TY - JOUR
T1 - A systematic benchmarking framework for future assessments of soil health
T2 - An example from Denmark
AU - Gutierrez, Sebastian
AU - Greve, Mogens H.
AU - Møller, Anders B.
AU - Beucher, Amélie
AU - Arthur, Emmanuel
AU - Normand, Signe
AU - Wollesen de Jonge, Lis
AU - Gomes, Lucas de Carvalho
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 Elsevier Ltd
PY - 2024/8
Y1 - 2024/8
N2 - Based on current evidence and established critical thresholds for soil degradation indicators, it is concerning that over 60–70% of European soils are unhealthy due to unsustainable management and the impact of climate change. Despite European and national efforts to improve soil health, significant gaps remain. The proposal for a Soil Monitoring and Resilience Law, to be implemented by the European Union, seeks to establish a framework for soil monitoring and promote sustainable management practices to achieve healthy soils by 2050. This requires extensive data collection and soil monitoring systems to accurately estimate soil health across Europe, considering the diversity of soil types, climates, and land uses. To establish a framework for soil monitoring, we must understand the site-specific status of soil and the ranges of soil health indicators across specific pedoclimatic regions. In our study, we evaluated the soil status in agricultural areas in Denmark using soil health indicators and a site-specific benchmarking approach. We compiled nationally representative datasets, combining point and model-informed data of soil parameters such as organic carbon content, bulk density, pH, electrical conductivity, clay-to-soil organiccarbon ratio, water erosion, and nitrogen leaching. By categorizing Danish agricultural soils into monitoring units based on textural classes, landscape elements, and wetland types, we calculated benchmarks for these indicators, considering different cropping systems. Our approach provided detailed point-based results and a spatially explicit overview of the status of soil health indicators in Denmark. We identified areas where soil deviates from the benchmarks of different indicators. Such deviations might indicate soil functions operating outside the normal range, posing potential threats to soil health. This proposed framework could support the establishment of a baseline for assessing the directionality of future changes in soil health. Moreover, it is adaptable for implementation by other countries to support assessments of soil health.
AB - Based on current evidence and established critical thresholds for soil degradation indicators, it is concerning that over 60–70% of European soils are unhealthy due to unsustainable management and the impact of climate change. Despite European and national efforts to improve soil health, significant gaps remain. The proposal for a Soil Monitoring and Resilience Law, to be implemented by the European Union, seeks to establish a framework for soil monitoring and promote sustainable management practices to achieve healthy soils by 2050. This requires extensive data collection and soil monitoring systems to accurately estimate soil health across Europe, considering the diversity of soil types, climates, and land uses. To establish a framework for soil monitoring, we must understand the site-specific status of soil and the ranges of soil health indicators across specific pedoclimatic regions. In our study, we evaluated the soil status in agricultural areas in Denmark using soil health indicators and a site-specific benchmarking approach. We compiled nationally representative datasets, combining point and model-informed data of soil parameters such as organic carbon content, bulk density, pH, electrical conductivity, clay-to-soil organiccarbon ratio, water erosion, and nitrogen leaching. By categorizing Danish agricultural soils into monitoring units based on textural classes, landscape elements, and wetland types, we calculated benchmarks for these indicators, considering different cropping systems. Our approach provided detailed point-based results and a spatially explicit overview of the status of soil health indicators in Denmark. We identified areas where soil deviates from the benchmarks of different indicators. Such deviations might indicate soil functions operating outside the normal range, posing potential threats to soil health. This proposed framework could support the establishment of a baseline for assessing the directionality of future changes in soil health. Moreover, it is adaptable for implementation by other countries to support assessments of soil health.
KW - European soil monitoring and resilience law
KW - Soil districts
KW - Soil health indicators
KW - Soil monitoring units
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85198566295&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.121882
DO - 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.121882
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 39025010
AN - SCOPUS:85198566295
SN - 0301-4797
VL - 366
JO - Journal of Environmental Management
JF - Journal of Environmental Management
M1 - 121882
ER -