Soil Profiling: Bridging Routine Practice and Scientific Challenges

Describing a soil profile is a routine task for soil scientists, agronomists, and other professionals working in fields related to soil management and land use planning. This involves visiting a site, digging a soil pit, or taking a core sample, and then documenting the various layers or horizons present in the soil. Professionals are trained to recognize and characterize soil horizons based on their color, texture, structure, consistency, roots, and other distinguishing features. Soil profile description can also be a challenging scientific issue when it involves more detailed analysis, interpretation, and understanding of soil formation processes and their implications for environmental and land-use issues. Understanding the pedogenic processes that have led to the formation of the soil horizons. This requires knowledge of soil chemistry, mineralogy, and biology, as well as an understanding of the historical and current environmental conditions. Interpreting the effects of human activity on soil profiles, such as agriculture, deforestation, urbanization, or contamination. Dealing with complex soil profiles that have been altered by erosion, deposition, or other disturbances, makes it difficult to decipher the soil's history and formation. Using advanced analytical techniques to determine soil properties, such as spectroscopy, micro-morphology, or molecular biology methods. Predicting how soils will respond to future changes, such as climate change, land-use change, or management practices. Applying soil profile information for land suitability assessments, ecological studies, and the development of sustainable land management practices.

The objective of this topical collection is to provide an outlet for soil profiles (from all types of land uses, including urban and forest soils) and associated lab analysis and classifications (WRB, Soil Taxonomy) as data papers, providing comprehensive datasets essential for understanding soil characteristics, management practices, and environmental impacts. We encourage submissions detailing at least one full soil profile with exhaustive data (field documentation and lab analysis included the list of standards to allow reproducibility) for each. This initiative addresses the challenges pedologists face in publishing soil profile descriptions in traditional research journals. In this topical collection, we are looking for studies that describe soil profiles with necessary geographical characterization and an exploration of historical legacies. Soil profiling presents scientific challenges requiring a deep understanding of soil science principles and advanced analytical methods. The information from soil profiles is vital for diverse applications, including agriculture, environmental conservation, and urban planning.

Submission to the Collection should describe at least one full soil profile. The data must include, but is not limited to:

• Pictures of the soil profile with a scale

• Location (latitude, longitude), if under private property we should figure out something about the GDPR thttps://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=OJ:L:2016:119:TOC

• Soil horizon descriptions

• Physical, chemical, and biological analysis (e.g., texture, pH, organic matter content…)

• WRB or USDA soil taxonomy classification

• Site history and land use

• Methods and standards (e.g., ISO, CEN, GLOSOLAN, etc.) of data collection and analysis (including at least: Coarse fragments, Texture, OC, N, P, K, pH, EC)

• OPTIONAL, any additional lab analysis (exchangeable cations, micro, and macro-nutrients, Bulk density, micromorphology, mineralogy, ….)

Keywords:Soil Profile Description; Soil Horizons; Soil Classification; Pedogenic Processes; Soil Chemistry; Soil Mineralogy; Soil Biology; Soil Management Practices; Environmental Sciences; Advanced Analytical Techniques