The surface of ferrihydrite has mixed areas of positive and negative charges, allowing it to attract both negatively charged substances such as phosphates and positively charged substances such as metal ions. Photo: Jerry Bigham Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported CC BY-SA 3.0 DeedJerry Bigham Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported CC BY-SA 3.0 Deed

This is how iron minerals promote soil carbon sequestration

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Iron oxide minerals trap more than a third of the organic carbon in soil. Among them, a study explains, ferrihydrite uses different strategies to capture different compounds
The study, which involved the universities of Aalborg and Vienna, is particularly significant for a country with a strong agricultural tradition such as Denmark. Photo: Jane Tierney Attribution 2.0 Generic CC BY 2.0 DeedJane Tierney Attribution 2.0 Generic CC BY 2.0 Deed

Denmark has mapped national soil microbiome

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The study, which involved the universities of Aalborg and Vienna, holds particular significance for a country with a strong agricultural tradition such as Denmark. The degree of habitat disturbance, the authors explained, affects microbial profiles
Today only 7% of the original surface area of continental peatlands has remained intact, and their climatic boundaries are changing. Photo: SiberianJay Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International CC BY-SA 4.0 DeedSiberianJay Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International CC BY-SA 4.0 Deed

Climate change puts Europe’s last peatlands at risk

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Currently, a study has found, only 7% of continental peatlands can be considered intact. But climate pressure is increasing, and in the coming years the situation could worsen
The results of the Chinese study revealed divergent trends: soil moisture decreased between 1980 and 2023, but the trend reversed after 2010. Image: U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) CC0 1.0 Universal CC0 1.0 DeedU.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) CC0 1.0 Universal CC0 1.0 Deed

Measuring global soil moisture is more difficult than expected

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A Chinese study has proposed a new double validation method to compare humidity data from nearly a thousand stations. Highlighting and solving typical spatial representativeness errors
The use of heavy agricultural machinery leads to increasing soil compaction. Photo: Mark Stebnicki pexelsMark Stebnicki pexels

Plants use engineering to beat soil compaction

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An international study reveals the engineering mechanisms that allow roots to penetrate compacted soil. A plant hormone plays a key role. The findings open up new opportunities for crop breeding
Harmless substances such as table salt and other valuable products such as benzene can be obtained from soil contaminants. Photo: Patrick Domke / ETH Zurich. Copyright: ETH Zurich non commercial usePatrick Domke / ETH Zurich. Copyright: ETH Zurich non commercial use

Through electrolysis we can neutralize (and enhance) soil contaminants

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The Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich has developed an electrochemical method for breaking down contaminants, recovering harmless salt and other useful products for the chemical industry. This frees the soil from the presence of stable toxins
Plants and microorganisms are essential for mobilizing phosphorus in the soil, but their effectiveness is influenced by many factors. Photo: pickpik royalty freepickpik royalty free

Plant and microorganism biodiversity increases the availability of phosphorus in the soil

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Uno studio cinese rivela i meccanismi che influenzano la capacità di mobilizzazione del fosforo. La fertilizzazione riduce la presenza di elemento assorbibile, la rigenerazione forestale la fa aumentare
59% of global deforestation is caused by meat production and 33% by soy production, both occuring in the Amazon. Photo: Ben Lamb Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 DeedBen Lamb Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 Deed

Meat and soybean (plus coffee) are driving deforestation in the Amazon

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The latest WWF report identifies the main factors behind the ongoing phenomenon in the Amazon. Meat and soy top the list in terms of impact, ahead of cocoa, palm oil, and coffee
Permafrost, the authors note, covers about 17% of the Earth's surface and stores about one-third of the organic carbon in the world's soil. Photo: Boris Radosavljevic Attribution 2.0 Generic CC BY 2.0 DeedBoris Radosavljevic Attribution 2.0 Generic CC BY 2.0 Deed

Here’s how Arctic soil offsets emissions from alpine permafrost

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Climate change reduces the absorption of greenhouse gases by alpine permafrost but, at the same time, it stimulates CO2 and methane sequestration in Arctic frozen soil, a Chinese study has found. In the first case, global warming potential increases by 13%. In the second, it decreases by 10%
In China, vegetation restoration has reduced soil erosion from nearly 17.7 tons per hectare to less than 14 between 1990 and 2020. Image: PickPik Royalty-Free photoPickPik Royalty-Free photo

Vegetation restoration has curbed soil erosion in China (at least so far)

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According to research, soil regeneration in China has significantly reduced land erosion over the last 30 years. More extreme rainfall in the future, however, will raise the risks

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