Carbon in the Vegetation and Soils of Northern Ireland

The amount of carbon stored in vegetation and soils (including peat) in Northern Ireland has been estimated and the distributions mapped on a 1km × 1km grid as part of a national inventory. This was funded by Government to help meet some of its commitments under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Knowing the sizes of the carbon stores (reservoirs) and the factors influencing them will help in developing policies to protect and enhance them as a contribution to the amelioration of global warming. To calculate these carbon stores, the area and carbon density of each vegetation and soil type were required. Similar data sources and methods were used to those in complementary inventories in Great Britain, but modifications were required in Northern Ireland, including the use of CORINE land cover (classification and maps) and the development of a soil carbon database. The total amount of carbon stored is estimated to be 4.4Mt in vegetation (5.1Mt, allowing for forests underestimated by CORINE) and 386Mt in soils. Forests account for 55% of the carbon in vegetation, and peat for 42% of that in soils--a product of their relatively high carbon densities.