Soil Quality
Programme of work
Development of a risk matrix
To identify the soils most at risk, a new framework is being developed that relates threats and risks, and also accounts for different soil-land-use type combinations. It will also provide reliable methods to assess risk.
Development of effective soil health indicators
Safeguarding the nation’s soils requires effective monitoring. A range of new chemical, physical and biological approaches that deliver more affordable and effective indicators are being tested. We are also exploring the theory that the resistance and resilience of soils is determined by both its living and non-living properties.
The systematic collection of new samples will also aid in testing technologies (such as molecular methods) that might reveal information on the diversity and function of Scottish soils.
Spatio-temporal patterns
Soil is very diverse material. Any new indicators of soil health that we develop are likely to vary both from place to place, and over time. These indicators will only prove useful if we understand this natural variation and allow for it during soil monitoring.
As such, we are conducting research across a range of scales to determine the underlying spatial and temporal variability of soil health indicators. We aim to:
- identify how this natural variation changes in relation to existing soil health indicators
- analyse feasibility and opportunities for integrating different soil monitoring networks
- investigate the underlying biogeographical patterns, over field-landscape scales, and the degree of coupling of soil biodiversity, climate and vegetation
Response functions
We are trying to identify at which point in a process (such as heavy metal addition to soil or loss of carbon from soils) that soil begins to show signs of malfunction. We will then use wide area modelling of these findings as a basis for predictions directly relevant to end-users and stakeholders.
The key threats and risks to soil that will be investigated here include soil erosion, carbon loss, soil water status and metal toxicity.
Related Research Areas
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Updated: 10 Jan 2012, Content by: MC
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