There are almost no sites worldwide which are not affected in some way by anthropogenic organic chemicals, such as PAHs, PCBs, dioxins and pesticides, etc through atmospheric deposition, spillage or direct application. In terrestrial systems, soils represent the major sink for organic chemicals. The quantity and quality of soil organic matter, microbial activity and diversity, and the amount and accessibility of biogeochemical interfaces in soil are responsible for the overall fate of chemicals. Soils are highly heterogeneous, complex and sensitive to changing environmental conditions and land use systems. Long lasting loading of soils with organic chemicals can affect specific soil functions like a reduced rate of biodegradation of organic chemicals. Stress on soils will be fostered by an increased demand of farmland used for biomass/bioenergy production and more extreme weather events.
Research and methods trying to specifically increase the in-situ-degradation of chemicals in agricultural soils might be an important approach of a sustainable use of soil resources.
We explicitly encourage contributions that tackle the elucidation of soil processes determining the accumulation and transformation of organic chemicals. Integrative biological, chemical and physicochemical process-based understanding are of particular interest. Contributions that as well present the pro and cons of various soil remediation approaches are welcome.