Articles | Volume 4, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-4-83-2018
© Author(s) 2018. 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-4-83-2018
© Author(s) 2018. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
A systemic approach for modeling soil functions
Hans-Jörg Vogel
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, Permoserstr. 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Institute of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, Von-Seckendorff-Platz 3, 06120 Halle (Saale), Germany
Stephan Bartke
Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, Permoserstr. 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
Katrin Daedlow
Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), Eberswalder Straße 84, 15374 Müncheberg, Germany
Katharina Helming
Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), Eberswalder Straße 84, 15374 Müncheberg, Germany
Ingrid Kögel-Knabner
TUM School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technical University of Munich, Emil-Ramann-Straße 2, 85354 Freising, Germany
Birgit Lang
Senckenberg Museum of Natural History, Sonnenplan 7, 02826 Görlitz, Germany
Eva Rabot
Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, Permoserstr. 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
David Russell
Senckenberg Museum of Natural History, Sonnenplan 7, 02826 Görlitz, Germany
Bastian Stößel
Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, Permoserstr. 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
Ulrich Weller
Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, Permoserstr. 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
Martin Wiesmeier
TUM School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technical University of Munich, Emil-Ramann-Straße 2, 85354 Freising, Germany
Ute Wollschläger
Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, Permoserstr. 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
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Hans-Jörg Vogel, Bibiana Betancur-Corredor, Leonard Franke, Sara König, Birgit Lang, Maik Lucas, Eva Rabot, Bastian Stößel, Ulrich Weller, Martin Wiesmeier, and Ute Wollschläger
SOIL, 9, 533–543, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-9-533-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-9-533-2023, 2023
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Our paper presents a new web-based software tool to support soil process research. It is designed to categorize publications in this field according to site and soil characteristics, as well as experimental conditions, which is of critical importance for the interpretation of the research results. The software tool is provided open access for the soil science community such that anyone can contribute to improve the contents of the literature data base.
Ulrich Weller, Lukas Albrecht, Steffen Schlüter, and Hans-Jörg Vogel
SOIL, 8, 507–515, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-8-507-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-8-507-2022, 2022
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Soil structure is of central importance for soil functions. It is, however, ill defined. With the increasing availability of X-ray CT scanners, more and more soils are scanned and an undisturbed image of the soil's structure is produced. Often, a qualitative description is all that is derived from these images. We provide now a web-based Soil Structure Library where these images can be evaluated in a standardized quantitative way and can be compared to a world-wide data set.
Lena Rohe, Bernd Apelt, Hans-Jörg Vogel, Reinhard Well, Gi-Mick Wu, and Steffen Schlüter
Biogeosciences, 18, 1185–1201, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-1185-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-1185-2021, 2021
Short summary
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Total denitrification, i.e. N2O and (N2O + N2) fluxes, of repacked soil cores were analysed for different combinations of soils and water contents. Prediction accuracy of (N2O + N2) fluxes was highest with combined proxies for oxygen demand (CO2 flux) and oxygen supply (anaerobic soil volume fraction). Knowledge of denitrification completeness (product ratio) improved N2O predictions. Substitutions with cheaper proxies (soil organic matter, empirical diffusivity) reduced prediction accuracy.
Jannis Groh, Jan Vanderborght, Thomas Pütz, Hans-Jörg Vogel, Ralf Gründling, Holger Rupp, Mehdi Rahmati, Michael Sommer, Harry Vereecken, and Horst H. Gerke
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 1211–1225, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-1211-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-1211-2020, 2020
Steffen Schlüter, Jan Zawallich, Hans-Jörg Vogel, and Peter Dörsch
Biogeosciences, 16, 3665–3678, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-3665-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-3665-2019, 2019
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A combination of gas chromatography and X-ray CT reveals the microscale processes that govern soil respiration. Aerobic and anaerobic respiration in microbial hotspots depends not only on the quality and quantity of soil organic matter, but also on the spatial distribution of hotspots. Denitrification kinetics are mainly governed by hotspot architecture due to local competition for oxygen during growth. Cumulative behavior is mainly governed by water saturation due to the overall supply with O2.
Muhammad Naveed, Per Moldrup, Marcel G. Schaap, Markus Tuller, Ramaprasad Kulkarni, Hans-Jörg Vogel, and Lis Wollesen de Jonge
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 20, 4017–4030, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-4017-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-4017-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
Quantification of rapid flow of water and associated transport of contaminants through large soil pores generated by earthworms or decaying plant roots is of crucial importance for sustaining both soil and water quality. Advanced visualization and analysis techniques based on state-of-the-art X-ray computed tomography have been applied to 65 soil cores extracted from an agricultural field in Silstrup, Denmark, to improve models for the prediction of fast, preferential flow processes in soils.
S. Schlüter, F. Leuther, S. Vogler, and H.-J. Vogel
Solid Earth, 7, 129–140, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-7-129-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-7-129-2016, 2016
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Short summary
A new protocol for digital volume correlation facilitates detailed insights into internal deformation of soil. Structure deformation during centrifugation is revealed by comparing X-ray CT images before and after centrifugation. Quantitative image analysis reveals that soil structure changes are driven by soil shrinkage due to drying and soil compaction due to compression.
M. Hannes, U. Wollschläger, F. Schrader, W. Durner, S. Gebler, T. Pütz, J. Fank, G. von Unold, and H.-J. Vogel
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 19, 3405–3418, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-3405-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-3405-2015, 2015
Hans-Jörg Vogel, Bibiana Betancur-Corredor, Leonard Franke, Sara König, Birgit Lang, Maik Lucas, Eva Rabot, Bastian Stößel, Ulrich Weller, Martin Wiesmeier, and Ute Wollschläger
SOIL, 9, 533–543, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-9-533-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-9-533-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Our paper presents a new web-based software tool to support soil process research. It is designed to categorize publications in this field according to site and soil characteristics, as well as experimental conditions, which is of critical importance for the interpretation of the research results. The software tool is provided open access for the soil science community such that anyone can contribute to improve the contents of the literature data base.
Ulrich Weller, Lukas Albrecht, Steffen Schlüter, and Hans-Jörg Vogel
SOIL, 8, 507–515, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-8-507-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-8-507-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Soil structure is of central importance for soil functions. It is, however, ill defined. With the increasing availability of X-ray CT scanners, more and more soils are scanned and an undisturbed image of the soil's structure is produced. Often, a qualitative description is all that is derived from these images. We provide now a web-based Soil Structure Library where these images can be evaluated in a standardized quantitative way and can be compared to a world-wide data set.
Bartosz Bartkowski, Stephan Bartke, Nina Hagemann, Bernd Hansjürgens, and Christoph Schröter-Schlaack
SOIL, 7, 495–509, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-495-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-495-2021, 2021
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We use a holistic framework to analyze how agricultural policy in Germany affects the sustainability of soil management. We look at the adequacy of policy targets, objects (i.e. drivers of soil degradation), instruments, assumptions about farmers' behaviour, and the coherence among these four dimensions. We find deficits in each dimension, particularly object and instrument adequacy. Agricultural soil policy in Germany lacks depth and coherence, and the role of biomass demand is neglected.
Edoardo Martini, Matteo Bauckholt, Simon Kögler, Manuel Kreck, Kurt Roth, Ulrike Werban, Ute Wollschläger, and Steffen Zacharias
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 13, 2529–2539, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-2529-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-2529-2021, 2021
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We present the in situ data available from the soil monitoring network
STH-net, recently implemented at the Schäfertal Hillslope site (Germany). The STH-net provides data (soil water content, soil temperature, water level, and meteorological variables – measured at a 10 min interval since 1 January 2019) for developing and testing modelling approaches in the context of vadose zone hydrology at spatial scales ranging from the pedon to the hillslope.
Lena Rohe, Bernd Apelt, Hans-Jörg Vogel, Reinhard Well, Gi-Mick Wu, and Steffen Schlüter
Biogeosciences, 18, 1185–1201, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-1185-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-1185-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Total denitrification, i.e. N2O and (N2O + N2) fluxes, of repacked soil cores were analysed for different combinations of soils and water contents. Prediction accuracy of (N2O + N2) fluxes was highest with combined proxies for oxygen demand (CO2 flux) and oxygen supply (anaerobic soil volume fraction). Knowledge of denitrification completeness (product ratio) improved N2O predictions. Substitutions with cheaper proxies (soil organic matter, empirical diffusivity) reduced prediction accuracy.
Meike Grosse, Wilfried Hierold, Marlen C. Ahlborn, Hans-Peter Piepho, and Katharina Helming
SOIL, 6, 579–596, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-6-579-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-6-579-2020, 2020
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Agricultural long-term field experiments (LTFEs) are an important basis for soil and agricultural sciences. A compilation of metadata and research data from LTFEs in Germany shall enhance networking and simplify the access to this most valuable research infrastructure. The common analyses of similar LTFEs on different sites can broaden the results. Therefore, LTFEs were classified and their distribution in Germany was compared to three site classifications.
Jannis Groh, Jan Vanderborght, Thomas Pütz, Hans-Jörg Vogel, Ralf Gründling, Holger Rupp, Mehdi Rahmati, Michael Sommer, Harry Vereecken, and Horst H. Gerke
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 1211–1225, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-1211-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-1211-2020, 2020
Steffen Schlüter, Jan Zawallich, Hans-Jörg Vogel, and Peter Dörsch
Biogeosciences, 16, 3665–3678, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-3665-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-3665-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
A combination of gas chromatography and X-ray CT reveals the microscale processes that govern soil respiration. Aerobic and anaerobic respiration in microbial hotspots depends not only on the quality and quantity of soil organic matter, but also on the spatial distribution of hotspots. Denitrification kinetics are mainly governed by hotspot architecture due to local competition for oxygen during growth. Cumulative behavior is mainly governed by water saturation due to the overall supply with O2.
Edoardo Martini, Ulrike Werban, Steffen Zacharias, Marco Pohle, Peter Dietrich, and Ute Wollschläger
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 21, 495–513, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-495-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-495-2017, 2017
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With a process-based interpretation of electromagnetic induction measurements, we discussed the potential and limitations of such a method for soil moisture mapping. Results will help clarify the complex and time-varying effect of stable soil properties and dynamic state variables on the physical parameters measured, with implications for future studies. We highlighted the importance of time-series data and the need for a multidisciplinary approach for proper interpretation.
Muhammad Naveed, Per Moldrup, Marcel G. Schaap, Markus Tuller, Ramaprasad Kulkarni, Hans-Jörg Vogel, and Lis Wollesen de Jonge
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 20, 4017–4030, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-4017-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-4017-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
Quantification of rapid flow of water and associated transport of contaminants through large soil pores generated by earthworms or decaying plant roots is of crucial importance for sustaining both soil and water quality. Advanced visualization and analysis techniques based on state-of-the-art X-ray computed tomography have been applied to 65 soil cores extracted from an agricultural field in Silstrup, Denmark, to improve models for the prediction of fast, preferential flow processes in soils.
S. Schlüter, F. Leuther, S. Vogler, and H.-J. Vogel
Solid Earth, 7, 129–140, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-7-129-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-7-129-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
A new protocol for digital volume correlation facilitates detailed insights into internal deformation of soil. Structure deformation during centrifugation is revealed by comparing X-ray CT images before and after centrifugation. Quantitative image analysis reveals that soil structure changes are driven by soil shrinkage due to drying and soil compaction due to compression.
M. Hannes, U. Wollschläger, F. Schrader, W. Durner, S. Gebler, T. Pütz, J. Fank, G. von Unold, and H.-J. Vogel
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 19, 3405–3418, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-3405-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-3405-2015, 2015
M. Wiesmeier, M. Lungu, R. Hübner, and V. Cerbari
Solid Earth, 6, 609–620, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-6-609-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-6-609-2015, 2015
S. Schulz, R. Brankatschk, A. Dümig, I. Kögel-Knabner, M. Schloter, and J. Zeyer
Biogeosciences, 10, 3983–3996, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-3983-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-3983-2013, 2013
M. Schrumpf, K. Kaiser, G. Guggenberger, T. Persson, I. Kögel-Knabner, and E.-D. Schulze
Biogeosciences, 10, 1675–1691, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-1675-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-1675-2013, 2013
A. Dümig, M. Veste, F. Hagedorn, T. Fischer, P. Lange, R. Spröte, and I. Kögel-Knabner
Biogeosciences Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/bgd-10-851-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/bgd-10-851-2013, 2013
Revised manuscript has not been submitted
Related subject area
Soil as a resource
Long-term field experiments in Germany: classification and spatial representation
Adsorption to soils and biochemical characterization of commercial phytases
Development of a harmonised soil profile analytical database for Europe: a resource for supporting regional soil management
Arable soil formation and erosion: a hillslope-based cosmogenic nuclide study in the United Kingdom
Assessment and quantification of marginal lands for biomass production in Europe using soil-quality indicators
Physical, chemical, and mineralogical attributes of a representative group of soils from the eastern Amazon region in Brazil
Uncertainty indication in soil function maps – transparent and easy-to-use information to support sustainable use of soil resources
Soil conservation in the 21st century: why we need smart agricultural intensification
World's soils are under threat
Global distribution of soil organic carbon – Part 1: Masses and frequency distributions of SOC stocks for the tropics, permafrost regions, wetlands, and the world
Meike Grosse, Wilfried Hierold, Marlen C. Ahlborn, Hans-Peter Piepho, and Katharina Helming
SOIL, 6, 579–596, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-6-579-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-6-579-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Agricultural long-term field experiments (LTFEs) are an important basis for soil and agricultural sciences. A compilation of metadata and research data from LTFEs in Germany shall enhance networking and simplify the access to this most valuable research infrastructure. The common analyses of similar LTFEs on different sites can broaden the results. Therefore, LTFEs were classified and their distribution in Germany was compared to three site classifications.
María Marta Caffaro, Karina Beatriz Balestrasse, and Gerardo Rubio
SOIL, 6, 153–162, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-6-153-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-6-153-2020, 2020
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Four commercial phytases were evaluated as candidates to be used as biological fertilizer to release inorganic phosphorus (P) from phytates and other soil P organic forms. All phytases were able to release inorganic P throughout the pH and temperature ranges for optimum crop production and had a low affinity for the solid phase, with some differences between them. These results indicate that the use of phytases to complement P fertilization may be a feasible tool to enhance soil P availability.
Jeppe Aagaard Kristensen, Thomas Balstrøm, Robert J. A. Jones, Arwyn Jones, Luca Montanarella, Panos Panagos, and Henrik Breuning-Madsen
SOIL, 5, 289–301, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-5-289-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-5-289-2019, 2019
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In a world of increasing pressure on our environment, large-scale knowledge about our soil resources is in high demand. We show how five decades of collaboration between EU member states resulted in a full-coverage soil profile analytical database for Europe (SPADE), with soil data provided by soil experts from each country. We show how the dataset can be applied to estimate soil organic carbon in Europe and suggest further improvement to this critical support tool in continental-scale policies.
Daniel L. Evans, John N. Quinton, Andrew M. Tye, Ángel Rodés, Jessica A. C. Davies, Simon M. Mudd, and Timothy A. Quine
SOIL, 5, 253–263, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-5-253-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-5-253-2019, 2019
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Policy to conserve thinning arable soils relies on a balance between the rates of soil erosion and soil formation. Our knowledge of the latter is meagre. Here, we present soil formation rates for an arable hillslope, the first of their kind globally, and a woodland hillslope, the first of their kind in Europe. Rates range between 26 and 96 mm kyr−1. On the arable site, erosion rates are 2 orders of magnitude greater, and in a worst-case scenario, bedrock exposure could occur in 212 years.
Werner Gerwin, Frank Repmann, Spyridon Galatsidas, Despoina Vlachaki, Nikos Gounaris, Wibke Baumgarten, Christiane Volkmann, Dimitrios Keramitzis, Fotis Kiourtsis, and Dirk Freese
SOIL, 4, 267–290, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-4-267-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-4-267-2018, 2018
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The need for biomass for energetic or material use is increasing parallel to the need to extend the production of food for a growing world population. This results in conflicts between both land use strategies. Use of marginal lands could solve this conflict, however, the understanding of marginal lands and the knowledge of their potentials are still not fully developed. We present an approach to assess land marginality based on soil quality and an estimation of land potentials all over Europe.
Edna Santos de Souza, Antonio Rodrigues Fernandes, Anderson Martins De Souza Braz, Fábio Júnior de Oliveira, Luís Reynaldo Ferracciú Alleoni, and Milton César Costa Campos
SOIL, 4, 195–212, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-4-195-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-4-195-2018, 2018
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The study refers to a survey of the attributes of the main soil classes of the state of Pará, an eastern Amazon region in Brazil. These soils have good potential for agricultural use under natural conditions. In this study we observed that the soils are predominantly kaolinitic, but have relatively low aluminum and organic matter contents, with huge textural variability. The results enable a better understanding of eastern Amazonian soils, whose area reaches more than 1.2 million km2.
Lucie Greiner, Madlene Nussbaum, Andreas Papritz, Stephan Zimmermann, Andreas Gubler, Adrienne Grêt-Regamey, and Armin Keller
SOIL, 4, 123–139, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-4-123-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-4-123-2018, 2018
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To maintain the soil resource, spatial information on soil multi-functionality is key. Soil function (SF) maps rate soils potentials to fulfill a certain function, e.g., nutrient regulation. We show how uncertainties in predictions of soil properties generated by digital soil mapping propagate into soil function maps, present possibilities to display this uncertainty information and show that otherwise comparable SF assessment methods differ in their behaviour in view of uncertainty propagation.
Gerard Govers, Roel Merckx, Bas van Wesemael, and Kristof Van Oost
SOIL, 3, 45–59, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-3-45-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-3-45-2017, 2017
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We discuss pathways towards better soil protection in the 21st century. The efficacy of soil conservation technology is not a fundamental barrier for a more sustainable soil management. However, soil conservation is generally not directly beneficial to the farmer. We believe that the solution of this conundrum is a rapid, smart intensification of agriculture in the Global South. This will reduce the financial burden and will, at the same time, allow more effective conservation.
Luca Montanarella, Daniel Jon Pennock, Neil McKenzie, Mohamed Badraoui, Victor Chude, Isaurinda Baptista, Tekalign Mamo, Martin Yemefack, Mikha Singh Aulakh, Kazuyuki Yagi, Suk Young Hong, Pisoot Vijarnsorn, Gan-Lin Zhang, Dominique Arrouays, Helaina Black, Pavel Krasilnikov, Jaroslava Sobocká, Julio Alegre, Carlos Roberto Henriquez, Maria de Lourdes Mendonça-Santos, Miguel Taboada, David Espinosa-Victoria, Abdullah AlShankiti, Sayed Kazem AlaviPanah, Elsiddig Ahmed El Mustafa Elsheikh, Jon Hempel, Marta Camps Arbestain, Freddy Nachtergaele, and Ronald Vargas
SOIL, 2, 79–82, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-2-79-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-2-79-2016, 2016
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The Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils has completed the first State of the World's Soil Resources Report. The gravest threats were identified for all the regions of the world. This assessment forms a basis for future soil monitoring. The quality of soil information available for policy formulation must be improved.
M. Köchy, R. Hiederer, and A. Freibauer
SOIL, 1, 351–365, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-1-351-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-1-351-2015, 2015
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Soils contain 1062Pg organic C (SOC) in 0-1m depth based on the adjusted Harmonized World Soil Database. Different estimates of bulk density of Histosols cause an uncertainty in the range of -56/+180Pg. We also report the frequency distribution of SOC stocks by continent, wetland type, and permafrost type. Using additional estimates for frozen and deeper soils, global soils are estimated to contain 1325Pg SOC in 0-1m and ca. 3000Pg, including deeper layers.
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Short summary
This paper deals with the importance of soil for our terrestrial environment and the need to predict the impact of soil management on the multitude of functions that soil provides. We suggest to consider soil as a self-organized complex system and provide a concept of how this could be achieved. This includes how soil research, currently fragmented into a number of more or less disjunct disciplines, may be integrated to substantially contribute to a science-based evaluation of soil functions.
This paper deals with the importance of soil for our terrestrial environment and the need to...