A global database of land management, land-use change and climate change effects on soil organic carbon

This dataset comprises data from a systematic review done after a comprehensive literature search using Scopus, Web of Science, Ovid publisher and Google Scholar for peer-reviewed meta-analyses and systematic reviews up to early 2020 that reported on soil organic carbon. This global database compiles the results of 13,632 primary studies from 217 meta-analyses, and more than 100 000 paired comparisons. We report a total of 15,983 effect sizes, 6,541 of them related to SOC, and 9,442 of them related to other associated soil, plant or atmosphere parameters. Each effect-size is precisely described, including measures of heterogeneity, precise type of intervention and outcome associated to ease its interpretation. We also provide a precise assessment of the quality of the meta-analyses. Finally, we also document the geographic origin of the primary studies. Our database represents, to our knowledge the widest and most rigorous analysis of available data on the subject. This database can help understanding drivers of SOC sequestration, associated co-benefits and possible drawbacks, as well as guiding future global climate policies. It can provide robust guidance to ongoing debated and serve as a basis in international panels such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).