Comparing Actual Soil C Changes with Changes Predicted by Modeling.

Field measurement of changes in sequestered soil C is a tedious, time-consuming, and costly process.  We used a data base of actual soil C changes in restored grasslands obtained by field sampling of seven areas across five states in the Prairie Pothole Region of the northern Great Plains between 2006 through 2008 to compare with results obtained with the CENTURY model for the same areas.  Issues regarding soil and climate parameterization for modeling will be discussed particularly dealing with adequate public data being available. In addition, differences observed between actual data and modeled data will be discussed.