ChrysaLabs Probe for Carbon Projects : Economic Viability for Direct Contact Proximal Sensing Soil Measurement

This presentation will explore the intersection of innovative soil carbon measurement technologies and the evolving demands of high-integrity carbon markets. As voluntary carbon markets (VCMs) gain traction as a mechanism to incentivize sustainable agricultural practices, accurate and cost-effective measurement, monitoring, reporting, and verification (MMRV) of soil organic carbon (SOC) remains a critical challenge. Traditional laboratory-based analyses, while scientifically robust, often impose financial and logistical constraints that limit sampling density and ultimately reduce the reliability of SOC stock estimates at scale. To address this challenge, we present findings from a pilot study evaluating the economic and operational performance of the ChrysaLabs Probe, an in-situ VIS-NIR spectroscopy tool designed to directly quantify SOC in real time. The study analyzed 816 samples from eight U.S. farms, comparing ChrysaLabs Probe results to standard laboratory analyses. Additionally, an economic model was applied to a 10-year agricultural land management project with four remeasurement cycles, aligned with Verra VM0042 v2.1 specifications. The results of this study indicate that replacing 50% of laboratory samples with in-situ spectroscopy data maintained high prediction accuracy (R2 = 0.99; RMSE ≈ 0.04% SOC), while significantly reducing operational costs. Compared to laboratory analysis, ChrysaLabs Probe delivered up to 17% increase in relative profit and saved approximately 4 USD per acre. These findings have important implications for the scalability and integrity of carbon projects. By enabling more frequent, affordable, and scientifically reliable SOC measurements, in-situ spectroscopy technologies like ChrysaLabs Probe can play a transformative role in strengthening MMRV frameworks and reducing project-level uncertainty. This aligns closely with SDG 13 (Climate Action) by supporting climate-smart land use and robust carbon accounting. Ultimately, this presentation aims to demonstrate how advanced measurement tools not only increase confidence in soil carbon data, but also unlock new economic pathways for carbon farming. By integrating cost-effective, high-integrity data solutions, we can move toward a more credible and scalable carbon market.