Gaining an understanding of soil carbon and its management in an archaeological context
Author(s): David W Hopkins
Historic England has commissioned this report to understand the potential and level of carbon loss from soil disruption during intrusive archaeological works. Soil acts as a significant natural carbon sink, storing more carbon than the atmosphere and vegetation combined, primarily as soil organic matter. Carbon is an intrinsic and essential component of soils, contributing to the supply and availability of plant nutrients, structural stability, water holding capacity, the activity of soil organisms and a wide range of ecosystem services which would not occur or be significantly degraded by depletion or absence of soil carbon. This report presents a summary of the sources, functions and dynamics of soil carbon and assesses how it can be managed in the context of archaeological investigations involving excavation. The document outlines the basic scientific understanding of the properties and dynamics of carbon in soil; the conditions and factors that influence the dynamics of carbon in soils; a summary of potential effects of archaeological investigations on the dynamics of soil carbon; and the ways in which potential losses of soil carbon can be mitigated and managed through planning and practice.
- Report Number:
- 50/2025
- Series:
- Research Report
- Pages:
- 76
- Keywords:
- Excavation Carbon Management Development Archaeology Soil Carbon Soil Organic Matter
