Szervezeti egység: Department of Soil Mapping and Environmental Informatics

Soils provide a range of functions and services, such as organic carbon storing capacity, water management properties, ability to supply nutrients, filtering and buffering capacity, which can help address many environmental challenges and crises (climate change, land degradation, water security, food security etc.) facing humanity. The recognition of the multifunctionality of soils has led to interest in spatial and, increasingly, spatiotemporal information on soil functions and services, mostly in the form of maps, in many fields (agro-environmental management, rural development, hydrology, nature conservation, meteorology etc.). However, digital mapping and assessment of the spatiotemporal variability of soil functions and services is an area where further research is needed. This has led us to the following objectives: (1) investigating how state-of-the-art mathematical, statistical and machine learning methods can be used to map the spatiotemporal variability of soil functions and services, and (2) comprehensive assessment, publication and communication of the results in the form of maps, with paying attention to the end-users’ demands. While the methodological results are of great interest and the compiled maps are expected to have a wide range of applications at both national and international level, the main societal benefit of our research is to raise awareness of the multifunctionality of soils, which are essential to cope with the challenges and environmental crises of our time.

SERENA project intends to enhance soil policy effectiveness through the analysis of soil ecosystem services bundles across European agricultural landscapes, i.e. the analysis of a set of soil-based ecosystem services, which are repeatedly appearing together across space and time.

Furthermore, SERENA aims to highlight how soil threats affect the supply of services bundles through adoption of a set of site-specific (i.e. for different pedo-climatic and agricultural systems) thresholds. These have to be scientifically-based and identified with the relevant stakeholders, and their selection must support the identification of areas, which are particularly effective or ineffective in provisioning the desired set of services.

Consequently, the differences among areas in specific pedo-climatic agricultural systems may support the identification of policies and strategies to preserve or improve the joint provision of ecosystem services across landscapes, and limit soil degradation and contrast land consumption.

Further information: https://ejpsoil.eu/soil-research/serena