulo-nimbus over land in regions identified
> > > > in GLACE (nasa).
> >
> > > > Literature review available atwww.globalcoolers.net
> >
> > > > Focus is on West Africa and rainwater harvesting,
> > > > pilot studies plus 4 continents alliance-building.
> >
> > > > Anyone interested in collaborating?
> >
> > > > Ray Taylor
> >
> > > > ray [at] andy-taylor.org
> >
> >
> >
>

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