THE FUTURE OF SOIL IN EARTH SCIENCES

Soil, the thin veneer covering terrestrial surfaces, is arguably the most critical compartment of the biosphere, supporting life and biogeochemical processes and providing vital services to a healthy planet. Soil provides continuity between deep geological environments and Earth’s surface. Soil is facing unprecedented stress, enough for some to suggest designation of a new epoch—the anthropocene—in geological time. The profound impact of human activity on soil resources and the intertwined water cycle present some of the biggest contemporary challenges to society and to Earth scientists. Meeting these central issues (environment, climate change, food security, etc.) requires transdisciplinary engagement of broader Earth science communities at all levels of the scientific endeavor, from education and curricula design to research and interactions with policy makers. Notwithstanding the importance of soil as a critical zone, the perception of soil science as a dynamic and rewarding professional career is declining and the reputation of the discipline among peers in neighboring fields and by some funding agencies is alarmingly low. Image problems may contribute to the persistent decline in soil science student and faculty numbers, which is ironically occurring when soil as a biogeochemical-hydrological element of the biosphere is gaining prominence as means to overcome many societal challenges. We believe that broad integration of soil science into emerging transdisciplinary science topics is a means to address many environmentally-related challenges. These issues and the importance of soil science and processes were articulated in a recent White Paper, distributed through SSSA. In it, we also suggested actions to broaden the interdisciplinary nature of soil science and to better collaborate with related scientific organizations, including GSA. We will discuss these issues and ideas for solving them.