Effects of Soil Organic Carbon on Agricultural and Environmental Functions

Dear Colleagues,

Soils host the largest terrestrial carbon pool, amounting to about 1500 Pg C in the first meter, nearly twice that of the atmospheric pool. Hence, soil management may result in huge atmospheric C feedbacks, as much as climate change, conveying the scientific attention on soil organic carbon (SOC), mainly for its ‘climate regulation functions’.

However, there are other soil functions that can be enhanced by strategies aiming at increasing SOC content. Those include, for instance, the capacity to provide secure food through a higher soil resilience, the provision of soil biodiversity, the regulation of water availability and quality, the improvement of soil quality and the prevention/attenuation of degrading processes such as erosion or desertification. All those functions are affected by SOC balance, but are likely less investigated or quantified than the ‘climate regulation function’, although having themselves an indirect impact on climate.

This Special Issue will focus on Soil Organic Carbon and its influence on agricultural and environmental effects. We welcome novel research, reviews and opinion pieces addressing the relationship between SOC content/balance and soil functions, and is not limited to effects on the atmosphere, but also investigating a broad range of agronomic and ecosystem aspects. Related topics include soil biogeochemistry, hydrology, microbiology, agronomical field studies and modelling at any scale.

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• Soil organic carbon
• Soil functions
• Food provisioning
• Soil quality
• Climate regulation
• Biodiversity
• Nutrient cycling
• Water quality