Data for Helfenstein et al. 2026, Continental-scale evidence of farm management impacts on soil carbon, Global Change Biology

Dataset accompanying the publication 

- Title: Continental-scale evidence of farm management impacts on soil carbon

- Authors: Julian Helfenstein, Nick van Dijk, Anna Edlinger, Gabriel Y.K. Moinet, Sophie Q. van Rijssel, Alexandre M.J.-C. Wadoux, Rachel Creamer, Carmen Vazquez, Vera L. Mulder

- Journal: Global Change Biology

Notes: For data sources see Supplementary Table S4 of Helfenstein et al. 2026, Continental-scale evidence of farm management impacts on soil carbon, Global Change Biology. Point values of management variables are not included to protect privacy of land owners.

Variable descriptions

LC1_orig = original LUCAS LC1 land cover

LC1_JH = simplified LC1 for this study

LC0_JH = simplified LC0 land cover

Depth = soil depth

OC_2018 = soil organic carbon concentration in g kg-1 from LUCAS survey year 2018

OC_2009 = soil organic carbon concentration in g kg-1 from LUCAS survey year 2009

ParMat1 = parent material1

ParMat2 = parent material2

Sand/silt/clay = soil texture component in %

WRB_LV1 = world reference base soil group

Elevation.y = elevation in m

Coarse = coarse fragment content in %

Aridity = aridity

ET0 = potential evapotranspiration in mm

Koppen = Köppen-Geiger climate classification

MAT = mean annual temperature

MAP = mean annual precipitation

PCZ = pedoclimatic zone from Feeney et al. 2024

PCZ_imputed = predicted pedoclimatic zone

dSOC =change in SOC concentration between 2009 and 2018

r.dSOC = relative change in SOC

stock_2018 = soil organic C stocks in Mg C ha-1

median_SOC_stock = median SOC stocks per PCZ

stock_benchmarked = observed SOC stock divided by median stock

bdref = bulk density

n = number of nearby individual farms in FADN dataset having the same LC1 used for predicting most likely farm management

crich = crop richness

organic = probability of organic cultivation

rot = crop rotational diversity

LU = livestock units ha-1

N_min/P_min/K_min = mineral fertilizer application in kg ha-1

N_input/P_input/K_input = mineral plus animal-based fertilizer application in kg ha-1

N_org/P_org/K_org = share of manure in total nutrient input

till  = tillage intensity

cer = % cereals in crop rotation

roo = % roots and tubers in crop rotation

pul = % pulses in crop rotation

rap = % rapeseed in crop rotation

sun = % sunflower in crop rotation

ind= % other industrial crops in crop rotation

maize = % maize in crop rotation

veg = % vegetables in crop rotation

frleg = % fodder legumes in crop rotation

ley = % ley in crop rotation

ley_forage = sum of ley and frleg

intensity = aggregate management intensity index