The recovery of soil aggregates is crucial for improving soil quality in highly compacted reclaimed farmlands in coal mining subsidence areas. This study aimed to explore the key factors and mechanisms affecting aggregate recovery in reclaimed mine soil (RMS). Surface soil samples (0 ∼ 20 cm) were collected from reclaimed farmlands with varying reclamation durations (0, 2, 6, 12, 16, and 22 years)

Alpine grassland ecosystems play a crucial role in the global carbon (C) balance by contributing to the soil organic carbon (SOC) pool; thus, quantifying SOC stocks in these ecosystems is essential for understanding potential gains or losses in soil C under the threat of climate change and anthropogenic activities. Remote sensing plays a vital role in estimating SOC stocks; however, identifying reliable

Changes in soil organic carbon (SOC) and nitrogen (SON) are strongly affected by land management but few long-term comparative studies have surveyed changes throughout the whole soil profile. We quantified 25-year SOC and SON changes to 1 m in 10 replicate ecosystems at an Upper Midwest, USA site. We compared four annual cropping systems in maize (Zea mays)-soybean (Glycine max)-winter wheat (Triticum

Atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition and anthropogenic phosphorus (P) input simultaneously affect soil respiration (RS), a crucial process that mediates soil carbon (C) cycling. However, the interaction of N deposition and anthropogenic P input on RS, as well as its components—autotrophic respiration (RA) and heterotrophic respiration (RH)—remain largely unexplored. Herein, we conducted an 8-year field

The annual frequency of ground surface freeze–thaw (AFGSFT) on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau (QXP) is one of the most prominent features of the high plateau ground surface processes. Seasonal freezing and thawing of the ground surface led to changes, and sometimes anomalies, in the energy balance between the ground surface and the atmosphere, thereby impacting the ecological environment. However, the

Urbanization converts natural lands into anthropogenic-disturbed soils, which can dramatically influence soil biota. However, how urbanization influences patterns of soil biodiversity and the effects on habitat sensible groups, generalist and specialist species, are poorly understood. Here, we examined the responses of diversity and community composition of soil nematodes, the most abundant metazoans

In tropical regions, pedogenesis studies are challenging since most soils are polygenetic and studies on this approach are still lacking. Thus, complementary data is needed to understand their formation, which has been possible through proximal sensing tools. The objective of this study was to assess the efficiency of proximal sensing data to investigate the presence of lithological discontinuities

Elevational gradients are often used to reveal how soil microorganisms will respond to climate change. However, inconsistent microbial distribution patterns across different elevational transects have raised doubts about their practical applicability. We hypothesized that variations in bedrock, which influence soil physical and chemical properties, would explain these inconsistencies. We therefore

The quality and safety of soil are crucial for ensuring social and economic development and providing contaminant-free food. The availability and quality of soil data, particularly for multiple metals and metalloids, are often insufficient for comprehensive analysis. Soil formation and the distribution of metals are shaped by various factors such as geology, climate, topography, and human activities

Biological soil crust communities (biocrusts) establishing on gypsum soils have been well-documented for their prolific appearance and rich diversity of lichens and bryophytes. However, studies characterizing gypsum biocrusts have occurred primarily outside of the U.S., most of which lack comparisons to other soil types. We conducted intensive field surveys to evaluate the ground cover and frequency

Simultaneous estimation of multiple soil properties from vis-NIR hyperspectra presents a cost-effective and time-efficient approach. Previous studies have utilized multi-task convolutional neural network (multi-CNN) with share-bottom structures based on the hard parameter sharing. However, multi-CNN often ignores the differential characteristics of correlations between soil properties, limiting the

The degradation of fertile Mollisols due to unsustainable management practices poses serious threats to climate change mitigation and food security. Yet, the lack of four-dimensional (4D) dynamic information (i.e., space, depth, and time) on cropland soil pH hinders sustainable soil management. To fill this knowledge gap, over 17,000 soil pH samples were first collected from the Mollisols region in

Soil hydrologic functions are important for landscapes where soil water loss is significant. The largest ecological restoration engineering project, namely the “Grain for Green” program (GGP), has being implemented since 1999 in China. However, the general patterns of the effects of GGP on soil hydraulic properties under different conditions remain unclear. Aiming to understand the influence of soil

The synergistic effects of soil acidity alleviation and nitrogen (N) fertilization on soil physical attributes and their impacts on crop yields in highly weathered soils have not been assessed. The study was carried out in southeastern Brazil, in a tropical climate environment, in a sandy clay textured Oxisol. In total there were 12 treatments, that investigated the effects of surface application of

Understanding the spatial distribution of strontium isotopes in plants or other archives within a region is crucial for various fields, including archaeology, environmental studies, food sciences and forensic science. This study aims to create a detailed dynamic strontium isoscape for Belgium through high-density plant sampling, presented in a web application (IsoBel) that serves the mentioned research

Peat soils are high in soil organic matter (SOM) and are recognised stores of carbon. Knowledge of the spatial distribution of peat soils is becoming the focus of many studies and is related closely to peatland mapping. Accurate maps of peat soils have many applications of international importance e.g., gaseous emission inventory reporting or soil organic carbon stock accounting. Traditional mapping

In estuarine wetlands, tidal water is an important source of organic carbon input besides plants. However, it remains unclear whether tidal organic carbon input can affect soil organic carbon turnover processes in estuarine wetlands, especially soil respiration (SR) and carbon output. N-alkanes and lignin can be used as biomarker compounds to reflect the input and retention of organic carbon from tidal

Northern forests are characterized by low temperatures that play a key role in the whole ecosystem functioning. However, Northern forests are expected to experience the largest temperature increase of all forest biomes in the next decades, which could affect central ecosystem processes, such as carbon (C) mineralization and N2 fixation. Aiming to clarify the temperature-dependence of non-symbiotic

Studies have determined that soil biota have distinct responses to plant richness. However, the potential mechanisms that regulate soil biota (microbes and fauna) attributes (biomass, activity, and abundance) to plant mixtures over experimental time are still unclear. By conducting 1594 paired observations of the impacts of plant mixture on soil biota attributes and its corresponding potential drivers

Soil water repellency (SWR) significantly affects plant growth, along with surface and subsurface hydrology, posing a challenge for agricultural productivity and environmental sustainability. Nowadays, the occurrence of microplastics (MP) in the environment, particularly from agricultural practices, raises concerns about MP impact on soil properties. Among them, SWR is affected by hydrophobicity of

Shifting from reduced tillage (RT) to no-till (NT) often reduces phosphorus (P) runoff by minimizing soil erosion. However, it might increase nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions or nitrate-N (NO3-N) leaching. Including a legume cover crop such as hairy vetch (Vicia villosa L.) before corn (Zea mays L.) is a common practice among growers in the Midwest USA. However, the effects of hairy vetch following soybean

Iron oxide transformations in soil significantly impact nutrient availability and plant health. This study investigated the interaction between exopolysaccharides (EPS), produced by Rhizobium tropici, and iron oxide (Fe3O4), focusing on their impact on the transformation, particle size, and zeta potential of iron oxides. The characterization of the EPS-iron oxide composites was carried out using X-ray

Soil moisture is a key factor in hydrological, biological, and chemical processes, and plays a critical role in maintaining ecosystem balance. To generate high-resolution soil moisture maps at regional scales, researchers primarily employed in-situ observation-based spatial interpolation and remote sensing-based downscaling methods. However, direct comparisons between these methods are scarce. Additionally

The Songliao Plain is the main maize (Zea mays L.) producing region in Northeast China. The no-tillage22NT: no-tillage. (NT) method in alternating wide and narrow rows rotation mode is widely used for maize planting in this region. However, in spring, the NT method in this mode suffer from low soil temperature and high soil water content33SWC: soil water content. (SWC), which severely restrict maize

The Worldsoils project has developed a pre-operational Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) monitoring system in a cloud environment. The system predicts topsoil organic carbon content at regional and continental scales from Earth Observation (EO) satellite data with a continuous cover over Europe. The system utilizes spectral models for croplands and a digital soil mapping approach for permanently vegetated

A placic horizon is a thin soil layer that is cemented or indurated by Fe, Mn, and/or Al compounds as well as by organic matter. The placic horizon is a hard, continuous, and nearly impermeable and impenetrable horizon that retards the vertical leaching of water and inhibits the growth of roots. Placic horizons can develop under different climates and in various ways. However, we do not fully understand

A soil spectrum generated by any spectrometer requires a calibration model to estimate soil properties from it. To achieve best results, the assumption is that locally calibrated models offer more accurate predictions. However, achieving this higher accuracy comes with associated costs, complexity, and resource requirements, thus limiting widespread adoption. Furthermore, there is a lack of comprehensive

Nitrogen is an indispensable element in the growth and development stages of various crops, as well as an important component of soil nutrients. It plays an important role in farmland ecosystems. Studying the spatial distribution of soil total nitrogen (STN) is essential for improving the efficiency of soil fertility management and for a better understanding of the soil nitrogen cycle. In the study

Increasing pressure on arable land related to climate change mitigation and adaptation within recent policy frameworks has generated widespread interest in the effect of sustainable agricultural management practices on soil organic carbon (SOC) storage. Current frameworks point to soil microorganisms and their functioning as the key drivers of SOC accrual. This study provides a comprehensive on-farm

Straw mulching significantly affects the soil organic carbon (OC) pool, but its positive effect on soil OC is limited by the slow decomposition rate and shallow depth. Increasing the conversion rate of straw-derived carbon (C) to soil OC and the depth affected are important for enhancing soil carbon storage and mitigating global climate change. Anecic earthworms feed on surface organic residues and

Biological invasions are a serious threat to nature conservation and sustainable forest management. Invasive trees can reduce biodiversity, modify nutrient cycles and transform native forests into novel ecosystems determined by invaders. Almost all European trees form ectomycorrhizal (ECM) symbiosis with fungi, which is crucial for tree development. However, the impact of invasive trees on ECM fungi

Climate change induced mild and rainy winters may expose soils to more frequent and prolonged waterlogging in boreal regions. Resulting oxygen depletion induces reductive dissolution of iron (Fe) oxides further altering the stability of Fe-associated organic matter. Thus far, the impact of waterlogging on the coupled cycling of Fe and carbon (C) in upland arable soils remains unknown. We constructed

Microbe-mediated carbon (C) transformation plays a crucial role in the accumulation of soil organic C (SOC). However, microbial conversion efficiency of newly-added labile C and native SOC to necromass remain under-investigated. Here we collected the rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere soils under broadleaved and coniferous trees of varying nutrient availability, and conducted an 80-day soil incubation

The European Union has recently launched a proposal for a soil monitoring and resilience directive (“soil monitoring law”, SML), defining the SOC: clay ratio as descriptor of the soil organic carbon (SOC) status, with a ratio of 1/13 separating “healthy” from “unhealthy” soils. Using data of the Lower Austrian soil database, this article explores the mechanistic foundation and applicability of the

Generally, with increasing elevation, there is a corresponding decrease in annual mean air and soil temperatures, resulting in an overall decrease in ecosystem carbon dioxide (CO2) exchange. However, there is a lack of knowledge on the variations in CO2 exchange along elevation gradients in tundra ecosystems. Aiming to quantify CO2 exchange along elevation gradients in tundra ecosystems, we measured

Understanding the mechanisms that control soil organic carbon (SOC) persistence is central to soil management and climate change mitigation. In the present study, we utilised a chronosequence of Vertisols which have undergone land use change from native vegetation to cropping for up to 82 y in subtropical Australia. We examined whether the marked changes in SOC concentrations were associated with changes

Combatting desertification through vegetation restoration holds significant potential for soil carbon sequestration. However, understanding the effects of different restoration types on soil organic carbon component and the role of carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes) remains limited. This study assessed soils from four distinct vegetation types, namely grassland desert (GD), desert steppe (DS), typical

The structure of soil pores plays a crucial role in determining the distribution and retention of particulate organic matter (POM) within soil aggregates, yet the specific effects of different straw return practices on POM stabilization through soil pore structure remain poorly understood. This study aimed to quantify and visualize soil macroaggregates POM distribution and pore structure using advanced

Soil sodicity, salinity, clay dispersion, and clay soil cracking are significant issues for modern agriculture, especially in arid and semi-arid regions of the world. Sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) has traditionally been used to estimate potential changes in infiltration rates or hydraulic conductivity when sodium cations dominate irrigation water quality. Recent research indicates that the cation ratio

Microbial communities within biocrusts fulfill important ecological functions, particularly in dryland environments. Identifying the optimal conditions for transporting and storing biocrusts is essential to preserve and accurately analyze their microbial communities. However, the effectiveness of these preservation methods remains poorly understood. In this study, we collected dry biocrusts at different

The impact of human activity on soil carbon stock and soil fertility is at the forefront of scientific research. In the past, human practices improved soil fertility and increased carbon storage over long periods of time. Studying the resulting anthrosols provides access to their evolution over time scales that are unavailable otherwise. These archeological Anthrosols have been extensively investigated

This study investigates the stratigraphy and carbon storage of the Verlorener Bach and Loosbach valley fills, of the Alpine Foothills in Bavaria, using a combination of electromagnetic induction (EMI), electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), direct push electrical conductivity sensing (DP-EC) and drilling cores. We identified three distinct stratigraphic units, with Unit I consisting of gravel deposits

The soil sorptivity, S, and saturated hydraulic conductivity, Ks, are fundamental soil hydraulic properties that can be estimated from the cumulative infiltration curve measured with a disc infiltrometer. The Haverkamp infiltration model is widely used to estimate S and Ks. This model includes as inputs the constants β and γ and the difference between the initial, θi, and final, θs, volumetric water

Earthworms’ activities not only increase soil nitrogen (N) uptake by crops but also lead to N losses to environment. However, it remains unclear whether earthworms’ impact on the fate of fertilizer N differs based on the type of fertilizer application. Therefore, the present pot experiment examined the transformation and fate of two types of 15N-labeled fertilizer (synthetic fertilizer urea and organic

Traditional aggregate stability methodologies, such as wet sieving, rainfall simulation, and chemical dispersion, measure aggregate size, rather than stability. Sonication methods allow for energy-based measurements of aggregate stability, but most methods involve sieving to obtain gravimetric measurements of particle size fractions, which increases labor and variability compared to volumetric measurements

Machine learning (ML) applications in soil science have significantly increased over the past two decades, reflecting a growing trend towards data-driven research addressing soil security. This extensive application has mainly focused on enhancing predictions of soil properties, particularly soil organic carbon, and improving the accuracy of digital soil mapping (DSM). Despite these advancements, the

Investigation of the thermostability and solubility of ammonium-bearing clay minerals is essential for assessing the inorganic nitrogen preservation by minerals and revealing the fate of inorganic nitrogen in soil. In this study, natural ammonium illite and laboratory-prepared ammonium montmorillonite were systematically characterized to explore their mineralogical characteristics, thermostability

Draining peatlands for agriculture transforms them into significant carbon (C) sources. Restoring drained peatlands is increasingly recognized as a climate action strategy to reduce terrestrial greenhouse gas emissions. Restoration efforts often require accurate inputs, like peat thickness (PT), for C-stock estimation and monitoring; however, these are often lacking or available at suboptimal accuracy

Understanding the formation and stabilization of soil organic carbon (SOC) is essential for predicting SOC dynamics. Traditionally, it was believed that SOC accumulates primarily through the selective retention of recalcitrant plant lignin components. However, an emerging hypothesis suggests that microbial necromass adsorbed onto mineral-associated soil fractions play a more significant role in promoting

The Loess Plateau of China (LPC) is one of the most severely eroded areas in the arid and semi-arid regions of northern China. Improving soil aggregate stability and hierarchy in Calcaric Regosol is vital for mitigating soil erosion. However, Calcaric Regosol exhibits weak aggregate hierarchy, and there is limited correlation between its aggregate stability and soil organic matter (SOM). Arbuscular

Soil respiration (Rs), a critical component of the global carbon (C) cycle, is sensitive to changes in nitrogen (N) deposition. However, the temporal dynamics of the effects of long-term (≥ five years) N addition and its cessation on Rs in forests remain uncertain. We conducted a continuous field experiment, which included three years of N cessation after seven years of N addition at different rates

The fresh carbon (C) induced priming effect (PE) on soil organic C (SOC) decomposition is critical for global C cycling. Climate warming could raise absorptive roots production and turnover, and then increase the input of absorptive roots litter (ABRL). Therefore, it is urgent to understand the PE induced by ABRL under warming. We conducted a 210-day experiment by adding ABRL of Cunninghamia lanceolata

In 2023, the European Commission released a legislative proposal for a Directive on Soil Monitoring and Resilience which aims to define a legal framework to achieve healthy soils across the European Union (EU) by 2050. A key component of the initial Directive is the mandate for Member States to establish basic geographic soil governance units, referred to as soil districts, and appoint a district-specific

The long-term persistence of biochar in soil is often predicted by extrapolating mineralization data from short-term laboratory incubations. Single first-order, double first-order, triple first-order and power models have been employed for this purpose, all of which have an inherent assumption that biochar is biodegradable. However, recent insights challenge this assumption by suggesting that a large

Soil cracking induced by extreme drought represents a widespread natural phenomenon occurring across the earth surface, capable of triggering multiple weakening mechanisms within surface soils, potentially leading to the instability and failure of slopes and agricultural infrastructures. This study proposes an innovative geophysical monitoring framework for detecting field soil cracking by combining

Agricultural practices that promote the formation of soil organic matter (SOM) are considered important climate change mitigation strategies by increasing resilience to climate shocks and promoting soil carbon sequestration. Efforts to increase root production and depth distribution through planting deep rooted crops and selective crop breeding have been identified as a promising strategy to achieve

Long-term excessive fertilization and irrigation under greenhouse cultivation systems cause nitrogen leaching, while the residual content varies at different soil depths with cultivation durations. However, it remains unclear whether it changes the composition and assemblage of the soil bacterial community, especially at deeper layers (as deep as 4 m), after long-term intensified cultivation. This

Soil amendments enhance phytoremediation utilizing trees, have attracted considerable attention because of their low cost, great benefits and huge potential. It’s demonstrated that amendments facilitate the metal immobilization via adjusting soil pH and metal availability, while the underlying mechanism on amendments improving phytoremediation efficiency remains unclear. In our previous studies, the

Soil biodiversity and the structure of soil animal communities are important foundations for forest ecosystem functions. Forest gap formation is an important forest management practice used to transform monocultures into mixed forests. However, whether and how gap size and age affect soil biodiversity and modify nematode communities remains limited. We manipulated gap size (100, 200, and 400 m2) in

Extracellular enzymes play a key role in mediating organic matter decomposition in soils and the mobility of enzymes is largely controlled by their interaction with soil surfaces. The introduction of pyrogenic products, including biochar produced for the purpose of carbon sequestration or soil health management, may alter the ecological functioning of soil. In this work, we studied the adsorption of