User:Alandmanson/soil

Videos about soil
https://www.bbc.co.uk/ideas/videos/why-soil-is-one-of-the-most-amazing-things-on-eart/p090cf64 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szLWxI3iWd8&ab_channel=CSIRO https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYXoXiQ3vC0&ab_channel=BBC https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntJouJhLM48&ab_channel=SoilHealthInstitute Wood chip mulch for weed control - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbHXS5Qq88U&ab_channel=MelissaK.Norris-ModernHomesteading

Soil biology
Soil microbiology and pH

Zhang, J., Heijden, M.G., Zhang, F. and Bender, S.F., 2020. Soil biodiversity and crop diversification are vital components of healthy soils and agricultural sustainability. Frontiers of Agricultural Science and Engineering, 7(3), p.236. DOI PDF

Soil & climate change
Paustian, K., Lehmann, J., Ogle, S., Reay, D., Robertson, G.P. and Smith, P., 2016. Climate-smart soils. Nature, 532(7597), pp.49-57. DOI PDF Abstract: Soils are integral to the function of all terrestrial ecosystems and to food and fibre production. An overlooked aspect of soils is their potential to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. Although proven practices exist, the implementation of soil-based greenhouse gas mitigation activities are at an early stage and accurately quantifying emissions and reductions remains a substantial challenge. Emerging research and information technology developments provide the potential for a broader inclusion of soils in greenhouse gas policies. Here we highlight ‘state of the art’ soil greenhouse gas research, summarize mitigation practices and potentials, identify gaps in data and understanding and suggest ways to close such gaps through new research, technology and collaboration.

Soil data
Batjes, N.H., Ribeiro, E.C., van Oostrum, A.J.M., Leenaars, J.G.B., Hengl, T. and de Jesus, J.M., 2017. WoSIS: providing standardised soil profile data for the world. Earth System Science Data, 9(1), pp.1-14. DOI PDF Abstract: The aim of the World Soil Information Service (WoSIS) is to serve quality-assessed, georeferenced soil data (point, polygon, and grid) to the international community upon their standardisation and harmonisation. So far, the focus has been on developing procedures for legacy point data with special attention to the selection of soil analytical and physical properties considered in the GlobalSoilMap specifications (e.g. organic carbon, soil pH, soil texture (sand, silt, and clay), coarse fragments ( <  2 mm), cation exchange capacity, electrical conductivity, bulk density, and water holding capacity). Profile data managed in WoSIS were contributed by a wide range of soil data providers; the data have been described, sampled, and analysed according to methods and standards in use in the originating countries. Hence, special attention was paid to measures for soil data quality and the standardisation of soil property definitions, soil property values, and soil analytical method descriptions. At the time of writing, the full WoSIS database contained some 118 400 unique shared soil profiles, of which some 96 000 are georeferenced within defined limits. In total, this corresponds with over 31 million soil records, of which some 20 % have so far been quality-assessed and standardised using the sequential procedure discussed in this paper. The number of measured data for each property varies between profiles and with depth, generally depending on the purpose of the initial studies. Overall, the data lineage strongly determined which data could be standardised with acceptable confidence in accord with WoSIS procedures, corresponding to over 4 million records for 94 441 profiles. The publicly available data – WoSIS snapshot of July 2016 – are persistently accessible from ISRIC WDC-Soils through doi:10.17027/isric-wdcsoils.20160003.

Batjes, N.H., Ribeiro, E. and Van Oostrum, A., 2020. Standardised soil profile data to support global mapping and modelling (WoSIS snapshot 2019). Earth System Science Data, 12(1), pp.299-320. DOI PDF Abstract: The World Soil Information Service (WoSIS) provides quality-assessed and standardised soil profile data to support digital soil mapping and environmental applications at broadscale levels. Since the release of the first “WoSIS snapshot”, in July 2016, many new soil data were shared with us, registered in the ISRIC data repository and subsequently standardised in accordance with the licences specified by the data providers. Soil profile data managed in WoSIS were contributed by a wide range of data providers; therefore, special attention was paid to measures for soil data quality and the standardisation of soil property definitions, soil property values (and units of measurement) and soil analytical method descriptions. We presently consider the following soil chemical properties: organic carbon, total carbon, total carbonate equivalent, total nitrogen, phosphorus (extractable P, total P and P retention), soil pH, cation exchange capacity and electrical conductivity. We also consider the following physical properties: soil texture (sand, silt, and clay), bulk density, coarse fragments and water retention. Both of these sets of properties are grouped according to analytical procedures that are operationally comparable. Further, for each profile we provide the original soil classification (FAO, WRB, USDA), version and horizon designations, insofar as these have been specified in the source databases. Measures for geographical accuracy (i.e. location) of the point data, as well as a first approximation for the uncertainty associated with the operationally defined analytical methods, are presented for possible consideration in digital soil mapping and subsequent earth system modelling. The latest (dynamic) set of quality-assessed and standardised data, called “wosis_latest”, is freely accessible via an OGC-compliant WFS (web feature service). For consistent referencing, we also provide time-specific static “snapshots”. The present snapshot (September 2019) is comprised of 196 498 geo-referenced profiles originating from 173 countries. They represent over 832 000 soil layers (or horizons) and over 5.8 million records. The actual number of observations for each property varies (greatly) between profiles and with depth, generally depending on the objectives of the initial soil sampling programmes. In the coming years, we aim to fill gradually gaps in the geographic distribution and soil property data themselves, this subject to the sharing of a wider selection of soil profile data for so far under-represented areas and properties by our existing and prospective partners. Part of this work is foreseen in conjunction within the Global Soil Information System (GloSIS) being developed by the Global Soil Partnership (GSP). The “WoSIS snapshot – September 2019” is archived and freely accessible at https://doi.org/10.17027/isric-wdcsoils.20190901 (Batjes et al., 2019).

Tóth, G., Jones, A. and Montanarella, L., 2013. LUCAS Topsoil Survey—Methodology, Data and Results, EUR 26102 EN. PDF Summary: In 2009, the European Commission extended the periodic Land Use/Land Cover Area Frame Survey (LUCAS) to sample and analyse the main properties of topsoil in 23 Member States of the European Union (EU). This topsoil survey represents the first attempt to build a consistent spatial database of the soil cover across the EU based on standard sampling and analytical procedures, with the analysis of all soil samples being carried out in a single laboratory. Approximately 20,000 points were selected out of the main LUCAS grid for the collection of soil samples. A standardised sampling procedure was used to collect around 0.5 kg of topsoil (0-20 cm). The samples were dispatched to a central laboratory for physical and chemical analyses. Subsequently, Malta and Cyprus provided soil samples even though the main LUCAS survey was not carried out on their territories. Cyprus has adapted the sampling methodology of LUCAS-Topsoil for (the southern part of the island) while Malta adjusted its national sampling grid to correspond to the LUCAS standards. Bulgaria and Romania have been sampled in 2012. However, the analysis is ongoing and the results are not included in this report. The final database contains 19,967 geo-referenced samples. This report provides a detailed insight to the design and methodology of the data collection and laboratory analysis. All samples have been analysed for the percentage of coarse fragments, particle size distribution (% clay, silt and sand content), pH (in CaCl2 and H2O), organic carbon (g/kg), carbonate content (g/kg), phosphorous content (mg/kg), total nitrogen content (g/kg), extractable potassium content (mg/kg), cation exchange capacity (cmol(+)/kg) and multispectral properties. Subsequently, heavy metal content is being analysed but the result are not yet available and thus not included in this report. Based on the results of the survey, the regional variability of topsoil properties within the EU has been assessed and a comparative soil assessment of European regions and countries is presented. A series of predictive maps have been prepared using digital soil mapping methodologies that show the variation of individual parameters across the EU. In addition, the data have been used in studies to determine the SOC stock of the uppermost 20 cm of soil in the EU. While the LUCAS approach is designed for monitoring land use/land cover change, potential bias in the sampling design may not necessarily capture all soil characteristics in a country. Finally, a customised application has been developed for web browsers that allow users to view and query the LUCAS dataset in a variety of ways.

Soil degradation
The Value of Soil https://youtu.be/fH0wZSO705E This film depicts the value of productive land in provision of ecosystem services and goes on to show the current rapid depletion of this valuable non-renewable resource. Produced by: Economics of Land Degradation (ELD Initiative)

Soil organic matter
User:Alandmanson/soil organic matter