Articles | Volume 8, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-8-507-2022
© Author(s) 2022. 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-8-507-2022
© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Short communication
| 
29 Jul 2022
Short communication |
| 29 Jul 2022
| 29 Jul 2022
An open Soil Structure Library based on X-ray CT data
Department of Soil System Science, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, Theodor-Lieser-Str. 4, 06120 Halle (Saale), Germany
Lukas Albrecht
Agroscope, Agroecology and Environment, Soil Quality and Soil Use, Reckenholzstrasse 191, 8046 Zurich, Switzerland
Steffen Schlüter
Department of Soil System Science, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, Theodor-Lieser-Str. 4, 06120 Halle (Saale), Germany
Hans-Jörg Vogel
Department of Soil System Science, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, Theodor-Lieser-Str. 4, 06120 Halle (Saale), Germany
Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Institute of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, Von-Seckendorff-Platz 3, 06120 Halle (Saale), Germany
Related authors
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.
Hans-Jörg Vogel, Stephan Bartke, Katrin Daedlow, Katharina Helming, Ingrid Kögel-Knabner, Birgit Lang, Eva Rabot, David Russell, Bastian Stößel, Ulrich Weller, Martin Wiesmeier, and Ute Wollschläger
SOIL, 4, 83–92, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-4-83-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-4-83-2018, 2018
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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.
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.
Guillaume Blanchy, Lukas Albrecht, Gilberto Bragato, Sarah Garré, Nicholas Jarvis, and John Koestel
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 27, 2703–2724, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-2703-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-2703-2023, 2023
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We collated the Open Tension-disk Infiltrometer Meta-database (OTIM). We analysed topsoil hydraulic conductivities at supply tensions between 0 and 100 mm of 466 data entries. We found indications of different flow mechanisms at saturation and at tensions >20 mm. Climate factors were better correlated with near-saturated hydraulic conductivities than soil properties. Land use, tillage system, soil compaction and experimenter bias significantly influenced K to a similar degree to soil properties.
Guillaume Blanchy, Lukas Albrecht, John Koestel, and Sarah Garré
SOIL, 9, 155–168, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-9-155-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-9-155-2023, 2023
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Adapting agricultural practices to future climatic conditions requires us to synthesize the effects of management practices on soil properties with respect to local soil and climate. We showcase different automated text-processing methods to identify topics, extract metadata for building a database and summarize findings from publication abstracts. While human intervention remains essential, these methods show great potential to support evidence synthesis from large numbers of publications.
Jan Nitzbon, Damir Gadylyaev, Steffen Schlüter, John Maximilian Köhne, Guido Grosse, and Julia Boike
The Cryosphere, 16, 3507–3515, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-3507-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-3507-2022, 2022
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The microstructure of permafrost soils contains clues to its formation and its preconditioning to future change. We used X-ray computed tomography (CT) to measure the composition of a permafrost drill core from Siberia. By combining CT with laboratory measurements, we determined the the proportions of pore ice, excess ice, minerals, organic matter, and gas contained in the core at an unprecedented resolution. Our work demonstrates the potential of CT to study permafrost properties and processes.
Steffen Schlüter, Tim Roussety, Lena Rohe, Vusal Guliyev, Evgenia Blagodatskaya, and Thomas Reitz
SOIL, 8, 253–267, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-8-253-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-8-253-2022, 2022
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We combined microstructure analysis via X-ray CT with carbon mineralization analysis via respirometry of intact soil cores from different land uses. We found that the amount of particulate organic matter (POM) exerted a dominant control on carbon mineralization in well-aerated topsoils, whereas soil moisture and macroporosity did not play role. This is because carbon mineralization mainly occurs in microbial hotspots around degrading POM, where it is decoupled from conditions of the bulk soil.
Frederic Leuther and Steffen Schlüter
SOIL, 7, 179–191, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-179-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-179-2021, 2021
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Freezing and thawing cycles are an important agent of soil structural transformation during the winter season in the mid-latitudes. This study shows that it promotes a well-connected pore system, fragments dense soil clods, and, hence, increases the unsaturated conductivity by a factor of 3. The results are important for predicting the structure formation and hydraulic properties of soils, with the prospect of milder winters due to climate change, and for farmers preparing the seedbed in spring.
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
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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.
Hans-Jörg Vogel, Stephan Bartke, Katrin Daedlow, Katharina Helming, Ingrid Kögel-Knabner, Birgit Lang, Eva Rabot, David Russell, Bastian Stößel, Ulrich Weller, Martin Wiesmeier, and Ute Wollschläger
SOIL, 4, 83–92, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-4-83-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-4-83-2018, 2018
Short summary
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.
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
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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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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
Related subject area
Soil and methods
Spatial prediction of organic carbon in German agricultural topsoil using machine learning algorithms
On the benefits of clustering approaches in digital soil mapping: an application example concerning soil texture regionalization
Identification of thermal signature and quantification of charcoal in soil using differential scanning calorimetry and benzene polycarboxylic acid (BPCA) markers
Estimating soil fungal abundance and diversity at a macroecological scale with deep learning spectrotransfer functions
An underground, wireless, open-source, low-cost system for monitoring oxygen, temperature, and soil moisture
Estimation of soil properties with mid-infrared soil spectroscopy across yam production landscapes in West Africa
The central African soil spectral library: a new soil infrared repository and a geographical prediction analysis
Developing the Swiss mid-infrared soil spectral library for local estimation and monitoring
Predicting the spatial distribution of soil organic carbon stock in Swedish forests using a group of covariates and site-specific data
Improved calibration of the Green–Ampt infiltration module in the EROSION-2D/3D model using a rainfall-runoff experiment database
Quantifying soil carbon in temperate peatlands using a mid-IR soil spectral library
Are researchers following best storage practices for measuring soil biochemical properties?
Quantifying and correcting for pre-assay CO2 loss in short-term carbon mineralization assays
The influence of training sample size on the accuracy of deep learning models for the prediction of soil properties with near-infrared spectroscopy data
Game theory interpretation of digital soil mapping convolutional neural networks
Comparing three approaches of spatial disaggregation of legacy soil maps based on the Disaggregation and Harmonisation of Soil Map Units Through Resampled Classification Trees (DSMART) algorithm
Oblique geographic coordinates as covariates for digital soil mapping
Development of pedotransfer functions for water retention in tropical mountain soil landscapes: spotlight on parameter tuning in machine learning
The 15N gas-flux method to determine N2 flux: a comparison of different tracer addition approaches
A new model for intra- and inter-institutional soil data sharing
Machine learning and soil sciences: a review aided by machine learning tools
Identification of new microbial functional standards for soil quality assessment
Identifying and quantifying geogenic organic carbon in soils – the case of graphite
Error propagation in spectrometric functions of soil organic carbon
Word embeddings for application in geosciences: development, evaluation, and examples of soil-related concepts
Soil lacquer peel do-it-yourself: simply capturing beauty
Multi-source data integration for soil mapping using deep learning
Using deep learning for digital soil mapping
No silver bullet for digital soil mapping: country-specific soil organic carbon estimates across Latin America
Separation of soil respiration: a site-specific comparison of partition methods
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Evaluation of digital soil mapping approaches with large sets of environmental covariates
Planning spatial sampling of the soil from an uncertain reconnaissance variogram
Mapping of soil properties at high resolution in Switzerland using boosted geoadditive models
Quantitative imaging of the 3-D distribution of cation adsorption sites in undisturbed soil
Decision support for the selection of reference sites using 137Cs as a soil erosion tracer
Soil organic carbon stocks are systematically overestimated by misuse of the parameters bulk density and rock fragment content
The added value of biomarker analysis to the genesis of plaggic Anthrosols; the identification of stable fillings used for the production of plaggic manure
Synchrotron microtomographic quantification of geometrical soil pore characteristics affected by compaction
Pedotransfer functions for Irish soils – estimation of bulk density (ρb) per horizon type
Assessing the performance of a plastic optical fibre turbidity sensor for measuring post-fire erosion from plot to catchment scale
Passive soil heating using an inexpensive infrared mirror design – a proof of concept
The application of terrestrial laser scanner and SfM photogrammetry in measuring erosion and deposition processes in two opposite slopes in a humid badlands area (central Spanish Pyrenees)
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Comparison of spatial association approaches for landscape mapping of soil organic carbon stocks
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Ali Sakhaee, Anika Gebauer, Mareike Ließ, and Axel Don
SOIL, 8, 587–604, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-8-587-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-8-587-2022, 2022
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As soil carbon has become a key component of climate-smart agriculture, the demand for high-resolution maps has increased drastically. Meanwhile, machine learning algorithms are becoming more widely used and are opening up new solutions in soil mapping. This paper shows which algorithms perform best, how soil inventory data can be most efficiently used for digital soil mapping, and the different available options and methods to derive high-resolution soil carbon data at the large regional scale.
István Dunkl and Mareike Ließ
SOIL, 8, 541–558, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-8-541-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-8-541-2022, 2022
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Digital soil mapping (DSM) allows us to regionalize soil properties by relating them to environmental covariates with the help of an empirical model. Legacy soil data provide a valuable basis to generate high-resolution soil maps with DSM. We studied the usefulness of data-clustering methods to tackle potential sampling bias in legacy soil data while applying DSM for soil texture regionalization. Clustering has proved to be useful in various steps of the DSM process.
Brieuc Hardy, Nils Borchard, and Jens Leifeld
SOIL, 8, 451–466, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-8-451-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-8-451-2022, 2022
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Soil amendment with artificial black carbon (BC; biomass transformed by incomplete combustion) has the potential to mitigate climate change. Nevertheless, the accurate quantification of BC in soil remains a critical issue. Here, we successfully used dynamic thermal analysis (DTA) to quantify centennial BC in soil. We demonstrate that DTA is largely under-exploited despite providing rapid and low-cost quantitative information over the range of soil organic matter.
Yuanyuan Yang, Zefang Shen, Andrew Bissett, and Raphael A. Viscarra Rossel
SOIL, 8, 223–235, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-8-223-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-8-223-2022, 2022
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We present a new method to estimate the relative abundance of the dominant phyla and diversity of fungi in Australian soil. It uses state-of-the-art machine learning with publicly available data on soil and environmental proxies for edaphic, climatic, biotic and topographic factors, and visible–near infrared wavelengths. The estimates could serve to supplement the more expensive molecular approaches towards a better understanding of soil fungal abundance and diversity in agronomy and ecology.
Elad Levintal, Yonatan Ganot, Gail Taylor, Peter Freer-Smith, Kosana Suvocarev, and Helen E. Dahlke
SOIL, 8, 85–97, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-8-85-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-8-85-2022, 2022
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Do-it-yourself hardware is a new approach for improving measurement resolution in research. Here we present a new low-cost, wireless underground sensor network for soil monitoring. All data logging, power, and communication component cost is USD 150, much cheaper than other available commercial solutions. We provide the complete building guide to reduce any technical barriers, which we hope will allow easier reproducibility and open new environmental monitoring applications.
Philipp Baumann, Juhwan Lee, Emmanuel Frossard, Laurie Paule Schönholzer, Lucien Diby, Valérie Kouamé Hgaza, Delwende Innocent Kiba, Andrew Sila, Keith Sheperd, and Johan Six
SOIL, 7, 717–731, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-717-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-717-2021, 2021
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This work delivers openly accessible and validated calibrations for diagnosing 26 soil properties based on mid-infrared spectroscopy. These were developed for four regions in Burkina Faso and Côte d'Ivoire, including 80 fields of smallholder farmers. The models can help to site-specifically and cost-efficiently monitor soil quality and fertility constraints to ameliorate soils and yields of yam or other staple crops in the four regions between the humid forest and the northern Guinean savanna.
Laura Summerauer, Philipp Baumann, Leonardo Ramirez-Lopez, Matti Barthel, Marijn Bauters, Benjamin Bukombe, Mario Reichenbach, Pascal Boeckx, Elizabeth Kearsley, Kristof Van Oost, Bernard Vanlauwe, Dieudonné Chiragaga, Aimé Bisimwa Heri-Kazi, Pieter Moonen, Andrew Sila, Keith Shepherd, Basile Bazirake Mujinya, Eric Van Ranst, Geert Baert, Sebastian Doetterl, and Johan Six
SOIL, 7, 693–715, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-693-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-693-2021, 2021
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We present a soil mid-infrared library with over 1800 samples from central Africa in order to facilitate soil analyses of this highly understudied yet critical area. Together with an existing continental library, we demonstrate a regional analysis and geographical extrapolation to predict total carbon and nitrogen. Our results show accurate predictions and highlight the value that the data contribute to existing libraries. Our library is openly available for public use and for expansion.
Philipp Baumann, Anatol Helfenstein, Andreas Gubler, Armin Keller, Reto Giulio Meuli, Daniel Wächter, Juhwan Lee, Raphael Viscarra Rossel, and Johan Six
SOIL, 7, 525–546, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-525-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-525-2021, 2021
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We developed the Swiss mid-infrared spectral library and a statistical model collection across 4374 soil samples with reference measurements of 16 properties. Our library incorporates soil from 1094 grid locations and 71 long-term monitoring sites. This work confirms once again that nationwide spectral libraries with diverse soils can reliably feed information to a fast chemical diagnosis. Our data-driven reduction of the library has the potential to accurately monitor carbon at the plot scale.
Kpade O. L. Hounkpatin, Johan Stendahl, Mattias Lundblad, and Erik Karltun
SOIL, 7, 377–398, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-377-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-377-2021, 2021
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Forests store large amounts of carbon in soils. Implementing suitable measures to improve the sink potential of forest soils would require accurate data on the carbon stored in forest soils and a better understanding of the factors affecting this storage. This study showed that the prediction of soil carbon stock in Swedish forest soils can increase in accuracy when one divides a big region into smaller areas in combination with information collected locally and derived from satellites.
Hana Beitlerová, Jonas Lenz, Jan Devátý, Martin Mistr, Jiří Kapička, Arno Buchholz, Ilona Gerndtová, and Anne Routschek
SOIL, 7, 241–253, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-241-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-241-2021, 2021
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This study presents transfer functions for a calibration parameter of the Green–Ampt infiltration module of the EROSION-2D/3D model, which are significantly improving the model performance compared to the current state. The relationships found between calibration parameters and soil parameters however put the Green–Ampt implementation in the model and the state-of-the-art parametrization method in question. A new direction of the infiltration module development is proposed.
Anatol Helfenstein, Philipp Baumann, Raphael Viscarra Rossel, Andreas Gubler, Stefan Oechslin, and Johan Six
SOIL, 7, 193–215, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-193-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-193-2021, 2021
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In this study, we show that a soil spectral library (SSL) can be used to predict soil carbon at new and very different locations. The importance of this finding is that it requires less time-consuming lab work than calibrating a new model for every local application, while still remaining similar to or more accurate than local models. Furthermore, we show that this method even works for predicting (drained) peat soils, using a SSL with mostly mineral soils containing much less soil carbon.
Jennifer M. Rhymes, Irene Cordero, Mathilde Chomel, Jocelyn M. Lavallee, Angela L. Straathof, Deborah Ashworth, Holly Langridge, Marina Semchenko, Franciska T. de Vries, David Johnson, and Richard D. Bardgett
SOIL, 7, 95–106, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-95-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-95-2021, 2021
Matthew A. Belanger, Carmella Vizza, G. Philip Robertson, and Sarah S. Roley
SOIL, 7, 47–52, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-47-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-47-2021, 2021
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Soil health is often assessed by re-wetting a dry soil and measuring CO2 production, but the potential bias introduced by soils of different moisture contents is unclear. Our study found that wetter soil tended to lose more carbon during drying than drier soil, thus affecting soil health interpretations. We developed a correction factor to account for initial soil moisture effects, which future studies may benefit from adapting for their soil.
Wartini Ng, Budiman Minasny, Wanderson de Sousa Mendes, and José Alexandre Melo Demattê
SOIL, 6, 565–578, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-6-565-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-6-565-2020, 2020
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The number of samples utilised to create predictive models affected model performance. This research compares the number of samples needed by a deep learning model to outperform the traditional machine learning models using visible near-infrared spectroscopy data for soil properties predictions. The deep learning model was found to outperform machine learning models when the sample size was above 2000.
José Padarian, Alex B. McBratney, and Budiman Minasny
SOIL, 6, 389–397, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-6-389-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-6-389-2020, 2020
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In this paper we introduce the use of game theory to interpret a digital soil mapping (DSM) model to understand the contribution of environmental factors to the prediction of soil organic carbon (SOC) in Chile. The analysis corroborated that the SOC model is capturing sensible relationships between SOC and climatic and topographical factors. We were able to represent them spatially (map) addressing the limitations of the current interpretation of models in DSM.
Yosra Ellili-Bargaoui, Brendan Philip Malone, Didier Michot, Budiman Minasny, Sébastien Vincent, Christian Walter, and Blandine Lemercier
SOIL, 6, 371–388, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-6-371-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-6-371-2020, 2020
Anders Bjørn Møller, Amélie Marie Beucher, Nastaran Pouladi, and Mogens Humlekrog Greve
SOIL, 6, 269–289, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-6-269-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-6-269-2020, 2020
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Decision trees have become a widely adapted tool for mapping soil properties in geographic space. However, it is problematic to implement spatial relationships in the models. We present a new method which uses geographic coordinates along several axes tilted at oblique angles in the models. We test this method on four spatial datasets. The results show that the new method is at least as accurate as other proposed alternatives, has a computational advantage and is flexible and interpretable.
Anika Gebauer, Monja Ellinger, Victor M. Brito Gomez, and Mareike Ließ
SOIL, 6, 215–229, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-6-215-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-6-215-2020, 2020
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Pedotransfer functions (PTFs) for soil water retention were developed for two tropical soil landscapes using machine learning. The models corresponding to these PTFs had to be adjusted by tuning their parameters. The standard tuning approach was compared to mathematical optimization. The latter resulted in much better model performance. The PTFs derived are of particular importance for soil process and hydrological models.
Dominika Lewicka-Szczebak and Reinhard Well
SOIL, 6, 145–152, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-6-145-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-6-145-2020, 2020
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This study aimed at comparison of various experimental strategies for incubating soil samples to determine the N2 flux. Such experiments require addition of isotope tracer, i.e. nitrogen fertilizer enriched in heavy nitrogen isotopes (15N). Here we compared the impact of soil homogenization and mixing with the tracer and tracer injection to the intact soil cores. The results are well comparable: both techniques would provide similar conclusions on the magnitude of N2 flux.
José Padarian and Alex B. McBratney
SOIL, 6, 89–94, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-6-89-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-6-89-2020, 2020
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Data sharing and collaboration are critical to solving large-scale problems. The prevailing soil data-sharing model is of a centralized nature and, consequently, results in the participants ceding control and governance over their data to the lead party. Here we explore the use of a distributed ledger (blockchain) to solve the aforementioned issues. We also describe the potential use case of developing a global soil spectral library between multiple, international institutions.
José Padarian, Budiman Minasny, and Alex B. McBratney
SOIL, 6, 35–52, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-6-35-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-6-35-2020, 2020
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The application of machine learning (ML) has shown an accelerated adoption in soil sciences. It is a difficult task to manually review all papers on the application of ML. This paper aims to provide a review of the application of ML aided by topic modelling in order to find patterns in a large collection of publications. The objective is to gain insight into the applications and to discuss research gaps. We found 12 main topics and that ML methods usually perform better than traditional ones.
Sören Thiele-Bruhn, Michael Schloter, Berndt-Michael Wilke, Lee A. Beaudette, Fabrice Martin-Laurent, Nathalie Cheviron, Christian Mougin, and Jörg Römbke
SOIL, 6, 17–34, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-6-17-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-6-17-2020, 2020
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Soil quality depends on the functioning of soil microbiota. Only a few standardized methods are available to assess this as well as adverse effects of human activities. So we need to identify promising additional methods that target soil microbial function. Discussed are (i) molecular methods using qPCR for new endpoints, e.g. in N and P cycling and greenhouse gas emissions, (ii) techniques for fungal enzyme activities, and (iii) field methods on carbon turnover such as the litter bag test.
Jeroen H. T. Zethof, Martin Leue, Cordula Vogel, Shane W. Stoner, and Karsten Kalbitz
SOIL, 5, 383–398, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-5-383-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-5-383-2019, 2019
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A widely overlooked source of carbon (C) in the soil environment is organic C of geogenic origin, e.g. graphite. Appropriate methods are not available to quantify graphite and to differentiate it from other organic and inorganic C sources in soils. Therefore, we examined Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis and the smart combustion method for their ability to identify and quantify graphitic C in soils. The smart combustion method showed the most promising results.
Monja Ellinger, Ines Merbach, Ulrike Werban, and Mareike Ließ
SOIL, 5, 275–288, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-5-275-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-5-275-2019, 2019
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Vis–NIR spectrometry is often applied to capture soil organic carbon (SOC). This study addresses the impact of the involved data and modelling aspects on SOC precision with a focus on the propagation of input data uncertainties. It emphasizes the necessity of transparent documentation of the measurement protocol and the model building and validation procedure. Particularly, when Vis–NIR spectrometry is used for soil monitoring, the aspect of uncertainty propagation becomes essential.
José Padarian and Ignacio Fuentes
SOIL, 5, 177–187, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-5-177-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-5-177-2019, 2019
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A large amount of descriptive information is available in geosciences. Considering the advances in natural language it is possible to
rescuethis information and transform it into a numerical form (embeddings). We used 280764 full-text scientific articles to train a language model capable of generating such embeddings. Our domain-specific embeddings (GeoVec) outperformed general domain embedding tasks such as analogies, relatedness, and categorisation, and can be used in novel applications.
Cathelijne R. Stoof, Jasper H. J. Candel, Laszlo A. G. M. van der Wal, and Gert Peek
SOIL, 5, 159–175, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-5-159-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-5-159-2019, 2019
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Teaching and outreach of soils is often done with real-life snapshots of soils and sediments in lacquer or glue peels. While it may seem hard, anyone can make such a peel. Illustrated with handmade drawings and an instructional video, we explain how to capture soils in peels using readily available materials. A new twist to old methods makes this safer, simpler, and more successful, and thus a true DIY (do-it-yourself) activity, highlighting the value and beauty of the ground below our feet.
Alexandre M. J.-C. Wadoux, José Padarian, and Budiman Minasny
SOIL, 5, 107–119, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-5-107-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-5-107-2019, 2019
José Padarian, Budiman Minasny, and Alex B. McBratney
SOIL, 5, 79–89, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-5-79-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-5-79-2019, 2019
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Digital soil mapping has been widely used as a cost-effective method for generating soil maps. DSM models are usually calibrated using point observations and rarely incorporate contextual information of the landscape. Here, we use convolutional neural networks to incorporate spatial context. We used as input a 3-D stack of covariate images to simultaneously predict organic carbon content at multiple depths. In this study, our model reduced the error by 30 % compared with conventional techniques.
Mario Guevara, Guillermo Federico Olmedo, Emma Stell, Yusuf Yigini, Yameli Aguilar Duarte, Carlos Arellano Hernández, Gloria E. Arévalo, Carlos Eduardo Arroyo-Cruz, Adriana Bolivar, Sally Bunning, Nelson Bustamante Cañas, Carlos Omar Cruz-Gaistardo, Fabian Davila, Martin Dell Acqua, Arnulfo Encina, Hernán Figueredo Tacona, Fernando Fontes, José Antonio Hernández Herrera, Alejandro Roberto Ibelles Navarro, Veronica Loayza, Alexandra M. Manueles, Fernando Mendoza Jara, Carolina Olivera, Rodrigo Osorio Hermosilla, Gonzalo Pereira, Pablo Prieto, Iván Alexis Ramos, Juan Carlos Rey Brina, Rafael Rivera, Javier Rodríguez-Rodríguez, Ronald Roopnarine, Albán Rosales Ibarra, Kenset Amaury Rosales Riveiro, Guillermo Andrés Schulz, Adrian Spence, Gustavo M. Vasques, Ronald R. Vargas, and Rodrigo Vargas
SOIL, 4, 173–193, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-4-173-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-4-173-2018, 2018
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We provide a reproducible multi-modeling approach for SOC mapping across Latin America on a country-specific basis as required by the Global Soil Partnership of the United Nations. We identify key prediction factors for SOC across each country. We compare and test different methods to generate spatially explicit predictions of SOC and conclude that there is no best method on a quantifiable basis.
Louis-Pierre Comeau, Derrick Y. F. Lai, Jane Jinglan Cui, and Jenny Farmer
SOIL, 4, 141–152, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-4-141-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-4-141-2018, 2018
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To date, there are still many uncertainties and unknowns regarding the soil respiration partitioning procedures. This study compared the suitability and accuracy of five different respiration partitioning methods. A qualitative evaluation table of the partition methods with five performance parameters was produced. Overall, no systematically superior or inferior partition method was found and the combination of two or more methods optimizes assessment reliability.
Jacqueline R. England and Raphael A. Viscarra Rossel
SOIL, 4, 101–122, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-4-101-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-4-101-2018, 2018
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Proximal sensing can be used for soil C accounting, but the methods need to be standardized and procedural guidelines developed to ensure proficient measurement and accurate reporting. This is particularly important if there are financial incentives for landholders to adopt practices to sequester C. We review sensing for C accounting and discuss the requirements for the development of new soil C accounting methods based on sensing, including requirements for reporting, auditing and verification.
Madlene Nussbaum, Kay Spiess, Andri Baltensweiler, Urs Grob, Armin Keller, Lucie Greiner, Michael E. Schaepman, and Andreas Papritz
SOIL, 4, 1–22, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-4-1-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-4-1-2018, 2018
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This paper presents an extensive evaluation of digital soil mapping (DSM) tools. Recently, large sets of environmental covariates (e.g. from analysis of terrain on multiple scales) have become more common for DSM. Many DSM studies, however, only compared DSM methods using less than 30 covariates or tested approaches on few responses. We built DSM models from 300–500 covariates using six approaches that are either popular in DSM or promising for large covariate sets.
R. Murray Lark, Elliott M. Hamilton, Belinda Kaninga, Kakoma K. Maseka, Moola Mutondo, Godfrey M. Sakala, and Michael J. Watts
SOIL, 3, 235–244, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-3-235-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-3-235-2017, 2017
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An advantage of geostatistics for mapping soil properties is that, given a statistical model of the variable of interest, we can make a rational decision about how densely to sample so that the map is sufficiently precise. However, uncertainty about the statistical model affects this process. In this paper we show how Bayesian methods can be used to support decision making on sampling with an uncertain model, ensuring that the probability of meeting certain levels of precision is high enough.
Madlene Nussbaum, Lorenz Walthert, Marielle Fraefel, Lucie Greiner, and Andreas Papritz
SOIL, 3, 191–210, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-3-191-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-3-191-2017, 2017
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Digital soil mapping (DSM) relates soil property data to environmental data that describe soil-forming factors. With imagery sampled from satellites or terrain analysed at multiple scales, large sets of possible input to DSM are available. We propose a new statistical framework (geoGAM) that selects parsimonious models for DSM and illustrate the application of geoGAM to two study regions. Straightforward interpretation of the modelled effects likely improves end-user acceptance of DSM products.
Hannes Keck, Bjarne W. Strobel, Jon Petter Gustafsson, and John Koestel
SOIL, 3, 177–189, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-3-177-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-3-177-2017, 2017
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Several studies have shown that the cation adsorption sites in soils are heterogeneously distributed in space. In many soil system models this knowledge is not included yet. In our study we proposed a new method to map the 3-D distribution of cation adsorption sites in undisturbed soils. The method is based on three-dimensional X-ray scanning with a contrast agent and image analysis. We are convinced that this approach will strongly aid the development of more realistic soil system models.
Laura Arata, Katrin Meusburger, Alexandra Bürge, Markus Zehringer, Michael E. Ketterer, Lionel Mabit, and Christine Alewell
SOIL, 3, 113–122, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-3-113-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-3-113-2017, 2017
Christopher Poeplau, Cora Vos, and Axel Don
SOIL, 3, 61–66, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-3-61-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-3-61-2017, 2017
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This paper shows that three out of four frequently used methods to calculate soil organic carbon stocks lead to systematic overestimation of those stocks. Stones, which can be assumed to be free of carbon, have to be corrected for in both bulk density and layer thickness. We used data of the German Agricultural Soil Inventory to illustrate the potential bias and suggest a unified and unbiased calculation method for stocks of soil organic carbon, which is the largest terrestrial carbon pool.
Jan M. van Mourik, Thomas V. Wagner, J. Geert de Boer, and Boris Jansen
SOIL, 2, 299–310, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-2-299-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-2-299-2016, 2016
Ranjith P. Udawatta, Clark J. Gantzer, Stephen H. Anderson, and Shmuel Assouline
SOIL, 2, 211–220, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-2-211-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-2-211-2016, 2016
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Soil compaction degrades soil structure and affects water, heat, and gas exchange as well as root penetration and crop production. The objective of this study was to use X-ray computed microtomography (CMT) techniques to compare differences in geometrical soil pore parameters as influenced by compaction of two different aggregate size classes.
B. Reidy, I. Simo, P. Sills, and R. E. Creamer
SOIL, 2, 25–39, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-2-25-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-2-25-2016, 2016
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This study reviews pedotransfer functions from the literature for different soil and horizon types. It uses these formulae to predict bulk density (ρb) per horizon using measured data of other soil properties. These data were compared to known pb per horizon and recalibrated. These calculations were used to fill missing horizon data in the Irish soil database. This allowed the generation of a pb map to 50 cm. These pb data are at horizon level allowing more accurate estimation of C with depth.
J. J. Keizer, M. A. S. Martins, S. A. Prats, L. F. Santos, D. C. S. Vieira, R. Nogueira, and L. Bilro
SOIL, 1, 641–650, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-1-641-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-1-641-2015, 2015
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In this study, a novel plastic optical fibre turbidity sensor was exhaustively tested with a large set of runoff samples, mainly from a recently burnt area. The different types of samples from the distinct study sites revealed without exception an increase in normalized light loss with increasing sediment concentrations that agreed (reasonably) well with a power function. Nevertheless, sensor-based predictions of sediment concentration should ideally involve site-specific calibrations.
C. Rasmussen, R. E. Gallery, and J. S. Fehmi
SOIL, 1, 631–639, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-1-631-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-1-631-2015, 2015
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There is a need to understand the response of soil systems to predicted climate warming for modeling soil processes. Current experimental methods for soil warming include expensive and difficult to implement active and passive techniques. Here we test a simple, inexpensive in situ passive soil heating approach, based on easy to construct infrared mirrors that do not require automation or enclosures. Results indicated that the infrared mirrors yielded significant heating and drying of soils.
E. Nadal-Romero, J. Revuelto, P. Errea, and J. I. López-Moreno
SOIL, 1, 561–573, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-1-561-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-1-561-2015, 2015
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Geomatic techniques have been routinely applied in erosion studies, providing the opportunity to build high-resolution topographic models.The aim of this study is to assess and compare the functioning of terrestrial laser scanner and close range photogrammetry techniques to evaluate erosion and deposition processes in a humid badlands area.
Our results demonstrated that north slopes experienced more intense and faster dynamics than south slopes as well as the highest erosion rates.
L. M. Thomsen, J. E. M. Baartman, R. J. Barneveld, T. Starkloff, and J. Stolte
SOIL, 1, 399–410, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-1-399-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-1-399-2015, 2015
B. A. Miller, S. Koszinski, M. Wehrhan, and M. Sommer
SOIL, 1, 217–233, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-1-217-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-1-217-2015, 2015
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There are many different strategies for mapping SOC, among which is to model the variables needed to calculate the SOC stock indirectly or to model the SOC stock directly. The purpose of this research was to compare these two approaches for mapping SOC stocks from multiple linear regression models applied at the landscape scale via spatial association. Although the indirect approach had greater spatial variation and higher R2 values, the direct approach had a lower total estimated error.
W. Eugster and L. Merbold
SOIL, 1, 187–205, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-1-187-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-1-187-2015, 2015
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The eddy covariance (EC) method has become increasingly popular in soil science. The basic concept of this method and its use in different types of experimental designs in the field are given, and we indicate where progress in advancing and extending the field of applications is made. The greatest strengths of EC measurements in soil science are (1) their uninterrupted continuous measurement of gas concentrations and fluxes and (2) spatial integration over
small-scale heterogeneity in the soil.
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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.
Soil structure is of central importance for soil functions. It is, however, ill defined. With...
