The words we choose to describe our research ultimately directs its course. A dominant term in soil science now, is ‘sequestration’, referring to the removal of carbon (C) from air and its irreversible seclusion in soil, ideally as stable soil organic carbon (SOC). An emerging view, however, now sees SOC as an inherently dynamic assemblage of forms, all potentially vulnerable to decay, with no discrete, measurable fraction holding C in ‘sequestered’ form. Rather than speaking of C ‘sequestration’, then, we might refer instead to SOC ‘stewardship’. This word, now, enfolds the entire spectrum of SOC, not merely some elusive ‘persistent’ or ‘stable’ fraction, perhaps redirecting inquiry; for example, does C need to be ‘sequestered’ in stable form for SOC to serve as effective repository of excess atmospheric CO2? ‘Stewardship’ explicitly accepts the relentless turnover of SOC, emphasizing the need to manage not only fixed stocks of C, but also the cyclical flows of C through ecosystems that drive their functions. Among other benefits, ‘stewardship’ might motivate us to consider all functions of SOC (not only climate mitigation), consider the entire C cycle (not only enhancing soil C), and preserve existing troves of SOC (not only augmenting them in selected places.) Perhaps most fundamentally, by its etymology, ‘stewardship’ poses a compelling, timeless question: for whom do we steward SOC? Asking why look after SOC, not only reflects our own underlying quest for resilience, but also expands our potential audience and entices the more creative minds that must succeed us. Although ‘stewardship’ may elicit new and fruitful inquiry, we may need to look for words even more evocative, more alluring, more true to our mandate of living well within the circling C that must always sustain us.

中文翻译：

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RUSSELL REVIEW 土壤碳管理：兜圈子思考


我们选择用来描述研究的词语最终会指导研究的进程。现在土壤科学中的一个主要术语是“封存”，指的是从空气中去除碳 （C） 及其在土壤中不可逆的隔离，理想情况下是稳定的土壤有机碳 （SOC）。然而，现在一种新兴的观点将 SOC 视为一种固有的动态形式集合，所有形式都可能容易腐烂，没有离散的、可测量的部分将 C 保持在“隔离”形式。因此，与其说 C“sequestration”，不如说 SOC 的“管理”。现在，这个词涵盖了 SOC 的整个范围，而不仅仅是一些难以捉摸的“持续”或“稳定”部分，也许会重定向调查;例如，C 是否需要以稳定的形式“封存”，以便 SOC 作为大气中过量 CO2 的有效储存库？“管理”明确接受了 SOC 的无情更替，强调不仅需要管理固定的碳库存，还需要管理碳在驱动其功能的生态系统中的周期性流动。除其他好处外，“管理”可能会促使我们考虑 SOC 的所有功能（不仅仅是缓解气候变化），考虑整个 C 循环（不仅增强土壤 C），并保护现有的 SOC 宝库（不仅仅是在选定的地方增加它们）。也许最根本的是，就其词源而言，“管理”提出了一个令人信服的、永恒的问题：我们为谁管理 SOC？询问为什么要照顾 SOC，不仅反映了我们自己对弹性的潜在追求，而且还扩大了我们的潜在受众，并吸引了必须接替我们的更具创造力的人才。 尽管“管理”可能会引发新的、富有成效的探究，但我们可能需要寻找更令人回味、更诱人、更真实的词语，即在必须始终支撑我们的循环 C 中生活。