Summary
Soil sciences investigate soils as dynamic, living systems at the interface of lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere. Core disciplines encompass pedology and soil mapping, which elucidate soil genesis, classification and spatial distribution; soil physics, which examines water retention, heat flow and structure; soil chemistry, which explores nutrient cycling, mineral interactions and contaminant fate; and soil biology, which studies microbial communities and fauna that drive organic matter decomposition and nutrient transformations. Quantitative pedometrics and digital soil mapping apply statistical and machine-learning approaches to predict soil properties and create high-resolution, uncertainty-aware soil information. As the foundation of terrestrial productivity, biodiversity and ecosystem services, soils regulate carbon storage, filter water, buffer pollutants and support infrastructure. Contemporary challenges include climate change, land degradation, pollution and the need for sustainable management that balances food, fibre and bioenergy production with conservation of soil capital.
Research from Nature Portfolio
Recent studies have provided new insight into the global spatial and temporal dynamics of soil microbial carbon stocks. One large-scale analysis combining long-term microbial biomass data with random-forest modelling shows that between 1992 and 2013 soil microbial carbon decreased by approximately 3–4 %, with the greatest losses at high latitudes driven predominantly by rising temperatures. Continental surveys have mapped soil microbial diversity across Europe, revealing lower bacterial and fungal richness in woodlands relative to grasslands and croplands and shifts towards saprotrophic fungi and chemoheterotrophic bacteria under intensive land use. Field-based assessments demonstrate that the accumulation of multiple environmental stressors—from nutrient excess to moisture extremes—leads to threshold-driven declines in soil ecosystem services, signalling critical limits beyond which biodiversity and function collapse.
Topic trend for the past 5 years
The graph below shows the article count in Nature Index journals for soil sciences.
* The ‘Current Index’ represents data for a 12-month rolling window, the current window is 1 May 2025 - 30 April 2026.
Technical terms
Soil microbial biomass carbon: The mass of carbon contained in living soil microorganisms, serving as both a nutrient reservoir and indicator of biological activity.
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC): Organic molecules in soil solution that are transported by water and link terrestrial carbon inputs to aquatic ecosystems.
Digital soil mapping: The computational generation of spatially continuous soil information by modelling relationships between point observations and environmental covariates.
Ecosystem services: The benefits that people derive from ecosystems, including provisioning (e.g. food), regulating (e.g. water purification), supporting (e.g. nutrient cycling) and cultural (e.g. recreation) functions.
Random-forest modelling: A machine-learning ensemble method using multiple decision trees to model complex relationships and predict spatial patterns in soil and environmental data.
Notable articles in soil sciences
- Drivers and trends of global soil microbial carbon over two decades. Nature Communications (2022).
- Patterns in soil microbial diversity across Europe. Nature Communications (2023).
- Increasing the number of stressors reduces soil ecosystem services worldwide. Nature Climate Change (2023).
About these summaries
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Research
Position of Soil Sciences in Nature Index by Count
Leading institutions
| Institution | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) | 71 | 23.89 |
| Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) | 22 | 12.19 |
| Zhejiang University (ZJU) | 24 | 7.88 |
| Northwest A&F University (NWAFU) | 17 | 6.87 |
| China Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) | 24 | 5.13 |
| Peking University (PKU) | 17 | 4.07 |
| Nanjing Agricultural University (NAU) | 13 | 3.3 |
| China Agricultural University (CAU) | 14 | 3.14 |
| Northeast Agricultural University (NEAU) | 4 | 3.06 |
| Southwest University (SWU) | 7 | 2.68 |
Collaboration
Top 5 leading collaborators in Soil Sciences
Collaborating institutions
Note: Hover over the bars to view details about each institution's Share.
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