Soils are structurally heterogeneous across a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. Processes controlling the stabilization of soil organic matter or the sorption of nutrients and pollutants take place at submicron scales on mineral surfaces but also within soil aggregates. At the same time these micro-scale processes determine physical and chemical processes at larger scales up to the pedon and plot scale. In the last years, several new analytical techniques were established in soil science, reaching from the micro- to the meso-scale (e.g. AFM, Microtomography, MRI, NanoSIMS, TOF-SIMS, MALDI-TOF imaging, confocal Raman microscopy, XANES, XPS, FTIR). These techniques enable the linkage between different spatial scales and can facilitate precise up- and downscaling between these different scales. They will significantly improve the understanding of many soil processes of different complexity, reaching from organo-mineral interactions studied in batch experiments up to hydrological phenomena and plant-soil interactions studied at the plot level.
We invite contributions with a special focus on novel analytical approaches covering the micrometer- up to the meter- scale reaching from compositional imaging to three dimensional techniques to resolve spatial and temporal phenomena in natural soil samples. We also cordially invite contributions on statistical and geostatistical studies about up- and downscaling of results to other scales.