Frontiers in Soil Science Research Report of a Workshop (2009) / Chapter Skim
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1 Introduction
1 Introduction
Pages 1-7
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Despite the link between the quality of the soil resource and the rise and fall of world civilizations that has been repeated throughout history, soil remains an undervalued and underappreciated resource. There has been renewed interest in soil and soil science in recent years as the recognition that biogeochemical processes that occur at the Earth's surface influence global climate change, land degradation and remediation, the fate and transport of nutrients and contaminants, soil and water conservation, soil and water quality, food sufficiency and safety, global carrying capacity, wetlands function, and many other issues pertinent to the stewardship and conservation of land and water resources (special issue of Science, 2004)
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Soil scientists employ a multiscale approach -- from the molecular to the landscape levels -- to address issues related to biogeochemical reactions and processes in the environment, land use and degradation, regional and global climate change, food security, and water quality. There have been several National Research Council studies that identify areas in which opportunities for basic research in soil science are especially compelling.
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Because of the central role of the pedosphere, it is clear that progress in understanding key processes in the Critical Zone is predicated on breakthroughs in soil science research. An understanding of critical soil processes and the ability to measure them is also central to other emerging research initiatives, such as the National Ecological Observatory Network.
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. On December 12-14, 2005, the National Academies convened the Frontiers in Soil Science Research Workshop to identify emerging areas for research in soil science by addressing the interaction of soil science subdisciplines, collaborative research with other disciplines, and the use of new technologies in research.
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As part of the overall goal of the workshop to identify frontiers in soil science research, speakers, discussants, and attendees (the workshop was open to all interested individuals) were asked to consider overarching issues: • Main challenges and priorities within basic soil science research • Opportunities for inter- and cross-disciplinary research • Technological and computational opportunities to advance soil science research • Student and early career training issues At first glance, it may appear that the workshop did not explore particularly "new frontiers" in soil science research.
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The president of the National Academy of Sciences, Ralph Cicerone, welcomed the participants, noting the complexity of soils and the challenges facing soil science research. He noted that soil science was important to atmospheric scientists and other Earth scientists.
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Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. National Research Council.
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