Articles | Volume 10, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-10-275-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-10-275-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
The six rights of how and when to test for soil C saturation
Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zurich, Zurich, 8092, Switzerland
Sebastian Doetterl
Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zurich, Zurich, 8092, Switzerland
Moritz Laub
Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zurich, Zurich, 8092, Switzerland
Claude R. Müller
Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zurich, Zurich, 8092, Switzerland
Marijn Van de Broek
Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zurich, Zurich, 8092, Switzerland
Viewed
Total article views: 9,064 (including HTML, PDF, and XML)
Cumulative views and downloads
(calculated since 07 Nov 2023)
| HTML | XML | Total | BibTeX | EndNote | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7,039 | 1,797 | 228 | 9,064 | 224 | 365 |
- HTML: 7,039
- PDF: 1,797
- XML: 228
- Total: 9,064
- BibTeX: 224
- EndNote: 365
Total article views: 5,796 (including HTML, PDF, and XML)
Cumulative views and downloads
(calculated since 15 Apr 2024)
| HTML | XML | Total | BibTeX | EndNote | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4,736 | 933 | 127 | 5,796 | 147 | 188 |
- HTML: 4,736
- PDF: 933
- XML: 127
- Total: 5,796
- BibTeX: 147
- EndNote: 188
Total article views: 3,268 (including HTML, PDF, and XML)
Cumulative views and downloads
(calculated since 07 Nov 2023)
| HTML | XML | Total | BibTeX | EndNote | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2,303 | 864 | 101 | 3,268 | 77 | 177 |
- HTML: 2,303
- PDF: 864
- XML: 101
- Total: 3,268
- BibTeX: 77
- EndNote: 177
Viewed (geographical distribution)
Total article views: 9,064 (including HTML, PDF, and XML)
Thereof 8,717 with geography defined
and 347 with unknown origin.
Total article views: 5,796 (including HTML, PDF, and XML)
Thereof 5,497 with geography defined
and 299 with unknown origin.
Total article views: 3,268 (including HTML, PDF, and XML)
Thereof 3,220 with geography defined
and 48 with unknown origin.
| Country | # | Views | % |
|---|
| Country | # | Views | % |
|---|
| Country | # | Views | % |
|---|
| Total: | 0 |
| HTML: | 0 |
| PDF: | 0 |
| XML: | 0 |
- 1
1
| Total: | 0 |
| HTML: | 0 |
| PDF: | 0 |
| XML: | 0 |
- 1
1
| Total: | 0 |
| HTML: | 0 |
| PDF: | 0 |
| XML: | 0 |
- 1
1
Cited
48 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Accumulation of Soil Microbial Necromass Controlled by Microbe–Mineral Interactions Q. Zhao et al. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.5c01482
- Soil organic carbon fractions and storage potential in Finnish arable soils A. Salonen et al. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejss.13527
- Limited effect of organic matter addition on stabilised organic carbon in four tropical arable soils M. Van de Broek et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-12-187-2026
- Reactive minerals and physicochemical protection drive soil organic carbon accumulation along a rainforest toposequence J. Bennett-Jones et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2026.117820
- Soil carbon accrual and crop production enhanced by sustainable subsoil management Z. Kan et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-025-01720-5
- Evaluating DayCent and STICS in simulating the long-term impact of contrasting organic resource amendments on soil organic carbon and maize yields in sub-Saharan Africa A. Couëdel et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110169
- Enhancing Soil Carbon Storage: Developing high-resolution maps of topsoil organic carbon sequestration potential in Taiwan S. Jien et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2025.117369
- Glued forever: incomplete dispersion hampers POM-MAOM fractionation in soils with high SOC and metal (hydr)oxide content M. Breure et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2026.117704
- Soil fertility matters! A new conceptual model for carbon stewardship in neotropical croplands taking climate-smart agricultural practices into account L. Mota Neto et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.179407
- Measuring and Modeling Soil Carbon Changes on Dutch Dairy Farms R. Schils et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/land14040874
- Effects of Long-Term Fertilization on Particulate and Mineral-Associated Organic and Inorganic Carbon in Southwest China N. Xu et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture16121350
- Restoring lost soil carbon, reply to Soinne et al. T. Mattila & J. Liski https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.121507
- Methods matter: examining the apparent saturation of soil mineral-associated organic carbon R. Champiny et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2026.117732
- Long-term nitrogen and phosphorus addition enhances soil organic carbon stabilization by strengthening mineral-organic interactions in a temperate grassland H. Zhang et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42832-026-0380-0
- Parent material in controlling mineral-associated organic carbon formation pathways: A mineral sieve mechanism R. Jiang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2026.107264
- Linking Carbon fractionation and Mineralization Potential in Young Alder and Oak Trees’ Rhizosphere Soil During the Growing Season N. Kusumarini et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42729-026-03319-0
- Reduction in Mineral‐Associated Organic Carbon Reveal Soil Organic Matter Loss Following Grassland Degradation P. Yu et al. https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.70209
- A meta-analysis of soil organic carbon dynamics under climate-smart agricultural systems in the Amazonian region C. Nwaogu et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crsust.2026.100336
- A simple pedotransfer function to estimate fine fraction organic carbon contents of surface horizons in French soils E. Rabot et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2025.117366
- A continental-scale study of Spodosols across North America and implications for soil organic carbon dynamics D. Spinola et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2025.109743
- Narrowing the soil carbon gap in croplands H. Blanco-Canqui https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/adc3ae
- Assessment of cropland carbon sequestration potential and its relationship with human activities: a case study in Jiangsu Province, China W. Cui et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2026.110383
- The influence of fine fraction content on storage and retention of soil organic carbon in Vertisols of subtropical Australia M. Barnard et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2025.117269
- Clay content, not microbial community composition, regulates carbon stabilisation along a soil carbon and texture gradient impacted by reduced precipitation S. Kjær et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2026.110242
- Adding anaerobic digestate to commercial farm fields increases soil organic carbon S. Villarino et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jafr.2025.101942
- Soil carbon sequestration in the agro-landscapes: the food imperative of the climate agenda V. Semenov et al. https://doi.org/10.19047/0136-1694-2025-124-10-69
- How biased is size fractionation derived mineral-associated organic carbon? C. Poeplau et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2025.117584
- Soil carbon formation is promoted by saturation deficit and existing mineral-associated carbon, not by microbial carbon-use efficiency A. King & N. Sokol https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adv9482
- Mapping soil organic carbon sequestration potential in croplands using a combined proximal and remote sensing approach L. Qi et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2025.106733
- Mineral-associated carbon persistence arises from steady-state dynamics, not saturation F. Matus https://doi.org/10.1080/00380768.2025.2595442
- Response to “Restoring lost soil carbon, reply to Soinne et al.” by Mattila and Liski H. Soinne et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.122493
- Estimating soil carbon sequestration potential with mid-IR spectroscopy and explainable machine learning Y. Hu & R. Viscarra Rossel https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-12-619-2026
- Soil Carbon Sequestration: A Mechanistic Perspective on Limitations and Future Possibilities S. Das et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17136015
- The soil organic carbon sequestration potential and formation efficiency of China’s temperate grasslands L. Yang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scib.2025.10.020
- Macroaggregate–Microaggregate Interactions Drive Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Stabilization Under Rotational Tillage in Dryland Farming S. Yang et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture16020264
- Legacy of severe soil degradation hinders the buildup of mineral-associated soil organic carbon O. Leal et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.179445
- Drivers of soil organic carbon from temperate to alpine forests: a model-based analysis of the Swiss forest soil inventory with Yasso20 C. Guidi et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-4107-2025
- Modeling Soil Organic Carbon Saturation I. Ryzhova et al. https://doi.org/10.1134/S1064229325603105
- SOC stabilisation shifts from carbon accumulation in temperate soils to mineral association in subtropical soils Y. Tang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2026.110101
- Microbial community regulation of extracellular enzyme production can mediate patterns of particulate and mineral-associated organic matter accumulation in undersaturated soils P. Hansen et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2025.110056
- The legacy of deep ploughing and liming – A 1990s experimental site revisited J. Hyväluoma et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2024.106323
- The impact of fertilization on the health of paddy soil: pathways and prospects for fertility regulation based on microbial communities H. Xu et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44297-026-00078-3
- Soil carbon storage and retention: a critical synthesis on concepts, research opportunities and sustainable application in environmental engineering M. Antunes et al. https://doi.org/10.5327/Z2176-94782704
- Organic matter–mineral associations in organic horizons in high-altitude areas of snowy mountains, northern Japan K. Kobayashi et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2026.110130
- Fertility Dynamics of Arable Soils under Intensive Use of Livestock By-Products S. Lukin https://doi.org/10.1134/S1064229326601058
- Revisiting the soil carbon saturation concept to inform a risk index in European agricultural soils T. Breure et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-57355-y
- Using aridity as an overarching factor to advance understanding of soil organic carbon storage at the continental scale J. Lavallee et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-025-01273-0
- Divergence in physical, chemical, and biological soil properties caused by different long-term bare fallow management and natural succession S. Schlüter et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2025.117361
48 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Accumulation of Soil Microbial Necromass Controlled by Microbe–Mineral Interactions Q. Zhao et al. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.5c01482
- Soil organic carbon fractions and storage potential in Finnish arable soils A. Salonen et al. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejss.13527
- Limited effect of organic matter addition on stabilised organic carbon in four tropical arable soils M. Van de Broek et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-12-187-2026
- Reactive minerals and physicochemical protection drive soil organic carbon accumulation along a rainforest toposequence J. Bennett-Jones et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2026.117820
- Soil carbon accrual and crop production enhanced by sustainable subsoil management Z. Kan et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-025-01720-5
- Evaluating DayCent and STICS in simulating the long-term impact of contrasting organic resource amendments on soil organic carbon and maize yields in sub-Saharan Africa A. Couëdel et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110169
- Enhancing Soil Carbon Storage: Developing high-resolution maps of topsoil organic carbon sequestration potential in Taiwan S. Jien et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2025.117369
- Glued forever: incomplete dispersion hampers POM-MAOM fractionation in soils with high SOC and metal (hydr)oxide content M. Breure et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2026.117704
- Soil fertility matters! A new conceptual model for carbon stewardship in neotropical croplands taking climate-smart agricultural practices into account L. Mota Neto et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.179407
- Measuring and Modeling Soil Carbon Changes on Dutch Dairy Farms R. Schils et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/land14040874
- Effects of Long-Term Fertilization on Particulate and Mineral-Associated Organic and Inorganic Carbon in Southwest China N. Xu et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture16121350
- Restoring lost soil carbon, reply to Soinne et al. T. Mattila & J. Liski https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.121507
- Methods matter: examining the apparent saturation of soil mineral-associated organic carbon R. Champiny et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2026.117732
- Long-term nitrogen and phosphorus addition enhances soil organic carbon stabilization by strengthening mineral-organic interactions in a temperate grassland H. Zhang et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42832-026-0380-0
- Parent material in controlling mineral-associated organic carbon formation pathways: A mineral sieve mechanism R. Jiang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2026.107264
- Linking Carbon fractionation and Mineralization Potential in Young Alder and Oak Trees’ Rhizosphere Soil During the Growing Season N. Kusumarini et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42729-026-03319-0
- Reduction in Mineral‐Associated Organic Carbon Reveal Soil Organic Matter Loss Following Grassland Degradation P. Yu et al. https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.70209
- A meta-analysis of soil organic carbon dynamics under climate-smart agricultural systems in the Amazonian region C. Nwaogu et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crsust.2026.100336
- A simple pedotransfer function to estimate fine fraction organic carbon contents of surface horizons in French soils E. Rabot et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2025.117366
- A continental-scale study of Spodosols across North America and implications for soil organic carbon dynamics D. Spinola et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2025.109743
- Narrowing the soil carbon gap in croplands H. Blanco-Canqui https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/adc3ae
- Assessment of cropland carbon sequestration potential and its relationship with human activities: a case study in Jiangsu Province, China W. Cui et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2026.110383
- The influence of fine fraction content on storage and retention of soil organic carbon in Vertisols of subtropical Australia M. Barnard et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2025.117269
- Clay content, not microbial community composition, regulates carbon stabilisation along a soil carbon and texture gradient impacted by reduced precipitation S. Kjær et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2026.110242
- Adding anaerobic digestate to commercial farm fields increases soil organic carbon S. Villarino et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jafr.2025.101942
- Soil carbon sequestration in the agro-landscapes: the food imperative of the climate agenda V. Semenov et al. https://doi.org/10.19047/0136-1694-2025-124-10-69
- How biased is size fractionation derived mineral-associated organic carbon? C. Poeplau et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2025.117584
- Soil carbon formation is promoted by saturation deficit and existing mineral-associated carbon, not by microbial carbon-use efficiency A. King & N. Sokol https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adv9482
- Mapping soil organic carbon sequestration potential in croplands using a combined proximal and remote sensing approach L. Qi et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2025.106733
- Mineral-associated carbon persistence arises from steady-state dynamics, not saturation F. Matus https://doi.org/10.1080/00380768.2025.2595442
- Response to “Restoring lost soil carbon, reply to Soinne et al.” by Mattila and Liski H. Soinne et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.122493
- Estimating soil carbon sequestration potential with mid-IR spectroscopy and explainable machine learning Y. Hu & R. Viscarra Rossel https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-12-619-2026
- Soil Carbon Sequestration: A Mechanistic Perspective on Limitations and Future Possibilities S. Das et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17136015
- The soil organic carbon sequestration potential and formation efficiency of China’s temperate grasslands L. Yang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scib.2025.10.020
- Macroaggregate–Microaggregate Interactions Drive Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Stabilization Under Rotational Tillage in Dryland Farming S. Yang et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture16020264
- Legacy of severe soil degradation hinders the buildup of mineral-associated soil organic carbon O. Leal et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.179445
- Drivers of soil organic carbon from temperate to alpine forests: a model-based analysis of the Swiss forest soil inventory with Yasso20 C. Guidi et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-4107-2025
- Modeling Soil Organic Carbon Saturation I. Ryzhova et al. https://doi.org/10.1134/S1064229325603105
- SOC stabilisation shifts from carbon accumulation in temperate soils to mineral association in subtropical soils Y. Tang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2026.110101
- Microbial community regulation of extracellular enzyme production can mediate patterns of particulate and mineral-associated organic matter accumulation in undersaturated soils P. Hansen et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2025.110056
- The legacy of deep ploughing and liming – A 1990s experimental site revisited J. Hyväluoma et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2024.106323
- The impact of fertilization on the health of paddy soil: pathways and prospects for fertility regulation based on microbial communities H. Xu et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44297-026-00078-3
- Soil carbon storage and retention: a critical synthesis on concepts, research opportunities and sustainable application in environmental engineering M. Antunes et al. https://doi.org/10.5327/Z2176-94782704
- Organic matter–mineral associations in organic horizons in high-altitude areas of snowy mountains, northern Japan K. Kobayashi et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2026.110130
- Fertility Dynamics of Arable Soils under Intensive Use of Livestock By-Products S. Lukin https://doi.org/10.1134/S1064229326601058
- Revisiting the soil carbon saturation concept to inform a risk index in European agricultural soils T. Breure et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-57355-y
- Using aridity as an overarching factor to advance understanding of soil organic carbon storage at the continental scale J. Lavallee et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-025-01273-0
- Divergence in physical, chemical, and biological soil properties caused by different long-term bare fallow management and natural succession S. Schlüter et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2025.117361
Saved (final revised paper)
Latest update: 26 Jul 2026
Editorial statement
This manuscript is published as SOIL Letters publication as it provides a timely and important contribution, formulating six fundamental principles for the robust study of soil carbon saturation. This is an important topic in research on soil carbon and its role in climate change mitigation which should be of interest to the wider geoscience community.
This manuscript is published as SOIL Letters publication as it provides a timely and important...
Short summary
Soil C saturation has been tested in several recent studies and led to a debate about its existence. We argue that, to test C saturation, one should pay attention to six fundamental principles: the right measures, the right units, the right dispersive energy and application, the right soil type, the right clay type, and the right saturation level. Once we take care of those six rights across studies, we find support for a maximum of C stabilized by minerals and thus soil C saturation.
Soil C saturation has been tested in several recent studies and led to a debate about its...