Articles | Volume 8, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-8-717-2022
© 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-8-717-2022
© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Original research article
| 
07 Dec 2022
Original research article |
| 07 Dec 2022
Biocrust-linked changes in soil aggregate stability along a climatic gradient in the Chilean Coastal Range
Nicolás Riveras-Muñoz
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Geosciences, Soil Science and Geomorphology, University of Tübingen, Rümelinstr. 19–23, 72070 Tübingen, Germany
Steffen Seitz
Department of Geosciences, Soil Science and Geomorphology, University of Tübingen, Rümelinstr. 19–23, 72070 Tübingen, Germany
Kristina Witzgall
Soil Science,Technical University of Munich, Emil-Ramann-Str. 2, 85354 Freising, Germany
Victoria Rodríguez
GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Section 5.3 Geomicrobiology, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
Peter Kühn
Department of Geosciences, Soil Science and Geomorphology, University of Tübingen, Rümelinstr. 19–23, 72070 Tübingen, Germany
Carsten W. Mueller
Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
Rómulo Oses
Centro Regional de Investigación y Desarrollo Sustentable de Atacama (CRIDESAT), Universidad de Atacama, Copayapu 485, Copiapó, Chile
Oscar Seguel
Facultad de Ciencias Agronómicas, Universidad de Chile, Av. Santa Rosa #11315, La Pintana, 8820808 Santiago, Chile
Dirk Wagner
GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Section 5.3 Geomicrobiology, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
Institute of Geosciences, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24–25, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
Thomas Scholten
Department of Geosciences, Soil Science and Geomorphology, University of Tübingen, Rümelinstr. 19–23, 72070 Tübingen, Germany
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Corinna Gall, Martin Nebel, Dietmar Quandt, Thomas Scholten, and Steffen Seitz
Biogeosciences, 19, 3225–3245, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3225-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3225-2022, 2022
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Soil erosion is one of the most serious environmental challenges of our time, which also applies to forests when forest soil is disturbed. Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) can play a key role as erosion control. In this study, we combined soil erosion measurements with vegetation surveys in disturbed forest areas. We found that soil erosion was reduced primarily by pioneer bryophyte-dominated biocrusts and that bryophytes contributed more to soil erosion mitigation than vascular plants.
Fabian Kalks, Gabriel Noren, Carsten W. Mueller, Mirjam Helfrich, Janet Rethemeyer, and Axel Don
SOIL, 7, 347–362, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-347-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-347-2021, 2021
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Sedimentary rocks contain organic carbon that may end up as soil carbon. However, this source of soil carbon is overlooked and has not been quantified sufficiently. We analysed 10 m long sediment cores with three different sedimentary rocks. All sediments contain considerable amounts of geogenic carbon contributing 3 %–12 % to the total soil carbon below 30 cm depth. The low 14C content of geogenic carbon can result in underestimations of soil carbon turnover derived from 14C data.
Sascha Scherer, Benjamin Höpfer, Katleen Deckers, Elske Fischer, Markus Fuchs, Ellen Kandeler, Jutta Lechterbeck, Eva Lehndorff, Johanna Lomax, Sven Marhan, Elena Marinova, Julia Meister, Christian Poll, Humay Rahimova, Manfred Rösch, Kristen Wroth, Julia Zastrow, Thomas Knopf, Thomas Scholten, and Peter Kühn
SOIL, 7, 269–304, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-269-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-269-2021, 2021
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This paper aims to reconstruct Middle Bronze Age (MBA) land use practices in the northwestern Alpine foreland (SW Germany, Hegau). We used a multi-proxy approach including biogeochemical proxies from colluvial deposits in the surroundings of a MBA settlement, on-site archaeobotanical and zooarchaeological data and off-site pollen data. From our data we infer land use practices such as plowing, cereal growth, forest farming and use of fire that marked the beginning of major colluvial deposition.
Patryk Krauze, Dirk Wagner, Diogo Noses Spinola, and Peter Kühn
Biogeosciences Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2020-203, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2020-203, 2020
Manuscript not accepted for further review
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Soils from the recently deglaciated foreland of the Ecology Glacier, King George Island, were analyzed using soil chemical and microbiological methods to gain insight into the state of soil formation and its interplay with microbial activity. In the foreland of the Ecology Glacier, acidification, soil carbon/nitrogen accumulation, and changes in microbial communities and vegetation were observable on a decadal timescale, whereas weathering processes occur centuries/millenia after deglaciation.
Isabel Prater, Sebastian Zubrzycki, Franz Buegger, Lena C. Zoor-Füllgraff, Gerrit Angst, Michael Dannenmann, and Carsten W. Mueller
Biogeosciences, 17, 3367–3383, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-3367-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-3367-2020, 2020
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Large amounts of soil organic matter stored in permafrost-affected soils from Arctic Russia are present as undecomposed plant residues. This large fibrous organic matter might be highly vulnerable to microbial decay, while small mineral-associated organic matter can most probably attenuate carbon mineralization in a warmer future. Labile soil fractions also store large amounts of nitrogen, which might be lost during permafrost collapse while fostering the decomposition of soil organic matter.
Marco Pfeiffer, José Padarian, Rodrigo Osorio, Nelson Bustamante, Guillermo Federico Olmedo, Mario Guevara, Felipe Aburto, Francisco Albornoz, Monica Antilén, Elías Araya, Eduardo Arellano, Maialen Barret, Juan Barrera, Pascal Boeckx, Margarita Briceño, Sally Bunning, Lea Cabrol, Manuel Casanova, Pablo Cornejo, Fabio Corradini, Gustavo Curaqueo, Sebastian Doetterl, Paola Duran, Mauricio Escudey, Angelina Espinoza, Samuel Francke, Juan Pablo Fuentes, Marcel Fuentes, Gonzalo Gajardo, Rafael García, Audrey Gallaud, Mauricio Galleguillos, Andrés Gomez, Marcela Hidalgo, Jorge Ivelic-Sáez, Lwando Mashalaba, Francisco Matus, Francisco Meza, Maria de la Luz Mora, Jorge Mora, Cristina Muñoz, Pablo Norambuena, Carolina Olivera, Carlos Ovalle, Marcelo Panichini, Aníbal Pauchard, Jorge F. Pérez-Quezada, Sergio Radic, José Ramirez, Nicolás Riveras, Germán Ruiz, Osvaldo Salazar, Iván Salgado, Oscar Seguel, Maria Sepúlveda, Carlos Sierra, Yasna Tapia, Francisco Tapia, Balfredo Toledo, José Miguel Torrico, Susana Valle, Ronald Vargas, Michael Wolff, and Erick Zagal
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 12, 457–468, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-12-457-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-12-457-2020, 2020
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The CHLSOC database is the biggest soil organic carbon (SOC) database that has been compiled for Chile yet, comprising 13 612 data points. This database is the product of the compilation of numerous sources including unpublished and difficult-to-access data, allowing us to fill numerous spatial gaps where no SOC estimates were publicly available before. The values of SOC compiled in CHLSOC have a wide range, reflecting the variety of ecosystems that exists in Chile.
Julia Mitzscherling, Fabian Horn, Maria Winterfeld, Linda Mahler, Jens Kallmeyer, Pier P. Overduin, Lutz Schirrmeister, Matthias Winkel, Mikhail N. Grigoriev, Dirk Wagner, and Susanne Liebner
Biogeosciences, 16, 3941–3958, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-3941-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-3941-2019, 2019
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Permafrost temperatures increased substantially at a global scale, potentially altering microbial assemblages involved in carbon mobilization before permafrost thaws. We used Arctic Shelf submarine permafrost as a natural laboratory to investigate the microbial response to long-term permafrost warming. Our work shows that millennia after permafrost warming by > 10 °C, microbial community composition and population size reflect the paleoenvironment rather than a direct effect through warming.
Jan Johannes Miera, Jessica Henkner, Karsten Schmidt, Markus Fuchs, Thomas Scholten, Peter Kühn, and Thomas Knopf
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 68, 75–93, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-75-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-75-2019, 2019
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This study investigates Neolithic settlement dynamics by combining archaeological source criticism and archaeopedological data from colluvial deposits. It is shown that the distribution of Neolithic sites in the Baar region is distorted by superimposition due to erosion. Furthermore, the preservation conditions for pottery are limited by weathering effects. By complementing archaeological data with phases of colluviation we are able to point out settlement dynamics throughout the Neolithic.
Lars A. Meier, Patryk Krauze, Isabel Prater, Fabian Horn, Carlos E. G. R. Schaefer, Thomas Scholten, Dirk Wagner, Carsten W. Mueller, and Peter Kühn
Biogeosciences, 16, 2481–2499, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-2481-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-2481-2019, 2019
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James Ross Island offers the opportunity to study the undisturbed interplay of microbial activity and pedogenesis. Soils from two sites representing coastal and inland conditions were chosen and analyzed with a wide range of techniques to describe soil properties. We are able to show that coastal conditions go along with more intense weathering and therefore favor soil formation and that microbial communities are initially more affected by weathering and structure than by chemical parameters.
Steffen Seitz, Martin Nebel, Philipp Goebes, Kathrin Käppeler, Karsten Schmidt, Xuezheng Shi, Zhengshan Song, Carla L. Webber, Bettina Weber, and Thomas Scholten
Biogeosciences, 14, 5775–5788, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-5775-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-5775-2017, 2017
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This study investigated biological soil crusts (biocrusts, e.g. cyanobacteria and mosses) within an early-stage mesic subtropical forest in China, where they were particularly abundant. Biocrust covers significantly decreased soil erosion and were more effective in erosion reduction than stone cover. Hence, they play an important role in mitigating soil erosion under forest and are of particular interest for erosion control in forest plantations.
Robert Bussert, Horst Kämpf, Christina Flechsig, Katja Hesse, Tobias Nickschick, Qi Liu, Josefine Umlauft, Tomáš Vylita, Dirk Wagner, Thomas Wonik, Hortencia Estrella Flores, and Mashal Alawi
Sci. Dril., 23, 13–27, https://doi.org/10.5194/sd-23-13-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/sd-23-13-2017, 2017
Ramchandra Karki, Shabeh ul Hasson, Lars Gerlitz, Udo Schickhoff, Thomas Scholten, and Jürgen Böhner
Earth Syst. Dynam., 8, 507–528, https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-8-507-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-8-507-2017, 2017
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Dynamical downscaling of climate fields at very high resolutions (convection- and topography-resolving scales) over the complex Himalayan terrain of the Nepalese Himalayas shows promising results. It clearly demonstrates the potential of mesoscale models to accurately simulate present and future climate information at very high resolutions over remote, data-scarce mountainous regions for the development of adaptation strategies and impact assessments in the context of changing climate.
Juliane Bischoff, Robert B. Sparkes, Ayça Doğrul Selver, Robert G. M. Spencer, Örjan Gustafsson, Igor P. Semiletov, Oleg V. Dudarev, Dirk Wagner, Elizaveta Rivkina, Bart E. van Dongen, and Helen M. Talbot
Biogeosciences, 13, 4899–4914, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-4899-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-4899-2016, 2016
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The Arctic contains a large pool of carbon that is vulnerable to warming and can be released by rivers and coastal erosion. We study microbial lipids (BHPs) in permafrost and shelf sediments to trace the source, transport and fate of this carbon. BHPs in permafrost deposits are released to the shelf by rivers and coastal erosion, in contrast to other microbial lipids (GDGTs) that are transported by rivers. Several further analyses are needed to understand the complex East Siberian Shelf system.
Stephan John, Gerrit Angst, Kristina Kirfel, Sebastian Preusser, Carsten W. Mueller, Christoph Leuschner, Ellen Kandeler, and Janet Rethemeyer
Biogeosciences Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2016-11, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2016-11, 2016
Manuscript not accepted for further review
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In this manuscript we investigate chemical, biological and physical soil parameters and their influence on 14C contents and distribution in three nearby soil profiles under beech forest. We found a large heterogeneity in 14C contents in the profiles, mainly caused by the abundance of roots. Our results indicate that 14C analysis of individual soil profiles – as it is done in most studies – may lead to misleading assumptions of SOM turnover in soils when extrapolated on larger areas.
S. Seitz, P. Goebes, Z. Song, H. Bruelheide, W. Härdtle, P. Kühn, Y. Li, and T. Scholten
SOIL, 2, 49–61, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-2-49-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-2-49-2016, 2016
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Different tree species affect interrill erosion, but a higher tree species richness does not mitigate soil losses in young subtropical forest stands. Different tree morphologies and tree traits (e.g. crown cover or tree height) have to be considered when assessing erosion in forest ecosystems. If a leaf litter cover is not present, the remaining soil surface cover by stones and biological soil crusts is the most important driver for soil erosion control.
J. Niederberger, B. Todt, A. Boča, R. Nitschke, M. Kohler, P. Kühn, and J. Bauhus
Biogeosciences, 12, 3415–3428, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-3415-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-3415-2015, 2015
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The analysis of soil phosphorus (P) in fractions of different plant availability is a common approach to characterize the P status of forest soils. However, quantification of organic and inorganic P fractions is very labour intensive and therefore rarely applied for large sample numbers. Prediction of P fractions with NIRS can be a promising approach to replace conventional analysis, if models are developed for sets of soil samples with similar physical and chemical properties.
U. Schickhoff, M. Bobrowski, J. Böhner, B. Bürzle, R. P. Chaudhary, L. Gerlitz, H. Heyken, J. Lange, M. Müller, T. Scholten, N. Schwab, and R. Wedegärtner
Earth Syst. Dynam., 6, 245–265, https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-6-245-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-6-245-2015, 2015
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Near-natural Himalayan treelines are usually krummholz treelines, which are relatively unresponsive to climate change. Intense recruitment of treeline trees suggests a great potential for future treeline advance. Competitive abilities of tree seedlings within krummholz thickets and dwarf scrub heaths will be a major source of variation in treeline dynamics. Tree growth-climate relationships show mature treeline trees to be responsive in particular to high pre-monsoon temperature trends.
A.-K. Schatz, T. Scholten, and P. Kühn
Clim. Past Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/cpd-10-469-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/cpd-10-469-2014, 2014
Revised manuscript not accepted
T. Dahm, P. Hrubcová, T. Fischer, J. Horálek, M. Korn, S. Buske, and D. Wagner
Sci. Dril., 16, 93–99, https://doi.org/10.5194/sd-16-93-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/sd-16-93-2013, 2013
S. Höfle, J. Rethemeyer, C. W. Mueller, and S. John
Biogeosciences, 10, 3145–3158, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-3145-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-3145-2013, 2013
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The role of ecosystem engineers in shaping the diversity and function of arid soil bacterial communities
SoilGrids 2.0: producing soil information for the globe with quantified spatial uncertainty
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The interdisciplinary nature of SOIL
Gabriel Nuto Nóbrega, Xosé L. Otero, Danilo Jefferson Romero, Hermano Melo Queiroz, Daniel Gorman, Margareth da Silva Copertino, Marisa de Cássia Piccolo, and Tiago Osório Ferreira
SOIL, 9, 189–208, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-9-189-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-9-189-2023, 2023
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The present study addresses the soil information gap in tropical seagrass meadows. The different geological and bioclimatic settings caused a relevant soil diversity. Contrasting geochemical conditions promote different intensities of soil processes. Seagrass soils from the northeastern semiarid coast are marked by a more intense sulfidization. Understanding soil processes may help in the sustainable management of seagrasses.
Malte Ortner, Michael Seidel, Sebastian Semella, Thomas Udelhoven, Michael Vohland, and Sören Thiele-Bruhn
SOIL, 8, 113–131, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-8-113-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-8-113-2022, 2022
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Soil organic carbon (SOC) and its labile fractions are influenced by soil use and mineral properties. These parameters interact with each other and affect SOC differently depending on local conditions. To investigate the latter, the dependence of SOC content on parameters that vary on a local scale depending on parent material, soil texture, and land use as well as parameter combinations was statistically assessed. Relevance and superiority of local models compared to total models were shown.
Désiré Tsozué, Nérine Mabelle Moudjie Noubissie, Estelle Lionelle Tamto Mamdem, Simon Djakba Basga, and Dieudonne Lucien Bitom Oyono
SOIL, 7, 677–691, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-677-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-677-2021, 2021
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Studies on soil organic carbon stock (SOCS) in the Sudano-Sahelian part of Cameroon are very rare. Organic C storage decreases with increasing latitude and more than 60 % of the SOCS is stored below the first 25 cm depth. In addition, a good correlation is noted between precipitation which decreases with increasing latitude and the total SOCS, indicating the importance of climate in the distribution of the total SOCS in the study area, which directly influence the productivity of the vegetation.
Capucine Baubin, Arielle M. Farrell, Adam Št'ovíček, Lusine Ghazaryan, Itamar Giladi, and Osnat Gillor
SOIL, 7, 611–637, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-611-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-611-2021, 2021
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In this paper, we describe changes in desert soil bacterial diversity and function when two ecosystem engineers, shrubs and ant nests, in an arid environment are present. The results show that bacterial activity increases when there are ecosystem engineers and that their impact is non-additive. This is one of a handful of studies that investigated the separate and combined effects of ecosystem engineers on soil bacterial communities investigating both composition and function.
Laura Poggio, Luis M. de Sousa, Niels H. Batjes, Gerard B. M. Heuvelink, Bas Kempen, Eloi Ribeiro, and David Rossiter
SOIL, 7, 217–240, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-217-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-217-2021, 2021
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This paper focuses on the production of global maps of soil properties with quantified spatial uncertainty, as implemented in the SoilGrids version 2.0 product using DSM practices and adapting them for global digital soil mapping with legacy data. The quantitative evaluation showed metrics in line with previous studies. The qualitative evaluation showed that coarse-scale patterns are well reproduced. The spatial uncertainty at global scale highlighted the need for more soil observations.
Sanjeewani Nimalka Somarathna Pallegedara Dewage, Budiman Minasny, and Brendan Malone
SOIL, 6, 359–369, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-6-359-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-6-359-2020, 2020
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Most soil management activities are implemented at farm scale, yet digital soil maps are commonly available at regional/national scales. This study proposes Bayesian area-to-point kriging to downscale regional-/national-scale soil property maps to farm scale. A regional soil carbon map with a resolution of 100 m (block support) was disaggregated to 10 m (point support) information for a farm in northern NSW, Australia. Results are presented with the uncertainty of the downscaling process.
Boris Jansen and Guido L. B. Wiesenberg
SOIL, 3, 211–234, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-3-211-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-3-211-2017, 2017
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The application of lipids in soils as molecular proxies, also often referred to as biomarkers, has dramatically increased in the last decades. Applications range from inferring changes in past vegetation composition to unraveling the turnover of soil organic matter. However, the application of soil lipids as molecular proxies comes with several constraining factors. Here we provide a critical review of the current state of knowledge on the applicability of molecular proxies in soil science.
Marleen de Blécourt, Marife D. Corre, Ekananda Paudel, Rhett D. Harrison, Rainer Brumme, and Edzo Veldkamp
SOIL, 3, 123–137, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-3-123-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-3-123-2017, 2017
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Christopher Shepard, Marcel G. Schaap, Jon D. Pelletier, and Craig Rasmussen
SOIL, 3, 67–82, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-3-67-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-3-67-2017, 2017
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Here we demonstrate the use of a probabilistic approach for quantifying soil physical properties and variability using time and environmental input. We applied this approach to a synthesis of soil chronosequences, i.e., soils that change with time. The model effectively predicted clay content across the soil chronosequences and for soils in complex terrain using soil depth as a proxy for hill slope. This model represents the first attempt to model soils from a probabilistic viewpoint.
W. Marijn van der Meij, Arnaud J. A. M. Temme, Christian M. F. J. J. de Kleijn, Tony Reimann, Gerard B. M. Heuvelink, Zbigniew Zwoliński, Grzegorz Rachlewicz, Krzysztof Rymer, and Michael Sommer
SOIL, 2, 221–240, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-2-221-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-2-221-2016, 2016
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This study combined fieldwork, geochronology and modelling to get a better understanding of Arctic soil development on a landscape scale. Main processes are aeolian deposition, physical and chemical weathering and silt translocation. Discrepancies between model results and field observations showed that soil and landscape development is not as straightforward as we hypothesized. Interactions between landscape processes and soil processes have resulted in a complex soil pattern in the landscape.
Z. Kardanpour, O. S. Jacobsen, and K. H. Esbensen
SOIL, 1, 695–705, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-1-695-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-1-695-2015, 2015
J. Madruga, E. B. Azevedo, J. F. Sampaio, F. Fernandes, F. Reis, and J. Pinheiro
SOIL, 1, 515–526, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-1-515-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-1-515-2015, 2015
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Vineyards in the Azores have been traditionally settled on lava field terroirs whose workability and trafficability limitations make them presently unsustainable.
A landscape zoning approach based on a GIS analysis, incorporating factors of climate and topography combined with the soil mapping units suitable for viticulture was developed in order to define the most representative land units, providing an overall perspective of the potential for expansion of viticulture in the Azores.
E. C. Brevik, A. Cerdà, J. Mataix-Solera, L. Pereg, J. N. Quinton, J. Six, and K. Van Oost
SOIL, 1, 117–129, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-1-117-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-1-117-2015, 2015
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This paper provides a brief accounting of some of the many ways that the study of soils can be interdisciplinary, therefore giving examples of the types of papers we hope to see submitted to SOIL.
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Short summary
Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) stabilize the soil surface mainly in arid regions but are also present in Mediterranean and humid climates. We studied this stabilizing effect through wet and dry sieving along a large climatic gradient in Chile and found that the stabilization of soil aggregates persists in all climates, but their role is masked and reserved for a limited number of size fractions under humid conditions by higher vegetation and organic matter contents in the topsoil.
Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) stabilize the soil surface mainly in arid regions but are...
