Soil ecology walk #8

The soil air. Find out why the soil atmosphere is quite different from the air we breathe...

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#soil #soilecology

https://youtu.be/f8rSCDbSzug?si=n0jVxH0hyzuwGGUM

Compound Weather And Climate Events In 2024
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https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-025-00657-y <-- shared technical article
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#GIS #spatial #mapping #global #extremeweather #climate #climatechange #highimpact #compoundevents #spatiallycompounding #water #hydrology #SouthernAfrica #HurricaneHelene #heatwave #drought #risk #hazard #flood #flooding #marine #ocean #ecosystems #humanimpacts #naturaldisaster #naturalhazards #infrastructure #costs #economics #society #USA #Nepal #China #Australia #soil #rainfall #precipitation #storms #UK #damage #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal #multivariate #monitoring #remotesensing #earthobservation #dynamics #mitigation #planning #watersecurity #foodsecurity #agriculture #crops #impacts

Identifying Environmental Risk Factors and Mapping the Distribution of West Nile Virus in an Endemic Region of North America
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https://doi.org/10.1029/2018GH000161 <-- shared paper
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[an older paper (2018) but a good one, including showing the versatility & usefulness of #FedScience spatial datasets]
#GIS #spatial #mapping #USA #WestNile #WestNileVirus #fedscience #NationalLandCoverDatabase #NLCD #virus #publichealth #arboviruses #environment #data #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal #fedscience #geocoding #environmental #landcover #physiography #climate #weather #transmission #model #regressiontree #risk #hazard #riskmaps #elevation #humidity #rainfall #precipitation #disease #soil #integrated #opendata #mosquito #satellite #SouthDakota #pasturelands #crossdiscipline #virology #remotesensing #earthobservation #Pathobiology #Epidemiology
@USGS @USGS_EROS

Splurged on a detailed soil test this year and received so much info, some is confusing. Any #Soil science #gardening folks here who can help?
Ph is too high but also too much sulphur (probably due to the pellets I scattered last fall). How do I fix the ph without using sulphur or peat?
And how is the nitrogen level so low when I add aged chicken manure every fall??

Just goes to show that one can always learn new things about soil health.

The first quarterly newsletter for CZ-NoN, the international Critical Zone research project I'm leading, is now available on our website. Have a look for science spotlights and information about upcoming events. #CriticalZone #geology #ecology #hydrology #soil #EGU25 #scicomm https://sites.middlebury.edu/cznon/cz-non-news/

Assessment Of Western Oregon Debris-Flow Hazards In Burned And Unburned Environments
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https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.70045 <-- shared paper
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[with more and more catastrophic wildfires, the engineering geology awareness and possible mapping of post-fire debris flow risk is important]
#GIS #spatial #mapping #wildfire #fire #oregon #risk #hazard #geology #geomorphology #risk #hazard #landslide #massmovement #landslide #postfire #soil #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal #engineeringgeology #extremeweather #naturaldisaster #debrisflow #mechasisms #property #infrastrure #publicsafety #lossoflife #model #modeling #calibration #water #hydrology #inventory #hazardassessment #geomorphometry

95% of the time archaeologists can tell when they are excavating in disturbed context. The 5% is generally when its homogenous soils. #Archaeology #soil

"Microplastics are now a ubiquitous part of our daily physical reality. They suffuse our #air, our #soil, the #food we eat and the #water we drink. They’re being detected everywhere, from Antarctic sea ice to human brains. A new #study published reveals how #microplastics hinder #photosynthesis across a wide range of plant species—including crucial food #crops." https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/microplastic-pollution-is-messing-with-photosynthesis-in-plants/

Now and forever, organic fertilizer smells TERRIBLE.

That moment when the manure is the better smelling bag you open

Cover crop mix is in the ground!

Just turned my compost and it's fun to watch it heat up. Hopefully hitting red soon. #compost #composting #gardening #soil

Earth's Storage Of Water In Soil, Lakes And Rivers Is Dwindling - And It's Especially Bad For Farming
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https://phys.org/news/2025-03-earth-storage-soil-lakes-rivers.html <-- shared technical article
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https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adq6529 <-- shared paper
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#water #hydrology #waterresources #global #management #watersecurity #soil #lake #river #snow #groundwater #agriculture #sealevelerise #SLR #climatechange #farming #overuse #waste #moisture #soilmoisture #ecology #ecosystems #storage #model #modeling #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal #rainfall #drought #consistency #wateruse #crop #plant #vegetation #irrigation #foodsecurity #evapotranspiration #ET #surfacewater #flux #GIS #spatial #mapping #remotesensing #earthobservation #waterstorage #depletion

"The new study has shown that a large contrast in #soil moisture levels over a range of hundreds of kilometers results in atmospheric changes that increase rainfall area and amount in several megastorm hotspots globally. This increase ranges from 10% to 30% depending on the region and size of the storm."

https://phys.org/news/2025-04-soil-conditions-significantly-rainfall-world.html
#ExtremeRain

#USDA cuts could cause long-term damage, reverse hard-won progress
For decades, #farmer John Burk has been working to improve #soil on his #farm, taking a few extra steps to make it more resilient and productive. His efforts have paid off. An added bonus: He needs less fertilizer
Trump considers these Yield-increasing steps—which include limiting tillage, planting soil-enriching cover crops or installing water chutes to control erosion—“far left #climate” activities.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/04/federal-funding-freeze-endangers-climate-friendly-agriculture-progress/

gardener survey: what is the soil profile at your place?

this is the soil profile at mine: https://soilseries.sc.egov.usda.gov/OSD_Docs/K/KEAUKAHA.html

TLDR: 0-4 inches of organic, on top of solid lava rock all the way down.

so my biggest challenge is building (and keeping) soil.

why "keeping"? because we get over 100 inches of rain per year, with year-round temperatures above freezing. so we lose a lot of soil in runoff and in organic processes (seriously, mulch just disappears...you're like "didn't i put mulch down?" but that was a whole 6 months ago, so it's probably gone now.)

the best way to retain soil here is to put plants on it, as soil will clump around the roots and the roots will hold the soil in place.

i'd love to learn about the soil profile at your all's places and what kinds of challenges you have in growing stuffs.

Quantitative relationship #model between #soil profile salinity and soil depth in #cotton fields based on data assimilation algorithm: forecasting cotton field yields and profits
by Gao Yang, Chang Lin, Zeng Mei, Hu Quanze, Hui Jiaojiao, Jiang Qingsong
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2024.1519200 via Frontiers in Plant Science #PlantScience

#Rewilding #Gardening #Soil

"3 Crazy Ways To Make Your Garden Soil Explosive" [5:54 min]
by HydroHaven

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPxDlwD5Xgc

Quote by HH:
"Mar 24, 2025
Tired of struggling with your garden soil? Three unconventional methods are explored, demonstrating how to unlock your soil's full potential and create a thriving garden. These surprising techniques, inspired by nature itself, can transform your soil into a haven for vibrant plants."

#TakeCareForLife #TakeCareForEarth
#StopBurningThings #StopEcoside

All sorts of #toxic materials are released into the #atmosphere when buildings and their contents #burn. It's why one sees urban #firefighters donning breathing apparatus. #Wildlands adjacent to the Los Angeles basin also contain #mercury and #lead in #soil and litter layers, deposited over many years from #air #pollution generated by vehicles and industries. #Wildfires often emit these heavy metals.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/28/well/la-firefighters-mercury-lead-blood-levels.html

Vapour Pressure Deficit and warming temperatures causing Earth to likely hit a point of irreversible moisture loss in its #soil as a result of #climatecrisis, according to a new study.
More than 2,614 gigatonnes of moisture was lost from 2000 to 2016.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2025-03-28/earths-big-dry-out-freshwater-loss-irreversible-climate-change/105100272

This is an interesting article, worth a full read, on an aspect of Climate not always talked about in much detail.

«… The drying out of soil “increases the severity and frequency” of major droughts …, explains Dr Benjamin Cook, an … Earth system scientist … “Droughts are one of the most impactful, expensive natural hazards out there, because they are typically persistent and long lasting. Everything needs water – ecosystems need water, agriculture needs water. People need water. If you don’t have enough water – you’re in trouble.” … The study points to two factors driving gradual depletion of soil moisture over the last quarter century: fluctuations to rainfall patterns and increasing “evaporative demand”. … the atmosphere’s “thirst” for water …»

When I read about these things, I think of the danger to the food system and human society. It saddens me beyond measure that we've got a society run by capitalists who, like locusts, just want to efficiently consume every last resource the planet has to offer with no apparent regard for the future.

The article also mentions it will be expensive, though. Does that matter to any of you capitalists? I know risk of societal collapse is not a worthy concern to you, just something to monetize. But it could affect prices along the way. Is THAT perhaps a concern, at least? Sigh.

https://www.carbonbrief.org/global-soil-moisture-in-permanent-decline-due-to-climate-change/