Biological Soil Crust (BSC) generates a surprising 25% of the planet's naturally fixed nitrogen outside the oceans. TerraDerm technology seeds BSC on a terrestrial scale
TerraDerm is still in Development yet here's what we know:
- The availability of fixed nitrogen governs how fast plants can grow, as much as water
- Plant photosynthesis governs how fast carbon dioxide is absorbed from the atmosphere
- BSC is responsible for producing 80% of the fixed nitrogen for plant life on arid lands
- 40% of the earth's landmass is arid and supports almost 50% of agriculture and grazing
- Arid lands have a surprisingly large role in climate change and food production
Introduction to TerraDerm:
- Seeding of Large Areas with Biological Soil Crust Started Formulation (IEEE Published Paper)
- Seeding of Large Areas with Biological Soil Crust Started Formulation (Presentation Slide Deck)
Introduction to Biological Soil Crust:
Biological Soil Crust (BSC) Ecological Role:
- Effects of Soil Crust Disturbance
(Belnap Presentation)
- Ecological Role of Biological Soil Crusts (USGS Presentation)
- Cyanobacteria in Biological Soil Crusts of India (Tirkey Paper)
- USGS Recoverability and Vulnerability of Desert Ecosystems
(USGS Project Site)
- Impacts of Biological Soil Crust Disturbance and Composition on C and N Loss from Water Erosion (Barger Paper)
Contribution of BSC to the Global Carbon and Nitrogen Cycle:
- Have Desert Researchers Discovered a Hidden Loop in the Carbon Cycle? (Yan 2008 Research)
- Carbon sequestration in desert ecosystem (Schlesinger 2009 Paper)
- Contribution of cryptogamic covers to the global cycles of carbon and nitrogen
(Elbert 2012 ScienceDaily)
-
Directional climate change and potential reversal of desertification in arid and semiarid ecosystems
(Peters 2012 Paper)
Reseeding Technology, Research and Results:
- Feasibility of cyanobacterial inoculation for biological soil crusts formation in desert area (Wang Paper)
- Biological Soil Crust Rehabilitation in Theory and Practice: An Underexploited Opportunity
(Bowker Paper)
- Reseeding Soil using Cyanobacteria in China (2012 Video)
- Aerial Reforestation Technology (Illustration of proposed seedling delivery process)
- Dry Land Erosion Control using Photosynthetic Nitrogen-fixing Microorganisms (Flynn Patent)
- Supra-Cellular Ropes Enabled Filamentous Cyanobacteria to Colonize Highly Erodible Substrates
(Ferran Paper)
BSC and Desertification Information Resources:
- Global Dynamics of Dust (United Nations Environmental Program 2013)
- USGS Soil Crust
(Directory Site)
- Soil Erosion: a Food and Environmental Threat (Pimentel Paper)
- Desertification Dimensions (Wikipedia) (Wikipedia)
- United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification
(UNCCD Home Site)
Restoring Soils on a Global Scale