Jonathan Sanderman Ph.D.

Carbon Program Director
Senior Scientist

Research area

Contact

Phone: 508-444-1505 Email: jsanderman@woodwellclimate.org ResearchGate Google Scholar CV

My work focuses on the role that soils can play in climate mitigation and sustainable food production. I strive to understand the processes that add, remove, and transform carbon in soils, ranging from coastal marshes to tropical forests and working farmlands. Throughout my career, I have uncovered under-recognized complexity in soil carbon reservoirs. My research encompasses both place-based, experimental work and large-scale computer modeling.

Dr. Jon Sanderman holding handful of soil

left: Collecting soil water in the Caspar Creek experimental watershed, northern California.

right: Learning about community based natural farming in Andhra Pradesh, India.

In 2017, I led efforts to produce the first estimate of the global soil carbon debt created by thousands of years of agriculture. Currently, much of my attention is focused on both developing high-quality, cost-effective methods for monitoring climate benefits of various land management strategies on working lands and understanding how to ensure voluntary carbon markets deliver real climate benefits. I work with a diverse group of partners and collaborators in industry, academia, government, and environmental advocacy.

When I’m not immersed in soil, I can be found enjoying the ocean or mountains with my family.

On a global scale, soils store 3-5 times as much carbon as trees. But it’s not just the amount. The form carbon is in is really important, and soil carbon is one of the most complex.

Projects

Carbon Monitoring in Rangelands

Restoring rangelands for climate adaptation and mitigation

Soil.Spectroscopy

Bringing together soil scientists, spectroscopists, informaticians, data scientists, and software engineers to overcome bottlenecks preventing wider and more efficient use of soil spectroscopy.