Summary of “Crustivoltaics” – A New Way To Replace Biocrusts Damaged by Humans:
Researchers at Arizona State University are proposing an innovative approach to restoring healthy biocrust — the living organisms that form on top of the soil in arid ecosystems, including cyanobacteria, green algae, fungi, lichens, and mosses. In a proof-of-concept study, photovoltaic panels used in a solar farm in the Sonoran desert promoted biocrust formation, doubling biocrust biomass and tripling biocrust cover compared with open areas with similar soil characteristics. The scientists suggest that new and existing solar energy farms could be used as nurseries to generate fresh biocrust, replenishing arid lands where such soils have been damaged or destroyed.
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New Approach to Restoring Biocrusts in Deserts
In the dry lands of the American Southwest, biocrusts, also known as biological soil crusts, face numerous challenges, such as farming, climate change, and urbanization, which can lead to long-lasting harm to these delicate ecosystems. However, researchers at Arizona State University propose an innovative approach to restoring healthy biocrusts by using new and existing solar energy farms as nurseries for generating fresh biocrust. They called their pioneering approach “crustivoltaics.”
Proof-of-Concept Study
In a proof-of-concept study, researchers adapted a suburban solar farm in the lower Sonoran Desert as an experimental breeding ground for biocrust. During the three-year study, photovoltaic panels promoted biocrust formation, doubling biocrust biomass and tripling biocrust cover compared with open areas with similar soil characteristics. When harvested areas were re-inoculated, the recovery was much faster, with biocrust surface-reaching near-original levels within one year.
Benefits of Biocrusts
Biocrusts are complex ecosystems researchers have only recently begun to explore. Among their many housekeeping functions, they stabilize the soil by binding soil particles together, minimizing the loss of topsoil caused by wind and water. They contribute to nutrient cycling by fixing atmospheric nitrogen, a process where nitrogen gas is converted into ammonia, making it available to plants. Cyanobacteria in biocrusts are the primary organisms responsible for this process.
Photosynthetic activities within biocrusts play a role in carbon storage by fixing atmospheric carbon dioxide. This process can help mitigate some of the effects of climate change by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Biocrusts also increase the soil’s water-retaining capacity, allowing more water to infiltrate the soil and reducing runoff. This helps to improve water availability for plants and other organisms in arid ecosystems. Finally, biocrusts support a diverse microbial community contributing to ecosystem biodiversity and resilience.
The Crustivoltaic Approach
The research suggests that solar farms serve as biocrust hotspots, as the elevated photovoltaic panels create a greenhouse-like microclimate promoting biocrust development. Although crustivoltaics is a slower and weather-dependent method compared to greenhouse-sized biocrust nurseries, it has many advantages. The technique requires fewer resources, minimal management, and no upfront investment. The use of crustivoltaics is 10,000 times more cost-effective than current methods, according to the research findings. The following steps will involve implementing crustivoltaics at regional scales by cooperating with scientists, collaborative agencies, land users, and managers.
Conclusion
The crustivoltaic approach has the potential to offer a dual-use solution for both solar power generation and biocrust restoration on a large scale while also providing socioeconomic benefits. Similar but more significant solar farms could provide a low-cost, low-impact, and high-capacity method to regenerate biocrusts and expand soil restoration approaches to regional scales. This method could play a significant role in the repair and sustainability of dryland ecosystems.
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