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Item type:Publication, Access status: without files , Defining soil as a surface-coupled planetary system: separating pedogenesis from habitability(Wiley, 2026-07-23); ; ; ; The concept of soil is increasingly being examined within a planetary context, prompting renewed attention to the physical conditions that enable surface materials to support life. In parallel, planetary habitability has emerged as a framework for defining the minimum resources and conditions required for biological activity, independent of whether life is currently present. Here, we apply habitability principles to soils not to assert the presence of life, but to distinguish clearly between soil formation, biological viability, and functional performance. Habitability formalises a binary set of physical and chemical requirements—including accessible energy, liquid water, essential elements, and viable environmental conditions—that define whether an environment can support life in principle. By treating habitability as a state that applies to already formed soils, rather than as a defining criterion for soil existence, we resolve long-standing ambiguity around the role of biology in soil definition. This separation leads to a tightened planetary definition of soil as ‘an organised planetary surface system, comprising generally loose mineral and/or organic material, formed through sustained genesis via water-mediated surface coupling that produces internal physical, chemical, and/or biological organisation and enables system evolution through time, irrespective of the presence of extant life.’ Within this framework, soil health, soil quality, and soil security operate as continuous descriptors of function only within habitable or potentially habitable soils, while degradation is conceptualised as a contraction of habitable state space. Habitability thus provides a physically grounded foundation for interpreting soil function, selecting indicators, and differentiating soils from sediments and regolith across Earth and other planetary environments.Publicationtype: Journal Article16 - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, Access status: with files , Rethinking global soil degradation: drivers, impacts, and solutions(American Geophysical Union (AGU), 2025-12); ; ; ; The increasing threat of soil degradation presents significant challenges to soil health, especially within agroecosystems that are vital for food security, climate regulation, and economic stability. This growing concern arises from intricate interactions between land use practices and climatic conditions, which, if not addressed, could jeopardize sustainable development and environmental resilience. This review offers a comprehensive examination of soil degradation, including its definitions, global prevalence, underlying mechanisms, and methods of measurement. It underscores the connections between soil degradation and land use, with a focus on socio‐economic consequences. Current assessment methods frequently depend on insufficient data, concentrate on singular factors, and utilize arbitrary thresholds, potentially resulting in misclassification and misguided decisions. We analyze these shortcomings and investigate emerging methodologies that provide scalable and objective evaluations, offering a more accurate representation of soil vulnerability. Additionally, the review assesses both physical and biological indicators, as well as the potential of technologies such as remote sensing, artificial intelligence, and big data analytics for enhanced monitoring and forecasting. Key factors driving soil degradation, including unsustainable agricultural practices, deforestation, industrial activities, and extreme climate events, are thoroughly examined. The review emphasizes the importance of healthy soils in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly concerning food and water security, ecosystem health, poverty alleviation, and climate action. It suggests future research directions that prioritize standardized metrics, interdisciplinary collaboration, and predictive modeling to facilitate more integrated and effective management of soil degradation in the context of global environmental changes.Publicationtype: Review Article22 30 - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, Access status: with files , Continental scale soil monitoring: a proposed multi-ccale framing of soil qualityGlobally, soils are subjected to various management practices and stressors which can lead to degradation. This makes their protection essential for sustaining many functions and services as well as maintaining the overall life support system of Earth. National monitoring programmes are increasingly implemented to evaluate the state and trend of soils, a move which has been advocated by the Mission Soil in Europe. In soil science, frameworks have been established to interpret and communicate soil monitoring results, concentrating on the concept of quality, a term which can be interpreted in many ways. This paper explores the multifaceted meaning of soil quality, addressing its implications for future soil health assessments. It achieves this by focusing on the context of the Mission Soil. Soil health is a holistic concept embracing emergence, complexity and highlighting long-term vitality and resilience. In contrast, soil quality is often viewed through the lens of its capacity to meet specific human needs and functions, typically in a shorter timeframe. The concept of quality is assessed through indicators where the choice of framework significantly influences selection and interpretation. However, selecting appropriate soil indicators across Europe is challenging due to diverse climate, topography, geology and soil types, resulting in varied soil processes. Therefore, establishing clear principles and criteria for soil indicator selection is essential. Our paper identifies four distinct frameworks for soil quality assessment: ‘Fitness for Purpose’, ‘Free from Degradation’, ‘External Benchmarking’ and ‘Value Assessment’, with each possessing a unique role and application. Notably, the ‘Free from Degradation’ framework is emphasised for its alignment with soil protection efforts and its relevance to soil threats. This makes it particularly suitable for pan-European assessments conducted by the European Union Soil Observatory (EUSO).Publicationtype: Review Article18 25 - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, Access status: with files , Sustainability Nexus AID: soil healthAbstract The Sustainability Nexus Analytics, Informatics, and Data (AID) Programme of the United Nations University (UNU), aims to provide information, data, computational, and analytical tools to support the sustainable management and long-term security of natural resources using a nexus approach. This paper introduces the Soil Health Module of the Sustainability Nexus AID Programme. Healthy soil is crucial for life on Earth, and it is essential for ecosystem services and functioning, access to clean water, socioeconomic structure, biodiversity, and food security for the growing population of the world. Healthy soils contribute to mitigating the effects of climate change and reduce the consequences of extreme events such as flooding and drought. Healthy soils influence the hydrologic cycle by regulating transpiration, water infiltration, and soil water evaporation affecting land–atmosphere interactions. The Soil Health Module of the UNU Sustainability Nexus AID Programme aims to evolve into the ultimate focal point, supporting a diverse array of stakeholders with state-of-the-art data and tools that are essential for soil health monitoring and projection. This paper discusses the importance of adopting a nexus approach for ensuring soil health, explores the AID tools currently at our disposal for quantifying and predicting soil health, and concludes with recommendations for future effort and direction within the Sustainability Nexus AID Programme concerning soil health.Publicationtype: Journal Article30 30 - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, Access status: without files , Exploring the Relation Between Soil Salinity on Soil Organic Carbon Dynamics in Global Terrestrial Ecosystems(2024-05); ; Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) is a fundamental component of terrestrial ecosystems, connected to climate regulation, nutrient cycling, and soil health. The influence of soil salinity - referring to the concentration of soluble salts in the soil solution - on SOC content is acknowledged (1,2), but there is limited understanding regarding the precise direction and extent of SOC’s response to varying levels of soil salinity in real field conditions. This study explores the relationship between soil salinity and SOC content, necessary for understanding carbon sequestration processes, climate change mitigation, and terrestrial carbon stock stability. Using the SOC of 60,392 soil samples collected globally since 1950, we developed a statistical model (General Additive Model) and analyzed soil salinity’s relation with SOC dynamics while controlling the role of other environmental parameters. According to the results of the statistical analysis, we estimate that an increase in soil salinity from 1 to 5 dS m-1 would be correlated with a decrease in SOC, equivalent to dropping from 0.92 g kg-1 above the mean predicted SOC (31.77 g kg-1) to 6.34 g kg-1 below the mean predicted SOC (-700%), while considering other influencing environmental factors such as precipitation and temperature. Our results show the minor contribution of salinity to SOC while other factors such as climate, vegetation, and land management practices exert more substantial effects on SOC content. Key covariates in relation with SOC include soil nitrogen, anthropogenic phosphorous input, and soil pH. Additionally, our study estimates the effects of one standard deviation increases in soil salinity of the analyzed soil samples on topsoil (0 – 20 cm) SOC content, showing a 6.98% decrease in SOC. These findings highlight the importance of considering diverse factors in understanding SOC dynamics, providing insights into mitigating the impacts of soil salinity and climate change on terrestrial ecosystems.Publicationtype: Conference Paper24 - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, Access status: with files , Negative correlation between soil salinity and soil organic carbon variabilitySoil organic carbon (SOC) is vital for terrestrial ecosystems, affecting biogeochemical processes, and soil health. It is known that soil salinity impacts SOC content, yet the specific direction and magnitude of SOC variability in relation to soil salinity remain poorly understood. Analyzing 43,459 mineral soil samples (SOC < 150 g kg-1) collected across different land covers since 1992, we approximate a soil salinity increase from 1 to 5 dS m-1 in croplands would be associated with a decline in mineral soils SOC from 0.14 g kg-1 above the mean predicted SOC ([Formula: see text] = 18.47 g kg-1) to 0.46 g kg-1 below [Formula: see text] (~-430%), while for noncroplands, such decline is sharper, from 0.96 above [Formula: see text] = 35.96 g kg-1 to 4.99 below [Formula: see text] (~-620%). Although salinity's significance in explaining SOC variability is minor (<6%), we estimate a one SD increase in salinity of topsoil samples (0 to 7 cm) correlates with respective [Formula: see text] declines of ~4.4% and ~9.26%, relative to [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. The [Formula: see text] decline in croplands is greatest in vegetation/cropland mosaics while lands covered with evergreen needle-leaved trees are estimated with the highest [Formula: see text] decline in noncroplands. We identify soil nitrogen, land cover, and precipitation Seasonality Index as the most significant parameters in explaining the SOC's variability. The findings provide insights into SOC dynamics under increased soil salinity, improving understanding of SOC stock responses to land degradation and climate warming.Publicationtype: Journal ArticleScopus© Citations 1 9 81