Advances in Understanding Carbon Storage and Stabilization in Temperate Agricultural Soils

Understanding how carbon is stored and stabilized in temperate agricultural soils is central to addressing one of the defining environmental challenges of our time—climate change. In this review, we bridge quantitative bibliometric insights with a qualitative synthesis of the mechanisms, regional differences, management practices, and models governing soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics. We systematically analyzed 481 peer-reviewed publications published between 1990 and 2024, retrieved from Scopus and Web of Science, using bibliometric tools such as VOSviewer to map research trends, collaboration networks, and thematic evolution. The bibliometric analysis revealed a marked increase in publications after 2010, coinciding with growing global interest in climate-smart agriculture and carbon sequestration policies. Comparative synthesis across temperate sub-regions—such as the humid temperate plains of Europe, the semi-arid temperate zones, and the temperate black soil region of Northeast China—reveals that the effectiveness of common practices varies with soil mineralogy, texture, moisture regimes, and historical land-use. Reduced tillage (average SOC gain of 0.25 Mg C ha−1 yr−1), cover cropping (0.32 Mg C ha−1 yr−1), and organic amendments such as compost and biochar (up to 1.1 Mg C ha−1 yr−1) consistently enhance SOC accumulation, but with region-specific outcomes driven by these contextual factors. Recognizing such heterogeneity is essential for developing regionally actionable management recommendations. Recent advances in machine learning, remote sensing, and process-based modeling are enabling more accurate and scalable monitoring of SOC stocks, yet challenges remain in integrating micro-scale stabilization processes with regional and global assessments. To address these gaps, this review highlights a multi-method integration pathway—combining field measurements, mechanistic modeling, data-driven approaches, and policy instruments that incentivize adoption of evidence-based practices. By combining quantitative bibliometric analysis with regionally informed mechanistic synthesis, this review provides a holistic understanding of how knowledge about SOC in temperate agroecosystems has evolved and where future opportunities lie. The findings underscore that temperate agricultural soils, when supported by appropriate scientific practices and enabling policy frameworks, represent one of the most accessible natural climate solutions for advancing climate-resilient and sustainable food systems.