Soil is the largest carbon (C) reservoir in terrestrial ecosystems and soil organic carbon (SOC) is the basis for soil’s biodiversity, health and fertility. Soil health is directly linked to the delivery of ecosystem services, including crop yields, and is directly determined by the concentration in stable soil organic carbon, and the availability of raw organic material. A sustainable management of ecosystems to enhance both, soil and subsoil organic C storage is one strategy to mitigate climate change and to provide soil-related ecosystem services. So far, sustainability of land and soil management, with special emphasis to agriculture, and long-term C sequestration are critically dependent on short- and long-term management, including the input of other nutrients, soil intrinsic characteristics and land use.
Thus, achieving sustainability in the long run requires the knowledge base on drivers and processes controlling soil C storage and cycling.
This session will provide knowledge about key mechanisms and proxies controlling physico-chemical and soil biota dynamics of soil carbon (both organic and inorganic) and other nutrients, and related soil health traits and definitions, in order to promote C sequestration in soil, and enhance the sustainability of agricultural systems and its relationship with natural systems.
Studies, opinions and other contributions in this session will aim to a wide range of topics related to SOC and soil inorganic carbon (SIC) and the relationship between them or with soil biota and non biological factors.
These topics may also include soil fertility, provision of ecosystem services, and computation of their economic values, and their changes. Contributions on the management strategies in agricultural and natural systems are also welcome, and will be summarised to help the translation of scientific knowledge into policy frameworks.
Types of contribution appreciated include, but are not limited to, definitive and intermediate results; project outcomes; proposal of methods or sampling and modelling strategies, and the assessment of their effectiveness; projection of previous results at the light of climate change and climatic extremes; literature surveys, reviews, meta-analysis; and opinions. These works will be evaluated at the light of the organization of a special issue in an impacted journal.