碳以多種方式和不同的時間尺度離開陸地生物圈。透過燃燒或是呼吸會將有機碳迅速釋放到大氣中。它也透過河流攜帶進入海洋或以惰性碳的形式保留在土壤中。[27]儲存在土壤中的碳可保留數千年,然後經侵蝕作用受沖刷進入河流,或透過土壤呼吸釋放進入大氣。於1989年至2008年期間,土壤呼吸作用每年增加的速率約為0.1%。[28]於2008年,全球土壤呼吸釋放的二氧化碳總量約為980億噸,[29]大約是人類現在每年透過燃燒化石燃料,排放到大氣中碳量的3倍。{{cite web name=」World Agriculture」/>對於這種趨勢有一些合理的解釋,其中最可能的是氣溫升高,而加速土壤有機質的分解速度,繼而增加二氧化碳的流量。土壤中儲存碳的時間長度取決於當地的氣候條件以及氣候變化過程中的變化。[30]
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