The study unveils stabilization and destabilization processes of soil organic carbon under thawing, in a hotspot of climate change impact, the Arctic. It shows deep thawing could expose organic carbon more readily accessible to degradation. This could result in a positive feedback loop, further enhancing greenhouse gas emissions and aggravating global warming.

The highlighted paper “Representing soil landscapes from digital soil mapping products – helping the map to speak for itself” demonstrates how operational digital soil map products can enhance decision-making. By shifting focus from traditional point-based accuracy metrics to the spatial realism and visual structure of digital soil maps, this research addresses a gap in soil mapping practice. The approach ensures that soil maps meet statistical criteria but also more faithfully represent soil landscape patterns, making them more valuable and informative for end users such as land planners and environmental managers.

The publication "Proglacial wetlands: an overlooked CO2 sink within recently deglaciated landscapes" is the first to report on wetlands in recently deglaciated areas. The study demonstrates that wetlands are an important component of these landscapes, but have unfortunately been overlooked in previous studies. As glaciers retreat around the globe, there has been rapid growth of research on deglaciation and its effects. This study provides timely insights that should influence future research in deglaciated landscapes emphasising the importance of including wet soils.