Deep soil flipping increases carbon stocks of New Zealand grasslands.

Sequestration of soil organic carbon (SOC) has been recognized as an opportunity to off-set global carbon dioxide (CO ) emissions. Flipping (full inversion to 1-3 m) is a practice used on New Zealand's South Island West Coast to eliminate water-logging in highly podzolized sandy soils. Flipping results in burial of SOC formed in surface soil horizons into the subsoil and the transfer of subsoil material low in SOC to the "new" topsoil.