<p align="justify">
The Centre&#39;s research programme on soil carbon is designed to move beyond quantifying how much soil carbon is stored in agricultural soils into the challenging area of understanding the processes driving soil carbon storage and, crucially, manipulating these processes so that agricultural soil carbon is conserved and, where possible, increased.&nbsp;
</p>
<p>
<span class="h5"><br />
Goals &amp; Objectives</span> 
</p>
<p align="justify">
Increasing the quantity of&nbsp;carbon stored in agricultural soils has the potential to offset emissions of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. However, realising this potential is technically challenging, especially when soil carbon stocks are already high as they are in New Zealand. The NZAGRC&#39;s programme has three distinct components (1) assessing the potential to store carbon across the range of physical and climatic conditions found in New Zealand, (2) devising management practises that can increase the long term soil carbon store and (3) methods for verifying that soil carbon stocks have been changed. 
</p>
&nbsp; 
<table border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td colspan="2" width="250" valign="top">
			<p align="center">
			<strong>Objective</strong>
			</p>
			</td>
			<td width="121" valign="top">
			<p align="center">
			<strong>Leader</strong>
			</p>
			</td>
			<td width="128" valign="top">
			<p align="center">
			<strong>Timeframe</strong>
			</p>
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td width="33" valign="top">
			<p align="center">
			3.1
			</p>
			</td>
			<td width="217" valign="top">
			<p align="left">
			Limits of soil carbon storage in New Zealand soils
			</p>
			</td>
			<td width="121" valign="top">
			<p align="left">
			Dr Mike Beare
			</p>
			</td>
			<td width="128" valign="top">
			<p>
			Apr 10 - Jun 12
			</p>
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td width="33" valign="top">
			<p align="center">
			3.2
			</p>
			</td>
			<td width="217" valign="top">
			<p align="left">
			Quantifying the carbon currently stored in New Zealand soils
			</p>
			</td>
			<td width="121" valign="top">
			<p align="left">
			Dr Allan Hewitt
			</p>
			</td>
			<td width="128" valign="top">
			<p>
			Apr 10 - Jun 12
			</p>
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td width="33" valign="top">
			<p align="center">
			3.3
			</p>
			</td>
			<td width="217" valign="top">
			<p align="left">
			Process-based modelling of drivers of soil carbon change
			</p>
			</td>
			<td width="121" valign="top">
			<p align="left">
			Prof Tony Parsons
			</p>
			</td>
			<td width="128" valign="top">
			<p>
			Apr 10 - Jun 14
			</p>
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td width="33" valign="top">
			<p align="center">
			3.4
			</p>
			</td>
			<td width="217" valign="top">
			<p align="left">
			Manipulation of carbon inputs, incorporation and retention to protect and enhance soil carbon
			</p>
			</td>
			<td width="121" valign="top">
			<p align="left">
			Dr David Whitehead
			</p>
			</td>
			<td width="128" valign="top">
			<p>
			Apr 10 - Jun 14
			</p>
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td width="33" valign="top">
			<p align="center">
			3.5
			</p>
			</td>
			<td width="217" valign="top">
			<p align="left">
			Improved soil carbon measurements
			</p>
			</td>
			<td width="121" valign="top">
			<p align="left">
			Prof Frank Kelliher
			</p>
			</td>
			<td width="128" valign="top">
			<p>
			Apr 10 - Jun 14
			</p>
			</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>
<span class="h5"><strong>
<p>
<a name="people" title="people"></a><br />
People 
</p>
</strong></span>
<p>
<span class="h5"><strong><a name="capability" title="capability"></a></strong><br />
Capability</span> 
</p>
<p>
<span class="h5"><a name="outcomes" title="outcomes"></a><br />
Linkages</span> 
</p>
<p>
<span class="h5">Stories</span> 
</p>
