IUSS Alert 193 (July 2021)

IUSS News

Attendance Survey for WCSS 2022

The world has changed, and life is different to how it once was. As such, we here at the World Congress of Soil Science (Glasgow 31 July 2022- 5 August 2022) are planning a conference a bit different to any that have gone before, for the first time we are offering a hybrid conference to allow participation where travel is not possible. We want to see as many of you as in person as we can, to collaborate and to share, to demonstrate and learn, but know this may not be possible for some. We need your help to know what to expect, to know who is coming, and how to adapt to meet their needs. We ask that you please fill out the form online until August 23, or send us an email at wcss22@soils.org.uk, and let us know what your plans for attending are.

Take the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/HBDLKFM

Congress website: https://www.soils.org.uk/wcss2022

IUSS Stimulus Fund – second call for submissions 2021

IUSS has established an annual Stimulus Fund to support suitable activities within its Commissions and Working Groups. Where appropriate, the Fund will also support other activities to assist the development of soil science generally but particularly in regions of the world where lack of resources limit opportunities. Research projects or travel costs of individuals will not be funded. Applications should be sent to . The initial application process requires a short written proposal of no more than 500 words plus a budget indicating how the funds awarded are to be spent in relation to the total budget of the activity. The normal maximum award will be USD 2,500.

Submission Deadline: September 15, 2021

IUSS Calendar ‘Soilutions’ printfile available

IUSS considers stopping soil degradation as one of its most important tasks, and invited to propose ‘Soilutions’ in the form of a poster in order to preserve this unique resource and life itself.

The ideas and proposals should represent the role of the soil as an essential natural resource to preserve the environment. This is very relevant for reaching many of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The contest was an initiative under the umbrella of the International Decade of Soils 2015-2024, which shall increase the awareness about the importance of soil.

Based on the best 12 posters a permanent calendar was produced. Please see as an example the sheet for July:

You can download the print file here: iuss_calendar_def_printing_version.pdf (59 MB)

Paleopedology Newsletter

The Paleopedology Newsletter, a joint initiative of IUSS Commission 1.6 – Paleopedology and INQUA Palaeopedology Working Group, is now available. Among others, it includes the Annual report of the IUSS Commission 1.6. Then Peter N. Eze provides his interpretation for a pedo-stratigraphic section in northern Botswana. Georges Stoops, Roger Langohr and Eric Van Ranst share the paleopedology part of their meta-analysis micromorphological study from Belgium. And Curtis Monger delineates a global view on soil’s potential for sequestering CO2 as soil inorganic carbon.

News from the Soil Science Society of China

Chinese Soil Scientists Revealed the Role of Earthworms to Reduce Antibiotic Resistance Genes

Accumulation of medically relevant antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in the environment is an emerging global environmental and health crisis. Earthworms are widely distributed, and are known to degrade soil pollutants, they might hold the key to solving this global crisis. Here, we conducted a continental-scale survey and a microcosm study to evaluate the potential role of earthworms in remediating soil ARGs. We show that earthworms consistently reduce the diversity and abundance of ARGs both in natural and agricultural ecosystems, and under controlled experimental conditions. Processes in the earthworm gut affect the abundance of ARGs by reducing the abundance of dominant bacterial phylotypes that are the likely hosts of ARGs. Earthworms could provide a sustainable and natural solution to address the global ARG crisis. The results have been published in Environmental Science & Technology and received a lot of media attention, including Science Daily, GEN, Technology Networks, and so forth.

News from the Pacific Regional Society of Soil Science (PRSSS)

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

Since April 2021, rotating members of the PRSSS team have been hosting 5-10 minute Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) presentations on soil science related topics at their monthly meetings.

Selected resources: Implicit Bias & Microaggressions Module and Racism in academia, and why the ‘little things’ matter – Kevin N. Laland

Healthy Soils + Healthy Farmers Podcast Episode

The Peace River Forage Association has a great podcast that covers “all things forage, livestock, soil health, and sustainable pasture and range management”. This week they have released an Episode with PRSSS member Brooke Hayes. Brooke talks about her research on the link between soil health and farmers’ health.

Access the podcast: May the Forage be With You Podcast – Healthy Soils – Healthy Farmers: Brooke Hayes, Part 1 | Free Listening on Podbean App

Website: www.prsss.ca

News from the Latin American Soil Science Society (SLCS)

Argentine Association of Soil Science (AACS)

Blowing South: Southern Hemisphere Dust Symposium that will be held online on 9-10 November 2021, free of charge, abstract submission deadline: 7 September 2021. Read more: http://dust2021.cima.fcen.uba.ar/

Flyer from AACS

Soil Science Society of Spain

7th edition of the Ramon Margalef Colloquia “A cross-system view of the biological carbon cycle in the anthropocene”, which will be held online from the 5th to the 8th of October 2021. Read more: http://www.acoio.org/margalef-summer-colloquia/

Mexican Soil Science Society

Mexican Soil Science Society invites to participate in its online 45th Mexican Congress to be held on 6 – 8 October 2021, organized by the Autonomous University of Hidalgo. Read more: https://www.smcsmx.org/congreso2021/

Virtual course on Agricultural and Environmental Nanotechnology to be held on October 4 and 5, 2021, as a prelude to the 45th National Congress of Soil Science, organized by the Mexican Society of Soil Science. Read more: https://www.smcsmx.org/congreso2021/

2021 Australian Laureate Fellowship for Alex McBratney

Dochuchaev Award winner Prof. Alex McBratney (https://www.iuss.org/about-the-iuss/awards-prizes/dokuchaev-award/dokuchaev-award-2014/) has been awarded an Australian Research Council Laureate Fellowship, one of the most prestigious research awards nationally, for a project aiming to deliver a comprehensive systematic soil monitoring system within a world-first soil security framework.

More information about his proposed work can be found on the ARC website.

Read more about the objectives of the Australian Laureate Fellowships scheme: https://www.arc.gov.au/grants/discovery-program/australian-laureate-fellowships

Awards from the Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) to Bal Ram Singh

The Secretariat is pleased to announce that Prof. Bal Ram Singh, Chair of IUSS Division 3 – Soil Use and Management and IUSS Honorary Member, has been awarded the Soil Science Distinguished Service Award and the Soil Science Applied Research Award in recognition of his contributions and achievements. SSSA is proud to include Bal Ram Singh in their 2021 Awards Hall of Fame.

Daniel Theophilus Akwa Okae-Anti (1955-2021)

The IUSS Secretariat was sad to learn about the demise of Professor Daniel Theophilus Akwa Okae-Anti, which occurred on the 20th of June, 2021. He was 65 years old.

He had been the Vice President of the Soil Science Society of Ghana. He was an Associate Professor with the Department of Soil Science, School of Agriculture, University of Cape Coast in Ghana. He was also a Commonwealth Fellow. Prof. Okae-Anti had over 50 publications to his credit in reputable journals all over the world. His contribution, notably “Significance of microtopography in a Gleysol” presented at the 2010 WCSS at Brisbane, Australia, to the Soil Science Community will forever be cherished. His numerous graduated students hold key positions across the globe.

His death is a tremendous loss for the Soil Science Community and for Soil Science in general.

Messages to the family can be emailed to: aokae-anti@ucc.edu.gh

By Mr. Andy Kwakye Okae-Anti, University of Cape Coast, Ghana

General News

Invitation to contribute to the “Free to Think” monitoring project

Scholars at Risk (SAR), an international network of institutions and individuals with the mission to protect scholars and promote academic freedom, is inviting all ISC Members and their networks to contribute to the “Free to Think” monitoring project by providing information on verified attacks on higher education carrying grave consequences for a local higher education/scientific community that occurred between 1 September 2020 and 30 August 2021 in the following categories: (i) killings/violence/disappearances; (ii) wrongful imprisonment; (iii) wrongful prosecution; (iv) travel restrictions; (v) loss of position; (vi) other incidents.

If you would like to contribute to the 2020/21 monitoring project please submit your data preferably by 31 July 2021 to sarmonitoring@nyu.edu.

[From: ISC Newsletter, 19 July 2021]

IPBES call for experts to assess interlinkages among biodiversity, water, food and health and causes of biodiversity loss

The ISC shares an invitation from the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) secretariat to nominate experts for participation in the thematic assessment of the interlinkages among biodiversity, water, food and health (nexus assessment) and the thematic assessment of the underlying causes of biodiversity loss and the determinants of transformative change and options for achieving the 2050 Vision for Biodiversity (transformative change assessment).

Nominated experts should have strong multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary expertise, expertise in one or more disciplines of natural science, social science or the humanities, be indigenous and local knowledge experts or have expertise in indigenous and local knowledge systems. IPBES also encourages policy experts and practitioners to apply. All nominees should have experience in working within interdisciplinary, international and/or global contexts. Please find more information regarding the required expertise at https://ipbes.net/sites/default/files/2021-07/em_2021_17_nominations_nexus_transformative_en_0.pdf.

If you wish to be nominated by the International Science Council, please complete the nomination procedure by 6 September as follows:

Nominees are invited to complete the application form and attach their curriculum vitae through the dedicated web portal at the links below (to access this page you will need to log in with your IPBES website log in credentials. Nominees not yet registered on the IPBES website will need to do so at https://ipbes.net/user/register). Please note that the nomination form is in English only and applications should be submitted in English, as the assessment process will be conducted in English:

Nexus assessment: https://ipbes.net/applications/nexus
Transformative change assessment: https://ipbes.net/applications/transformative-change

The nominating organization (Nominator) indicated by the Nominee will receive an email with a link to the nomination form and will be invited to approve and submit the nominations in the web portal. So please indicate “International Science Council” as the nominating organization and “Anne-Sophie Stevance, anne-sophie.stevance@council.science” as the nominating person.
Nominators and Nominees will receive a confirmation via email once the nomination has been duly submitted.

Apply for membership with the Global Young Academy

The GYA (Global Young Academy) membership call for 2022 is open now. Applications are sought from young, independent scholars who combine the highest level of research excellence with a demonstrated passion for delivering impact.

Deadline: 15 September 2021

[From: ISC Newsletter, 19 July 2021]

Candidates for the Copernicus Medal 2022

The Copernicus Gesellschaft e.V., partner of Copernicus Meetings & Publications, invites you and your colleagues to suggest appropriate candidates from the international community of the geo- and space sciences for the Copernicus Medal. This award has been presented since 2014.

The aim of the Copernicus Medal is threefold:

1) It recognizes ingenious, innovative work in the geosciences or in the planetary and space sciences; 2) It recognizes exceptional efforts in the promotion and international collaboration in these disciplines; 3) It is dedicated to colleagues in the midst of their scientific career (e.g. no later than 20 years after receiving the PhD degree). Parental leave periods in this phase are taken into consideration at two years per child under 12.

Any suggestions will be assessed by an international and interdisciplinary committee and the award will be presented at a special commemorative event in April 2022. Please note that this medal is not in competition with other medals presented by scientific associations and societies collaborating with us on conferences or publications.

We kindly ask you to submit your proposal(s) by 15 November 2021 at the latest by email to: copernicus.medal@copernicus.org

ISC at the United Nations High-level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development

Access the recordings, slides and related materials if you have missed our two side events facilitated in the frame of the 2021 UN HLPF:

Unleashing Science: Delivering Missions for Sustainability – https://council.science/events/science-funding-missions-hlpf/
Enhancing Policy-making During an Emergency: Lessons Learned from the COVID-19 Pandemic – https://council.science/events/policymaking-emergency-covid-hlpf/

More information on the 2021 HLPF can be found at https://council.science/hlpf/2021-2/.

[From: ISC Newsletter, 19 July 2021]

What do we know and don’t know about soil fauna communities’ response to soil pollution?

In the GSBI Blog “Beneath Our Feet” Léa Beaumelle, INRAE, France, discusses her new paper in Ecography: The adverse effects of contaminants are most often studied in simplified experimental conditions, at the organism and population levels. Such studies are highly valuable to derive standard toxicity values and understand the mechanisms by which contaminants affect organisms. However, in real-world scenarios, species are not alone in their test tubes, they interact with each other and with their abiotic environment. At this ecological scale, the adverse effects of contaminants can emerge through indirect effects mediated by species interactions.

[From GSBI Newsletter – July 2021]

Mercury stocks and fluxes to river-basins and sea outlets

JRC scientists modelled the Hg pool in EU topsoils, which totals about 44.8 Gg, with an average density of 103 g ha-1. As a following step, we coupled the estimated Hg stocks in topsoil with the pan-European assessment of soil loss due to water erosion and sediment distribution. In the European Union and UK, we estimated that about 43 Mg Hg yr-1 are displaced by water erosion and c.a. 6 Mg Hg yr-1 are transferred with sediments to river basins and eventually released to coastal Oceans. The Mediterranean Sea receives almost half (2.94 Mg yr-1) of the Hg fluxes to coastal oceans and it records the highest quantity of Hg sediment. This publication couples soil diffuse contamination of an emerging pollutant (mercury) with sediment distribution models at continental scale. This work contributes to new knowledge in support of the policy development in the EU on the Zero Pollution Action Plan and the Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) 3.9 and 14.1. Data are available:

[From: European Soil Data Centre Newsletter No.132 (July 2021)]

Soil letters

Have you already read the latest #SoilLetters? This series of publications aims to provide concise and clear information on topics linked to the work and activities led by the Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils (ITPS).

Towards a definition of soil health: http://tiny.cc/b62auz

Soil organic carbon and nitrogen: http://tiny.cc/c62auz

Salt-affected soils are a global issue: http://tiny.cc/n62auz

Online trainings on topics related to soil analysis

The Global Soil Laboratory Network (GLOSOLAN) is launching a series of online trainings on topics related to soil analysis. This capacity development programme will start with a cycle of webinars on dry chemistry/soil spectroscopy, first training on 6 September 2021.

Learn more about it and register for the trainings: http://www.fao.org/global-soil-partnership/resources/highlights/detail/en/c/1414152/?fbclid=IwAR0u2qJEQn1dC3qcgsutWhYxPEb9nOKaHlmSai7mC1KKLkLNVIPFZGkeMjo

Soil Security for the European Union

Soil security has emerged during the recent years as a new paradigm for addressing sustainable soil management. Soil security was first presented in the literature in 2013–2014 (Koch et al., 2013; McBratney et al., 2014). Both publications defined soil security as the maintenance and improvement of the world’s soil resources so that they can continue to provide food and fresh water, make major contributions to energy and climate sustainability, and help maintaining biodiversity and the overall protection of ecosystem goods and services. After the first publications on soil security, some regional studies addressed the subject in Australia (Bennett et al., 2019) and Tasmania (Kidd et al., 2018). Meanwhile, soil security starts to gain the momentum as it is linked to crop production and global climate (Beerling et al., 2018), soil contamination and human health (Carre et al., 2017; Brevik et al., 2017), farming and ecosystem services (Dazzi et al., 2019) and with the Sustainable Development Goals (Bouma, 2020).

Conferences, Meetings and Workshops

Due to the Corona pandemic and ensuing travel restrictions most of the events planned for 2020 had to be cancelled or postponed. This continued to some extent in 2021. For a current list of upcoming events, please consult the IUSS website: https://www.iuss.org/meetings-events/

2021

Managing soils as the foundation for sustainable agriculture – What we need from the UN Food System Summit and COP 26

7 September 2021 (postponed from 29 June), 14:00-15:30 BST (UTC+1), 9:00-10:30 EDT (UTC-4), 18:30-20:00 IST (UTC+5.30)

We need a better approach to managing soils that is environmentally sustainable and regenerative – an approach which can provide healthy food for our growing human population. This requires us to align the economic needs of farmers and consumers, promote biodiversity below and above the soil, and optimise soil carbon sequestration. With 2021 seeing both the UN Food System Summit and the COP26 Climate Conference, this year represents a crucial opportunity to effect change by bringing the best of scientific knowledge into global agricultural policies and practices. Professor Lal, 2020 World Food Prize Winner and former IUSS President, will discuss the major global challenges of the 21st Century: climate change, food insecurity and environmental degradation. He will lead reflection and discussions on those solutions and support mechanisms that will empower farmers to change their management practices and provide incentives for nature-positive agricultural systems.

Registration: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIkdu2orjwvHtaJCBoegM2U2169Sl98zmgn

First EU Soil Observatory Stakeholders Forum including Young Soil Researchers Forum

19-21 October 2021, virtual event

A key element of the European Commission’s EU Soil Observatory (EUSO) is an open, inclusive and dynamic engagement among stakeholders. To facilitate this interaction, the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) is organising the first ever EUSO Forum. As part of this, the JRC is happy to announce the first Young Soil Researchers Forum.

Deadline for abstract submission of Young Soil Researchers Forum: 10 September 2021

Call for abstracts: young_soil_researchers_forum_save-the-date_call_for_abstracts.pdf

6th International Conference for Women in Science Without Borders – “Building a Gender Inclusive Sustainable Future Through Science, Technology and Innovation”

3-5 November 2021, online conference

This is a conference series held annually under the World Forum for Women in Science (WFWS). The conference, with the theme “Building a Gender Inclusive Sustainable Future Through Science, Technology and Innovation” will be an opportunity to highlight the role of science in building a sustainable future for all through science, technology and innovation. The conference targets scientists, students, practitioners, industrialists, journalists, and policy makers, among other key stakeholders in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

1st International Joint Congress on “Sustainable Management of Cultural Landscapes in the context of the European Green Deal”

10-14 November 2021 (postponed from October 2020)

Santo Stefano di Camastra, Sicily, Italy

On behalf of the ESSC (European Society for Soil Conservation), the EURECYS (European Ecocycles Society) and the Organizing Committee, we are pleased to invite you to attend the 1st International Joint Congress on “Sustainable Management of Cultural Landscapes in the context of the European Green Deal”. The objective of the congress is to shed new light on critical issues concerning the exploitation of ecosystem services, conservation of cultural heritage and to assess new perspectives to the future development of the cultural landscapes in the context of the European Green Deal. The Congress is open to scientists, students, educators, managers, policy and decision-makers. It will consist of invited lectures, scientific sessions with oral and poster presentations, and a scientific and cultural excursion.

Contact: Prof. Carmelo Dazzi,

Early registration until 31 July 2021

Deadline for submission of abstracts: 31 August 2021

Website: https://www.ecocycles.net/ESSC-EURECYS-Congress/

2022

EGU General Assembly 2022

3-8 April 2022, Austria Center Vienna, Austria plus enabled virtual attendance

The call-for-sessions for the next EGU is already open until 6 September 2021.

ONE – Health, Environment, Society – Conference 2022

21 to 24 June 2022, Brussels, Belgium (and via live web streaming)

Abstract submission deadline: 15 September 2021

Conference website: https://www.one2022.eu/

2023

Third Global Soil Biodiversity Conference

13-15 March 2023

Dublin, Ireland

Conference website: https://gsb2021.ie/

For the complete list of upcoming events, please see the event calendar on the IUSS website: https://www.iuss.org/meetings-events/

New publications

Exploring a Dynamic Soil Information System – Proceedings of a Workshop

Published by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in 2021. 120 pages | 7 x 10, price paperback USD 45.00, pdf free for download; ISBN: 978-0-309-49167-9, DOI: https://doi.org/10.17226/26170

Soils are a critical natural resource and support a wide range of human activities, but current systems for monitoring soils do not provide an accurate picture of changes in the soil resource over time. This new publication captures highlights of a workshop held to envision a Dynamic Soil Information System that would collect and regularly update data about soils and the factors that influence them. Participants discussed the need for the system to gather information on soil properties as well as land use and land management, moisture, weather, and other variables that affect soil. Discussants also explored the level of detail needed by potential users and how information can be most effectively collected, combined, and curated over time.

Soils and Stones Report

By Society for the Environment – Soils and Stones Task Group, published 23 April 2021.

This report reinforces the importance of soils and stones as essential to our everyday lives and the health of our planet, identifying the issues that currently hamper the work of environmental professionals in developing and applying good practices. Such practices are necessary to address soil quality and health issues, unlocking the opportunities to implement at scale the necessary and urgent action for change. We highlight the need to achieve a marked shift towards recognition of soils and stones as valuable resources and materials, rather than to be discarded as waste or mistreated. Added to that is the requirement for better regulation and guidance, supported by monitoring and enforcement to ensure consistent adoption of good practices. To achieve the scale of change required, we must facilitate greater cross-sector collaboration, ensuring improved access to knowledge platforms, existing online tools, and shared good practice. The report provides a limited but illustrative resource, with web links to regulations, guidance, standards, case studies, best practice, tools, data sources and supporting reference sources.

[From Digging Deeper with BSSS: Issue 2, June 2021]

The Soils of Libya

Edited by Hamdi A. Zurqani, World Soils Book Series by Springer, 2021, XIV, 134 pages, Hardcover ISBN 978-3-030-66367-4, Softcover ISBN 978-3-030-66370-4, eBook ISBN 978-3-030-66368-1, price hardback EUR 142.99, eBook EUR 106.99.

This book presents the soil pedodiversity in Libya. Soils are the source of all life; there can be no life without them. Further, each soil has its own history and its present conditions, which have been shaped by many different factors (e.g. climate, biota, parent material, and relief or topography). The book, divided into eight chapters, provides extensive information on Libyan soils. It demonstrates the problems that the country is currently facing as a result of climate change, soil erosion, salinization, and pollution, and outlines potential remedies to improve local food security. Bringing together the perspectives and expertise of many distinguished scientists from various universities and institutions in and outside of Libya, the book represents a unique and highly valuable resource.

Soils of the Laurentian Great Lakes, USA and Canada

By James G. Bockheim, Springer, 2021, XVII, 227 pages, Hardcover ISBN 978-3-030-52424-1, Softcover ISBN 978-3-030-52427-2, eBook ISBN 978-3-030-52425-8, price hardback EUR 120.99, softcover EUR 87.99, eBook EUR 93.08.

This book introduces the reader to the Great Lakes and considers their soil-forming factors and processes, taxonomic structure of the soils, soil geography and pedodiversity, while also addressing the importance and protection of soils in the Great Lakes Coastal Zone. The Great Lakes are an important part of the USA and Canada. Home to 33 million people, including 90% of all Canadians, the Great Lakes account for 20% of the world’s surface freshwater and 90% of the USA’s freshwater. Key industries include shipping, steel and automobile production, energy generation, fishing, pulp and papermaking, agriculture, and recreation. To date, there has been no comprehensive inventory of the region’s soils, which are now subject to dramatic climate change and environmental degradation.

Soils Under Stress – More Work for Soil Science in Ukraine

Edited by Yuriy Dmytruk and David Dent, Springer, 2021, Hardcover ISBN 978-3-030-68393-1, Softcover ISBN 978-3-030-68396-2, eBook ISBN 978-3-030-68394-8, XIX, 255 pages, price hardback EUR 131.99, eBook EUR 96.29.

Dokuchaev carried out most of his research in Ukraine. His student and friend, Volodymyr Vernadsky, went on to create trans-disciplinary environmental sciences and the concept of Earth as a living organism, famously taken up by James Lovelock. That spring of ideas still flows and the researches captured in this volume are relevant to present-day problems, and not only in Ukraine. Soils have always been under stress but, in the Anthropocene, mankind is in the driving seat. As a sequel to Soil Science Working for a Living: Applications of soil science to present-day problems, we consider issues of policy as well as soil genesis, attributes and functions in various environments, natural and man-made. We consider human impacts on the soil cover through its use and misuse, highlight methods of research and assessment of soil quality, and the threats of soil degradation. The distinguished contributors also describe and propose various options for evaluation and remediation of degraded soils, drawing on the latest methods of modelling and cartography as well as long-term field experiments and long experience.

Job offers

If you are interested in working in soil sciences and related fields of expertise, please see current job offers at: https://www.iuss.org/jobs/

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