iuss bulletin 114 hires

Bulletin of the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS) | May 2009

IUSS Bulletin

114

International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS)The IUSS Bulletin is the official Newsletter of the In-ternational Union of Soil Sciences. It is freely dis-tributed through the IUSS website. All contributionsare welcome and should be send to the editor.

EditorDr. Alfred E. HarteminkISRIC – World Soil InformationP.O. Box 353 6700 AJ WageningenThe NetherlandsPhone: +31 (0) 317 471 713Fax: +31 (0) 317 471 700E-mail: [email protected]

Secretary General Stephen Nortclif, [email protected] SGAlfred Hartemink, [email protected]

Division 1 Ahmet Mermut, [email protected] Division 2Ruben Kretzschmar, [email protected] Division 3 Wolfgang Burghardt, [email protected] Division 4Lyn Abbott, [email protected]

CopyrightIUSSP.O. Box 353 6700 AJ WageningenThe Netherlands

Graphic DesignDaniël Looswww.bureaucontrapunt.nl

ISSN 0374-0447

PresidentRoger Swift, [email protected] Vice President Neal Menzies, [email protected] Treasurer Jim Gauld, [email protected]

BudgetsRobin Harris, [email protected] AwardsWinfried Blum, [email protected] Statutes John Kimble, [email protected]

I U S S B U L L E T I N 1142

M AY 2009 3

ContentsEditorial (Alfred Hartemink) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Call for Papers: 19th World Congress of Soil Science . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

New Secretary General and Deputy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Divisional report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9Division 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9Division 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Division 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Division 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

The 29th General Assembly of ICSU (Stephen Nortcliff) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

IUSS ALERTS November 2008 – April 2009 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Emerging global trends provide new opportunities in soil and water conservation (Julian Dumanski) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

European Confederation of Soil Science Societies (Nicola Senesi) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Five Questions to a Soil Scientist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25Five questions to Gary Peterson (USA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25Five questions to Winfried Blum (Austria) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Favorite Soil Science Books . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28Thorsten Behrens (Germany) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28Mike Vepraskas (USA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28Florence Carre (France) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29Murray Lark (UK) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Honors and Awards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31Andre Bationo (Kenya) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31Alex McBratney and Budiman Minasny (Australia) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32John Ryan (Syria) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Obituaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34Hans van Baren (Netherlands) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34Roel Oldeman (Netherlands) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35Tony Smith (UK) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37Peter Burrough (Netherlands) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Reports of Meetings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Upcoming Meetings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

New Publications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

IUSS Honorary Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

There is much going on in soil science. The era ofdoom and gloom and the idea that the disciplineis in a poor state is over in most parts of the world.There are heaps of new projects creating manynew job positions in a period that unemploymentrates explode in several countries. It may becaused by the increasing interest in foodproduction, the need for sustainable agricultureand the overall awareness of the soil as a naturalcapital – not only for our daily food but alsorelated to the water supply and even: the weather.It may also be sparked by the financial crisiscausing an apparent wish of many governments tomake strategic investments in times of financialand market uncertainty.

The already infamous ‘Restore science to its rightfulplace’ implies considerably more funds for thesciences. However, views differ how the recessioninfluences scientific directions and Naturesummarised this as follows: ‘Science is key tonation-building during a recession but scientistsmust learn to convince politicians of the need toprotect research budgets. Building global links andbreaking down the barriers between disciplines isvital if the world is to weather the financial squeeze.Central banks must also end their obsession withcutting interest rates and technology start-ups willneed to cut costs and sell what they can. A stimuluspackage for the developing world could, however,benefit everyone.’ (www.nature.com/recessionwatch).This all affects soil science and its funding in a positiveway.

Perhaps the current soils focus of governments andUN institutions follows the increased interest of thegeneral public in soils and the environment -whether that has happened through the soilsthematic issue of the National Geographic(September 2009) or the development of a home -garden at the White House premises. Scientists,including those that study soils, also realise that inmodern society scientific input is essential andpolicy debates cannot be escaped. As Naturerecently wrote: ‘..if responsible researchers do not

offer their opinions on policy, others will.’ As a result,soil legislation is slowly but steadily developing inmany countries and also at the EU level. Soils haveentered the policy arena.

Whatever the reasons are, the widespread interestsand new projects in soil science coincide with aquantum leap in the development of technologiesto measure, monitor and map soils. It occurs at ascale that could not be envisioned before andimportantly: with an accuracy and measureduncertainty that is demanded by the users of soilinformation. The result is that we have a little betterunderstanding of the temporal and spatial patternof soils. Our soil science journals contain dailyexamples of this all; over 17,000 soil science articlesappear annually. Of course there is dilution andsome recycling of ideas but these articles are notwritten by machines and it clearly shows that soilscience is thriving.

Editorial


With the hands in soil (hoe, hoe, hoe) following the adagiums:

Garden to cut food costs and Plant a Victory Garden.

The IUSS keeps promoting soil science andsupporting all its activities across the globe. TheBulletin, published since 1952, is one of theexamples and aims to inform the soil sciencecommunity on its many activities and its manybranches. Our good friend Hans van Baren has beeninvolved with the Bulletin since the early 1970s. Hewas the Deputy Secretary General from 1990 to2002 and book review editor of the Bulletin – Hanspassed away on 27th January 2009. He spent most ofhis working life in soil science, promoting it as adiscipline, and establishing a fine network ofinstitutions and soil scientists across the world. Thathas been of great benefit to the ISSS/IUSS and alsoto ISRIC where Hans worked and continue to worksince his retirement in 1997. I took over his positionin 2002. Now our weekly coffees and discussions areover, I will continue to work in his spirit and can onlystrive to serve the global community of soil scientistsas good as he did – with the wind in the sails.

Alfred HarteminkDeputy Secretary General

M AY 2009 5

The Organising Committee of the 19th World Congressof Soil Science is now calling for papers. TheCongress theme ‘Soil solutions for a changing world’will provide a tremendous opportunity to shareresearch, ideas and knowledge on a very broadrange of soil-related topics in a global forum. If that’s not enough to entice you, then perhaps weshould let you know that the Congress is being heldin Australia, in the heart of sunny Queensland’scapital city, Brisbane. The Congress Organising Committee has developeda stimulating program with symposia covering arange of topics from the four divisions of the IUSS.The Congress theme ‘Soil solutions for a changingworld’, is woven into the symposia topics, whichhighlight challenges currently being faced by theglobal population, including climate change, foodsecurity and sustainable soil management. The symposia topics include these contexts:• Small to large – Biogeochemical interfaces to

global information systems• Low to high – Wetlands to highlands• North to south – Permafrost to the tropics• Start to finish – Genesis to classification and

education• Old to new – History and philosophy to attracting

young scientists

The promotion of soil as an important and preciousnatural resource to young scientists and the broadercommunity is an important goal of the Congress. TheOrganising Committee of the 19th World Congress ofSoil Science invites you to be a part of it! For a full list of the Congress symposia, requirementsfor paper submission, important dates and furtherinformation about the 19th World Congress of SoilScience please visit the website www.19wcss.org.auThe conference will be held at the BrisbaneConvention and Exhibition Centre in the heart ofBrisbane’s famous South Bank parklands, Within minutes of leaving the Centre you can bestrolling along the Brisbane River taking in the cityviews, or dining in some of the best restaurantsBrisbane has to offer. The Greater Brisbane regionand Southeast Queensland offers spectacular naturalfeatures including the World Heritage Listed areas ofthe Scenic Rim, wetlands of international significanceand the sand islands of Moreton Bay with giantpodzols! The Congress will offer the best of Soil Science in afabulous destination – don’t miss out!


Call for Papers19th World Congress of Soil Science

At the Council Meeting in Brisbane I indicated that,after two terms in office, I would step down asSecretary General in 2010. The President, RogerSwift has established, under the Chairmanship offormer President Don Sparks, a Search Committeefor a new Secretary General and Deputy SecretaryGeneral. Brief outlines of the posts are available atthe IUSS website, visit www.iuss.org/IUSS DG-SDGpositions.pdf. Colleagues wishing to be consideredfor the position or to suggest possible candidatesshould contact Don Sparks at [email protected]

Stephen Nortcliff, Secretary General

Duty Statement for the position of Secretary General The International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS) seeksapplicants for the position of Secretary-General(SG). The position would be effective at theconclusion of the 19th World Congress of SoilScience in Brisbane, Australia in 2010. The SG playsa key role in the leadership, administration, andmanagement of IUSS and works closely with thePresident and other senior officers to advance theobjectives of the Union.

Duties include: • day- to-day management and administration of

IUSS including close communication with IUSS officers, national member societies andrepresentatives, and individual members;

• representation of IUSS at meetings of nationalmember societies, the International Council of Science (ICSU), and other organizations such asthe FAO, UNESCO, and Year of Planet Earth;

• conducting elections of division and commissionofficers; working with the IUSS Treasurer and Chair of the Budget and Finance Committee toensure the collection of dues and certification ofmembers;

• in concert with the President, members of theBureau and with other IUSS officers, prepare anddisseminate the agenda, reports, and minutes forExecutive Committee and Council meetings; and,

• in collaboration with the Deputy Secretary General,publish the IUSS Bulletin.

Qualifications: an internationally recognised soilscientist with a distinguished, record of accomplish -ment within academia, industry or government; arecord of participation and leadership in IUSS andknowledge of IUSS structure and activities; stabilityand flexibility in employment; support of employerin terms of time commitments to the position anduse of facilities (office, computer, telephone,photocopying, printing, etc.); a level of financialsupport from employer/country to support theactivities of the SG (e.g., secretary, travel, etc.),outstanding interpersonal and organizational skills;excellent English and communication (writing andspeaking) skills; and willingness to travel to meetingsaround the world to represent IUSS.

Duty Statement for the position of Deputy Secretary-General The International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS)seeks applicants for the position of DeputySecretary-General (DSG). The position would beeffective at the conclusion of the 19th WorldCongress of Soil Science in Brisbane, Australia inAugust, 2010.The DSG plays an important role in the leadership,administration, and management of IUSS.

Duties include: assisting the Secretary General whenneeded; maintenance of the IUSS website; responsi -bility for the IUSS Bulletin; and dissemination offurther information about IUSS, e.g., ‘IUSS Alerts’.

Qualifications: a highly-qualified soil scientist witha record of accomplishment in academia, industry orgovernment; a record of participation and leader -ship in IUSS and knowledge of IUSS structure andactivities; stability and flexibility in employment;support of employer in terms of time commitmentsto the position and use of facilities (office, computer,telephone, photocopying, printing, etc.); a level offinancial support from employer/country to supportthe activities of the DSG (e.g., secretary, travel, etc.),

M AY 2009 7

New Secretary General and Deputy

outstanding interpersonal and organizational skills;excellent English and communication (writing andspeaking) skills; and proficiency in informationtechnology.In both positions the capacity to serve for twoterms, i.e. from 2010-2018 is desirable but not aprerequisite.The Search Committee is chaired by Past IUSSPresident Don Sparks ([email protected]) (USA)and has Winfried Blum (Austria), Bob Gilkes(Australia) and Jae Yang (Korea) as members.


Division I

A new Working Group was proposed to IUSSCouncil for a new Working Group on Global SoilChange that explores pedological implications ofenvironmental change caused by global warmingand human activities on soils and landscapes. Theproposal was initiated by D. Yaalon, HebrewUniversity, Israel. The objective of the newWorking Group is not only to monitor and modelthe effect on soils accompanying the environ -mental change but especially to devise best waysof soil system adaptation to these human effects,to cooperate with and to advise variousinternational and regional organizations on thesematters concerning soils and pedological aspects.We hope endeavour to tap this activity and bringthe expertise to focus on a global discussion ofcarbon budgets and climate change, particularly assoils and soil carbon are now widely recognised ashaving a key role in these contexts.

Commission 1.1: Soil Morphology and Micro -morphology• Organized a successful 13th International Meeting

on Soil Micromorphology, Chengdu, SichuanProvince, China. Sept. 11-16, 2008. Discussionstook place about the future of soil micro -morphology and Kubiena award,

• 1st Conference on Commensalism with Landscapes,Sinai - Egypt, November 22-26, 2008. It wasorganized in ‘Bedouin’ traditional atmosphere.

Commission 1.2: Soil Geography• New Horizons in Soil Geography meeting will be

held in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, Mexico 26-30 ofOctober 2009. This is a welcome meeting after along time we had no international meetings on soilgeography. Thanks to Prof. Pavel Krasilnikov’sinitiative.

Commission 1.3: Soil Genesis• International Conference on Hydropedology held

July 28-31, 2008 at Penn State University Parkcampus.

• 5th International Conference on Land DegradationValenzano, Bari, Italy 18-22 September 2008 at theMediterranean Agronomic Institute of Bari, Italy washeld the 5th International Conference on LandDegradation (5ICLD). The event was attended byabout 100 participants from 37 countries worldwide.

• It is still not too late to take part in the Ninth Interna -tional Conference on Permafrost (NICOP), that will takeplace on June 29 July 3 2008 in Fairbanks, Alaska. TheConference is supple mented by interesting field trips.

• 9th International Meeting on Soils with Mediter-ranean Type of Climate. He meeting will be held inBeirut, Lebanon, June 22-26 2009.

Commission 1.4: Soil Classifications• An international scientific-practical conference

was organized on ‘Problems of soils classificationand diagnostics’ September 25 28 2008 in YuriFedkovych Chernivtsi national university (depart -ment of soil science and land management).

Commission 1.5: PedometricsMembers of the Working Group have beeninstrumental in developing new technologies formeasuring and predicting soil properties and we arekeenly aware of the opportunities for dramaticallyimproving access to soil scientific knowledge.• Digital soil mapping European Geosciences Union Gen -

eral Assembly 2008 (Vienna, Austria, 13 18 April 2008. • The 3rd Global Workshop on Digital Soil Mapping

was held between 30 September and 3 October2008 at Utah State University, Logan, Utah, USA Thetheme is ‘Digital Soil Mapping: Bridging Research,Production, and Environmental Application.’

Commission 1.6: Paleopedology• ‘Palaeosols, Geomorphic Evolution of Landscape and

Paleoclimate Change’, held in Chennai, India, 10-14January 2008. The International Conference and FieldWorkshop on Paleopedology named ‘Paleosols,Geomorphic Evolution of landscape and PaleoclimateChange’, organized by theDepartment of Geology,Anna University), took place in Chennai (Madras), India.

Ahmet Mermut, Canada

M AY 2009 9

Divisional Reports

Division 2

The most important activity for all CommissionChairs and Vice Chairs within Division 2 was theplanning of symposia for next year’s World Congressof Soil Science in Brisbane, Australia. Division 2 Vice-Chair Chris Smith took the lead in coordinating thiseffort. During the last year, our Division was alsoactively involved in the organization of twointerdisciplinary workshops. The workshop entitled‘Contaminant Dynamics in Periodically Flooded Soils’was held on August 27, 2008, during the Eurosoil2008 Congress in Vienna, Austria. About 80participants attended this very successful workshop.In four invited keynote lectures, seven contributedtalks and eight poster presentations, recentadvances in understanding chemical, physical,mineralogical, and microbiological processescontrolling the dynamics of inorganic and organiccontaminants in soils under fluctuating redoxconditions were presented and discussed. OurDivision also contributed to the organization of theworkshop ‘Micro Soil: Integrating Biological, -Physical, and -Chemical Techniques for the Study ofSoil Micro-Habitats’ to be held at the University ofAbertay, Dundee, UK on September 16-17, 2009. Theaim of this international workshop is to bringtogether current leaders in the field of modernphysical, microbiological and chemical techniquesthat can quantify the soil micro-environment,together with modelers and statisticians.

Activities of Commissions

Commission 2.1: Soil Physicswas mainly active in the organization of theBiohydrology conference to be held in Bratislava onSeptember 21-24, 2009. Well over 100 participantshave already registered for this meeting thatintegrates soil physics, hydrology, and biologicalsciences. The focus of this meeting will be the impactof climate change on water resources and biologicalsystems. Sessions cover a diverse range of topicsranging from pore scale processes to soil managementtechniques to improve physical conditions for plantgrowth. In the run-up to the World Congress in 2010,the commission has also organized sessions at theASA/SSSA meeting in November 2009. These sessionsdeal with modeling soil physical processes thatregulate water transport, carbon sequestration, rootgrowth, and systems modeling in field research.

Commission 2.2: Soil Chemistrywas co-organizer of the Eurosoil Congress held inAugust 25-29, 2008 in Vienna. In total, about 1500participants from 77 countries attended with about650 oral and about 750 poster presentations, within30 Symposia and 13 Workshops and 3 technicalexcursions. Among others, the session ‘BufferingFunctions of Soils (S13)‘ held a scientifically highlysuccessful and well attended meeting. In 2009 theCommission 2.2 organizes the second IUSS-DFGsymposium on ‘Advances of Molecular Modelling ofBiogeochemical Interfaces - Perspectives for SoilResearch’, October 6-7, 2009, Altes Schloss Dornburg,Jena, Germany. The focus of this symposium will beon a broad range of molecular modeling methods(from force-field based to ab-initio quantumchemical) including Monte Carlo and moleculardynamics techniques and their potential to contributeto better understanding of functionalities ofbiogeochemical interfaces in soils and help tointerpret macroscopic observations in soils.Additionally, the planned symposium is open for thepresentation of various experimental techniquescombined with molecular modeling studiesconfirming the importance of such combination forsoil research. For example, contribution in the field ofmicro-calorimetry, Nano-SIMS, AFM, XANES andsimilar technologies are warmly welcome. (See:www.spp1315.uni-jena.de/Symposium+2009.html).

Commission 2.3: Soil Biologyhas been active in the organization of the session‘SSS24 Soil Microbial Activity: Assessment, Monitoringand Modeling’ (Conveners: P. Nannipieri, C. Guerreo,C. Trasar-Cepeda) at the EGU in Vienna, April 13-18,2008. Six oral presentations and several posters werepresented. The Commission’s Chair, Dr. Nannipieri,has also chaired a Committee for the Biology andFertility of Soil Award to the best poster presented atthe EUROSOIL meeting in Vienna in sessions whosescientific description fitted within areas covered bythe journal. Other members of the committee wereAngela Sessitsch (Austria), Kornelia Smalla (Germany),and David Hopkins (UK), who examined the postersselected by conveners of the sessions. The committeenominated Mingrelia Espana, the first author of theposter entitled ‘15N-DNA Stable Isotope Probing toAssess the Active Soil Microbial Community involvedin Plant Residue Decomposition Process’, as thewinner of the award. The co-authors of the posterwere Frank Rasche, Thomas Brume, Ellen Kandelerand George Cadisch, all from the University of


Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany. The winner hasreceived a free subscription to the print and theelectronic edition of the journal Biology and Fertilityof Soil in 2009.

Commission 2.4: Soil Mineralogyhas organized a Session at the XIVth InternationalClay Conference to be held at Castellaneta Marina inthe south of Italy, June 14-20, 2009. The session isentitled ‘Contributions of Soil Mineralogy to SolveAgricultural, Technological and other PracticalProblems’. The Session will include 20 oral and 18poster presentations, subdivided into four mainblocks: 1. ‘Non-agricultural’, including a keynote paper by

Dr. Rob Fitzpatrick (Australia) and papers onapplications of mineralogy to landslides andforensic problems as well as on rheology.

2. ‘Mineralogy’, including papers on quantitativeXRD, oxides, palygorskite, and on minerals in soilson basic and ultrabasic rocks and on sandstone.

3. ‘Aggregation and physics’, including papers onorganic matter in soil clays, clays in aggregates,shrinking and swelling, clays and geophysics andgeotechnical applications.

4. ‘Environment and agriculture’, including papers onthe mineralogy of lead, zinc and nickel and ofcalcareous soils.

The poster papers cover a similar range of topics. Therange of topics, as well as the approaches involved(ranging from STXM and NEXAFS analyses through toEMI and GPR surveys) augurs well for both the Sessionand for Soil Mineralogy and the Commission’sactivities at the World Soil Conference next year.

Commission 2.5: Soil Chemical, Physical and Biological Interfacial Reactionshas organized the ‘5th International Symposium ofInteractions of Soil Minerals with Organic Componentsand Microorganisms’ (5th ISMOM) held in Pucon, Chile,November 24-29, 2008. The symposium was devotedto ‘Soil-Root-Microbe Interactions and the Impact onthe Transformations and Fate of Nutrients andPollutants in the Ecosystems’. There were more than250 participants from 42 countries of the 5 continentsattending 5 oral and 5 poster sessions withpresentations concerning physicochemical andbiological interactions from the molecular to theecological level, pertaining to the dynamics,transformations, bioavailability and toxicity of metals,metalloids, anthropogenic organics and vital elements.The national organizing committee was very active and

efficient and hosted a fruitful, successful and friendlysymposium. This meeting is held every four years.Other activities of Commission 2.5 included:• participated in the 4th French-German Summer

school entitled ‘Functions of Microbial Com -munities in Soils: Impact of Anthropisation andSustainable Use’ held September 8-19, 2008, inNancy (France). The aim was the presentation anddiscussion of the newly acquired knowledge on theecology (dynamics and functions) of microbialcommunities in soils of different use and contami -nation (forest, agricultural, urban and stronglyanthropic, e.g., post industrial soils).

• sponsor the ‘19th International Symposium onEnvironmental Biogeochemistry’ to be held inHamburg, Germany, September 14-18, 2009, andmost particularly two major sessions concerningthe soil as a biogeochemical interface and soil–plant–microorganisms interactions.

• support the symposium ‘Interactions betweenClays and Inorganic and Organic Pollutants’ of the14th International Clay Conference, CastellanataMarina, Italy, June 14-20, 2009.

• contribute to the organization of the ‘InternationalSymposium of Molecular Environmental SoilScience at the Interfaces in the Earth’s CriticalZone’, Hangzhou, China, 10-14 October, 2009.

Ruben Kretzschmar, Switzerland

Division 3

Under the umbrella of IUSS Division 3 are 5commissions and 5 working groups:Commission 3.1 deals with ‘Soil Evaluation and LandUse Planning’, Commission 3.2 with ‘Soil and WaterConservation’, Commission 3.3 with ‘Soil Fertility andPlant Nutrition’, Commission 3.4 with ‘Soil Engineeringand Technology’, and Commission 3.5 with ‘SoilDegradation Control, Remediation, and Reclamation’.Working groups are Acid Sulphate Soils, Salt AffectedSoils, Forest Soils, Urban Soils - Soils of Urban, Industrial,Traffic, Mining and Military Areas (SU/SUITMA), andnewly established in 2008, a Working Group on PaddySoils, chaired by Ho Ando, Japan.The Chair of division 3 took part in 2008 at the 2ndWorkshop Lysimeters for Global Change Research,Muenchen - Neuherberg, Germany, 15th ISCO -Congress, Budapest, 3rd EUROSOIL Congress, Vienna,Austria, International Meeting on Soil Fertility, LandManagement and Agro-climatology, Kushadasi,

M AY 2009 11

Turkey, in Brussels, Belgium, at the 1st Forum for theFuture of Agriculure-Debate on the Objectives forEuropean Agriculture, the Conference ClimateChange - Can Soil Make a Difference, the ConferenceEuropean Biodiversity, the Private Solution. to get anoversight about the newest state of soil investigationand management techniques and targets, torepresent IUSS and to campaign for the 19th WorldCongress of Soil Science in Brisbane and other IUSSactivities. On the IUSS Inter-Congress meeting inBrisbane the Chair and Vice Chair of IUSS Division 3represented and organized the interests of IUSSDivision 3. In 2009 the Chair plans to attend, beside nationalmeetings, the International Conference of ESSC onProtection of the Ecological and ProductiveFunctions of Soil in a Pan European Context inPrague - Pruhonice, Czechia, the 5th SUITMA (UrbanSoils) Conference in New York, USA, the symposiumof IUSS Commission 3.4 on Soil Engineering andTechnology for Human and Ecosystem Health, PlantNutrition and Human Welfare in Seoul, Korea, andthe 5th Conference of African Soil Science Society inYaoundé, Cameroon to strengthen links of IUSS toAfrica, Asia and modern tasks of soil science such assoil technology and engineering, soils of urban areasand loss of soils by sealing. A main part of activities within the Division 3 concernsthe 19th World Congress of Soil Science, August 1-6,2010 in Brisbane, Australia. All commissions andworking groups of IUSS Division 3 will organisesymposia. 21 symposia were proposed and arranged.There are also a number of other meetings in preparation.The Division Chair is organising an InternationalConference on Soil Fertility and Soil Productivity atMarch 17-20, 2010 in Berlin, Germany (see: www.uni-due.de//soil-fertility-productivity2010/index.shtml)with the aim to focus international soil science on theurgent needs for food and energy supply of a worldwith increasing population, increasing income and bythis demand of higher food quality, but also with astrong focus on soil investment-return relationshipapplied to soils. Commission 3.4 - Soil Engineering and Technology willarrange a symposium Soil Engineering and Technologyfor Human and Ecosystem Health, Plant Nutrition andHuman Welfare within the 9th Int. Conf. of East andSoutheast Asian Federation of Soil Science about Soilsas a Convergent Technology in Tandem with Human andEcosystem Health. - Enhancement of Soil Performancesfor Well-being-, October 27-30, 2009, Seoul, Korea (seemore: www.esafs9korea.org).

The Acid Sulphate Soils Working Group was engaged inthe Acid Sulphate Soil Conference & Acid Rock DrainageSymposium in China, September 2008. The SaltAffected Soils Working Group will have a conference onSalinisation in September 20 to 22, 2009 (see:www.taki.iif.hu/sasconf/home.html). The new Chairand Vice Chair of Urban Soils Working Group(SU/SUITMA) are Jean Louis Morel, ENSAIA - INRA,France, and Ganlin Zhang, Institute of Soil Science,Chinese Academy of Science, China. After Essen, Nancy,Cairo and Nanjing the Working Group will have its 5th

conference in New-York from September 21-25, 2009(see more: www.nycswcd.net/suitma-2009). The PaddySoils Working Group is arranging a symposium onPaddy Soils: Better Performances for Human andEcosystem Health at the 9th Int. Conf. East andSoutheast Asian Federation of Soil Science, October 27-30, 2009, Seoul, Korea (www.esafs9korea.org).The Forest Soils Working Group has planned to holdthe next major International Symposium on ForestSoils together with the Institute of Applied Ecologyof Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) in ShengyangCity, China in about August / September 2012. From the commissions and divisions several requestswere received regarding• Direct availability of a web page and communication

platform in the IUSS• Model for conference announcements within the IUSS,

incl. registration, application of abstracts, full papers• Access to the national Soil Science Societies and

their commissions, working groups, etc., forlinkages of different levels

• List of News, Bulletins, etc. of national Soil ScienceSocieties and responsible persons

• The process of election of officers through thenational societies. It seems that many members ofvarious national soil science societies were unawareof the election and had not been contacted by theirsociety officers. This should be clarified for thefuture. Similarly for soil scientists in the CGIARcentres, who are not affiliated with any national soilscience society are left out.

By the election in 2008 the IUSS officers for theperiod 2010-2004 are already nominated. We wantto congratulate them for their success. The earlynomination has the advantage that a liaison candevelop between the generations of IUSS officersand cooperation between new officers can startearlier. This activity has already commenced.

Wolfgang Burghardt, GermanyMike McLaughlin, Australia


Division 4

The objectives of Division 4 of IUSS are (i) to providesoil science input in policy-related topics addressingenvironmental and social concerns, (ii) to providethe soil science input in the decision-making processand (iii) to address special issues that will be broughtto the attention of the IUSS, especially in relationwith the human and socio-economic use of the soils.The Five Commissions within Division 4 areaddressing issues related to Division 4 objectiveswithin the framework of: (i) Soils and theEnvironment (Commission 4.1); Soils, Food Securityand Human Health (Commission 4.2); Soils and LandUse Change (Commission 4.3); Soil Education andPublic Awareness (Commission 4.4) and History,Philosophy and Sociology of Soil Science(Commission 4.5).

Commission 4.1 collaborated with both Com missions4.2 and 4.3 to present joint symposia at thequadrennial conference of the combined Australianand New Zealand Societies of Soil Science inPalmerston North during December 2008. Thisconference also received official recognition as beingpart on the International Year of Planet Earth. Majorthemes at this conference included (1) The WaterCrisis, (2) Confronting Salinity, (3) Soil Acidification, (4)Valuing Natural Capital, (5) Sustaining Soil BiologicalHealth and Function, (6) Soils and the Carbon Economy,and (7) Integrated Environmental Management. Inparticular, collaboration among these three IUSSCommissions in Division 4 at the are addressing thethemes of Environment and Land-Use Change and TheEnvironment and Human Health. The symposium onEnvironment and Land-use Change focused on theimpacts of land use change and land use intensificationon soil functioning, and on the quantity and quality ofreceiving aquatic environments that are supplied bywater that is first filtered by the soil. In this jointsymposium there were 16 papers. The symposium onThe Environment & Human Health focused on the roleof soils in the filtering and buffering of emergingcontaminants which include endocrine disruptors,microbes, pharmaceuticals, personal care products,and the recently added class of emerging contaminantsof nano-materials. In this joint symposium there were8 oral presentations, along with 4 posters.

The Chair of Commission 4.2, Dr C Rice representedIUSS at the ICSU-Workshop on Urban Health and

Well-Being Vienna, Austria with support from theU.S. National Committee for Soil Science. The aimsand goals of the ICSU Science for the Health andWell Being Initiative are to: (1) Demonstrate theextent to which a range of science and technology isimportant to health and well-being, (2) Educate (atmultiple levels) about science and technology usingmodern means of communication, (3) Collaborate toidentify areas unmet and produce new ideas,science and technology partnerships to look to thefuture, and (4) Develop an inventory of ongoingprogrammes, and activities to identify unmet needs.

The Chair and Vice Chair of Commission 4.4, Dr R Weiland Dr P Drohan along with fellow members of theSoil Science Society of America (SSSA), were involvedin the establishment of the Smithsonian Institution’swonderful soil exhibit in Washington DC, USAhttps://www.soils.org/smithsonian/. Congratulationsto the SSSA for such an outstanding achievement.

Division 4 is establishing an initiative on Rare andThreatened Soils led by Dr P Drohan, Vice-Chair ofCommission 4.4. Additional information is availablein the following article: Drohan, P.J. and T.J. Farnham(2006). A proposal for the formal designation of rareand threatened soils. Soil Science Society of AmericaJournal 70: 2086-2096.

A School project about soil was initiated for middlehigh school students in 2008 in collaboration withCommission 4.4. The pilot program will commencein June 2009 with six high schools in WesternAustralia. Participating schools will register on aninteractive website, teachers will participate in aspecially designed professional developmentprogram through the SPICE Program at TheUniversity of Western Australia, and soil scientistswill support the schools as ‘Soil Science Mentors’.The website will explain the program with additionalinformation about soil. The project, now called‘Monitoring Soil Science’, will be a longitudinal studysupporting student projects about soil, landmanagement and climate change. Resources forteachers are being prepared and the program will beopen to other schools via the website in 2010.

Commission 4.5 is preparing a new book, ‘Soil andCulture’, edited by Dr E Landa and Dr C Feller (Chairand Vice Chair of Commission 4.5) to be publishedby Springer in time for the 19th World Congress ofSoil Science in Brisbane, Australia. The book looks at

M AY 2009 13

the vast scope of human interactions with soil, anddepictions of soil in art, literature and film.

Commission 4.5 has continued to maintain its veryinformative Newsletter edited by Dr E Brevik withthe most recent edition published in January 2009.The newsletter has been jointly published since itsinception with SSSA Committee 205.1 and can beviewed on the IUSS website.

Commission 4.5 co-sponsored a history session atthe 2008 SSSA-GSA meeting in Houston. Thesession topic, Historical Links between Soil Scienceand Geology, was directly linked to this first-timejoint meeting between these organisations. Othersponsors were the SSSA History Committee andtwo GSA divisions. Dr E Landa was the co-organizerof this session. Dr C Feller and Dr E Landa alsorepresented IUSS at the International Year ofPlanet Earth symposium held in Orleans, France inNovember 2008 with presentations on Soil Scienceand Culture. The papers from the November 2008session at SSSA-GSA meeting will be published(2010) as a thematic issue of the journal ‘Physicsand Chemistry of the Earth’.

Lyn Abbott, Australia


Roger Swift (President) and Stephen Nortcliff(Secretary General) attended the 29th GeneralAssembly of the International Council for Science(ICSU) in Maputo Mozambique in October 2008.Prior to this meeting the GeoUnions of ICSU heldtheir own meeting to discuss both matters at theforthcoming General Assembly of ICSU and mattersof concern to the GeoUnions.

GeoUnions Meeting Sunday 19th October 2008 Following discussion at the ICSU General Assembly inRio in 2002, the GeoUnions (initially IUSS, IGU(international Geographical Union), IUGG (Inter -national Union of Geodesy and Geophysics) and IUGS(International Union of Geological Sciences)) decidedhat there was benefit in meeting as a group to discussmatters of common interest across the broad area ofGeoScience/Earth Science. We first met in Paris in2004 prior to the InterCongress meeting of ICSUUnions and have subsequently met prior to ICSUmeetings (both General Assembly and UnionMeetings) and occasionally at other times. There arenow eight members of this grouping with IAU (Inter -national Astronomical Union), ISPRS (Inter nationalSociety for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing),URSI (International Union of Radio Sciences) andINQUA (International Union for Quaternary Research)having joined.The Unions communicate regularly about matters ofcommon interest as well as discussing mattersdirectly related to ICSU. At the Business Meetingheld in Maputo the opportunity was available forUnions to report on their activities since theirprevious meeting in Paris (February, 2008). The mainfocus areas on Natural and Human-induced Hazards,Health and Wellbeing, and GeoScience in Africawere reviewed. A number of the GeoUnions areactively involved in the International Year of PlanetEarth and a brief progress report was presentedtogether with a fuller report on activities in Africa bySospeter Muhongo (head of the ICSU Regional Officein Africa), who also report on the ICSU Africa Regionscientific initiatives. The main items discussed were

the plans by ICSU for programmes on Hazards,Ecosystems and Health and Wellbeing, the proposalson data management and policy, and more generalmatters relating to ICSU’s links with its Unions andthe Unions’ links with the recently establishedRegional Offices of ICSU (based in South Africa,Malaysia and Brazil). Nominations for the ICSUOfficers were also discussed.

Science in Africa Monday 20th OctoberThis day jointly organised by the Association ofScientific Investigation in Mozambique and theAfrica Regional Office of ICSU was a combination ofpresentations about scientific progress and needsfrom a national and regional political perspectiveand a series of reports on specific scientific issues inthe region. The meeting was well attended by a widerange of representatives from the political andscientific spheres of both Mozambique and Africa ingeneral and there was active participation in wideranging discussions. In addition to specificdiscussions on scientific areas there was alsodiscussion on how to ensure that the potential of theregion was achieved through the provision ofappropriate and accessible educational systems. Inthe days prior to the main meeting there had been aseries of meetings in the regions of Mozambique anda most interesting paper presented the problemsfaced in these regions and the contributions scienceshould make to providing appropriate solutions. Thiswas a long and diverse day with the underpinningmessage that the scientific foundation in botheducation and research is an essential prerequisiteto successful development within the region.

ICSU Union Members Forum Tuesday October 21st

The membership of ICSU consists of NationalMembers (National Academies) and Scientific Unions.In recent General Assemblies prior to the mainmeeting these two groups have met separately toreceive reports and discuss items which will be

M AY 2009 15

29th General Assembly of ICSU

presented on the agenda of the General Assembly.Whilst welcoming the opportunity to discuss topics inmore detail, the GeoUnions have suggested on morethan one occasion that there should be moreopportunity for discussion between these two broadmembership groups. There is a feeling amongst theGeoUnions that this separation may actually inhibitthe smooth running of ICSU because it seems thatneither of the groupings fully understand thebackgrounds to the viewpoints of the other and in theGeneral Assembly there is rarely time to provide thisbackground information when raising a point indiscussion. These reservations apart the day was auseful exercise in which a number of key topics werediscussed. These included some of the newinterdisciplinary initiatives; the Hazards PlanningGroup report was outlined by H. Gupta (IUGG Vice-President); the report on Ecosystems Services waspresented by the ICSU Executive Director, ThomasRosswall; the report on the proposals to manage worlddata was presented by B. Minster who is chair of thePanel of World Data Centers (ISRIC Is such a Centre).Thomas Rosswall presented the broad conclusions ofa draft report on the involvement of the Unions withinICSU. This report highlighted that the Unions, and inparticular the GeoUnions, are very active in theirinvolvement with ICSU, although some Unions believethis involvement in terms of submission ofnominations and comments on ICSU documents is notalways reflected in the composition of Committeesand other ad hoc activities proposed by ICSU. TheDirectors of the Regional Offices presented reports oftheir activities and made a repeat request for theUnions to ensure that they identified representativesfrom the Unions in the three regions (Africa, Asia andthe Pacific) and Latin America and the Caribbean) towork with the Regional Offices.

ICSU 29th General Assembly October 21st to 24th

The Opening Ceremony of the 29th General Assemblywas held in the presence of the President ofMozambique on the evening of 21st October and wasfollowed by a Dinner hosted by the President.The main business of the General Assembly began onOctober 22nd. Following the formalities of confirmationof the Minutes, Report of the ICSU Secretary Generaland the reporting back from the National MembersForum and Union Members Forum, Thomas Rosswallpresented a progress report on the ICSU Strategic Plan2006-2011 (www.icsu.org/i_icsuinscience/INIT.html).

A number of items outlined in the Strategic Plan werethen presented. These included a full report on theProgress of the International Polar Year. A report onthe scoping study from the ICSU Planning Group onNatural and Human Induced Environmental Hazardsand Disaster was presented and following discussion itwas recommended that a new interdisciplinaryprogramme be established within ICSU entitledIntegrated Research on Disaster Risk (IRDR).Recommendations for membership of the ScientificCommittee of this programme must be presented tothe ICSU Executive Board as soon as possible. A reportwas presented on Ecosystem Change and HumanWellbeing. This report was a development from theMillennium Ecosystem Assessment seeking to identifythe gaps and priorities for future action. The GAagreed to establish a 10 year programme as anInterdisciplinary body of ICSU, with a ScientificCommittee to be nominated by the National Membersand Unions. This programme, in addition to ICSU, willinvolve UNESCO and UNU, being hosted by the latterin Germany. A brief outline of a further initiative onHealth and Well-being in the Changing UrbanEnvironment was presented. The GA recommend thatthe Executive Board continue to pursue investigationsin this area and if appropriate develop aninterdisciplinary programme in this area.A significant part of the GA programme was devotedto reviews of the activities under the broad headingof the Global Environmental Change Programmes.These were the Earth System Science Partnership(ESSP), the International Human DimensionProgramme on Global Environmental Change (IHDP),the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme(IGBP) and the World Climate Research Programme.The reports provided a wealth of information andillustrated the cross-disciplinary nature of many ofthe programmes. SCOPE (the Scientific Committeeon Problems of the Environment), established in1969, has been long recognised as an inter -disciplinary body within ICSU. ICSU through CSPR hasraised concerns about the effectiveness of SCOPEand recently commissioned an independent reviewwhich was tabled. In the light of this review therecommendation from the Executive Board was thatSCOPE cease to be an interdisciplinary body over thenext two years. SCOPE representatives provided avery strong counter argument to the EB’srecommendation and a lively discussion followed.The recommendation of the EB was carried althoughthere was a sizeable number of votes supportingSCOPE from both Unions and National Members.


ICSU has acted as a focus for campaigns highlightingfreedom and responsibility in science through itsCommittee on Freedom and Responsibility in theConduct of Science (CFRS). The Committee reportedrecent progress and identified priorities for the future.Within ICSU there has been a strong case made inrecent years for the need to work with Social Scientists(the IHDP interdisciplinary programme is an exampleof this). ICSU continues to work with the InternationalSocial Science Council (ISSC) in seeking to encouragescientists and social scientists to work together. The discussions on the quality, storage and access toscientific data raised in the Union Members Forumwere further debated in the GA, which resolved toestablish an ICSU World Data System as anInterdisciplinary Body to replace the World DataCenters and the Federation of Astronomical andGeophysical Data Services and working with CODATAto establish an ad hoc Strategic CoordinatingCommittee for Information and Data.Considerations for the future included discussionsabout the deliberations of the CSPR and EBconcerning the strategic planning for the future inparticular the development of the Strategic Plan for2012-2017. The GA recommended that full plans bebrought to the 30th GA in 2011. The accounts and future strategy in relation tomembership dues were discussed in detail. ICSU as isthe case with many of the Unions finds that themajority of its funding arises from a very smallnumber of countries with a differential in excess of200 between the smallest contributor and thelargest contributor. A number of ways in which thesediscrepancies might be addressed were discussed.Also discussed was the idea of voting being relatedto the fees contributed, not on a linear scale, but interms of bands with for example 4 votes, 3 votes, 2votes, 1 vote for broad bands of contributions. Nofinal decision was taken on this.Elections for Officers and the Executive Board tookplace during the GA. The President Elect from 2011 to2014 will Yuan T. Lee (China – Taipei) winner of the 1986Nobel Prize for Chemistry. The elected Vice Presidentsof ICSU were K. Reivio (Finland) and R. Kuroda (Japan).The new Secretary General is M. Tchuente(Cameroon) and H. Ott (Switzerland) the Treasurer.The GeoUnions representative on the Executive Boardcontinues to be Uri Shamir from IUGG.

Stephen Nortcliff,Secretary GeneralReading, November 2008

M AY 2009 17

Soil on the Nature coverThere are no weekly soilscience articles published in thetop journals. The 30th Octoberissue of the internationalweekly journal of science,Nature, has a soil profile on thecover and two articles on whatpresumably are paleosols. TheNature cover shows a soil pit

from Western Thailand, where the different layershave been deposited during the 2004 and pasttsunamis that took place in the fourteenth andfifteenth century. Similar observations have beenmade in Aceh, Indonesia, where the 2004 sandsheets were preceded by the deposits of threetsunamis from the past 1200 years. The Thailand andIndonesia findings suggest that the 2004 tsunamis isneither the first nor the last of its kind.

Soil FlyersThe year 2008 is over and 2009 hasjust started. First of all, may it be ahealthy and prosperous year for all ofyou! Although the world slipped insome sort of economic valley in 2008,the year has been a good one for soil

science. Many new international projects havestarted, over 18,000 soil publications have beenpublished, the appreciation for soils and ourdiscipline is much on the rise, and so are jobvacancies and student numbers – all indicators ofthe vigour of soil science. The world seems torefocus on real things that really matter and on realmatters, including the soil. In 2008 the IUSS hasstimulated and promoted soil science across theglobe; one of the efforts has been an A4 flyer thatbriefly highlights the importance of soils. The flyer

has been translated in Bahasa, Italian, Chinese,Japanese, Danish, Korean, Polish, Finnish, Russian,French, Spanish, Greek, Thai, Hungarian, andTurkish. They are all as PDFs on www.iuss.org andcan be freely downloaded. Although the survival ofour discipline depends on imagination and greatnew scientific development, it is with these flyersthat we can educate and generate interest into thenatural resource on which so much depends: thesoil. Use them, and have a Happy 2009!

Alfred HarteminkDeputy Secretary-General IUSS

New PedometronA new issue of Pedometron hasbeen published in December.The chair of the Pedometricscommission, Murray Lark, notesthat 2008 was a year with twocentenaries: W.S. Gosset’s paperon the probable error of a mean,and F. Haber’s discovery of thenitrogen reduction to ammonia.

There are reports from the Third Global Workshopon Digital Soil Mapping in Utah and from EuroSoilin Vienna. The Newsletter contains interestingarticles on boundaries in linear relationships, onexperiments using data-mining techniques fordigital soil mapping, and the origin of the soilformation equation by Alex McBratney andBudiman Minasny. Three books are reviewed andthe best paper for 2007 is announced. There aredetails on the new IUSS working group on proximalsoil sensing, and there is the pedometrician andnon-pedometrician profile. The Newsletter can be downloaded at www.iuss.organd on www.pedometrics.org

IUSS Alerts November 2008 – April 2009


Information for and from the global soil science community IUSS Alerts are e-mailed to more than 12,000 people in over 100 countries. If you have information toshare please send it to [email protected] Below are the still relevant contributions that appearedin the IUSS Alerts between November 2008 and April 2009.

Online directory of soil science groups

An on-line directory is availablenamed ‘geographical directory of soil-science research laboratories in theworld’. The directory lists 218 labora -tories in 43 countries (laboratorymeans research institution, depart -ment, group, cluster etc.) The main

features are: Good coverage of laboratories for westernEurope, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand;Designed with students and young researchers in mind;may be useful for associations looking for a ‘local’ soilscience ‘referee’, or for soil scientists in need for a largedatabase of laboratories; Extensive use of Googletools: Maps, Earth, Documents. (+ off-line scriptingwith R language); Available in various format thatmakes it easy to export in another ‘system’ (basic CSVfile, KMZ, HTML/Bookmark). It is also available inFrench and has been prepared by Julien Moeys and formore information: julienmoeys.free.fr/?geolabosoil ormail [email protected]

Videos on missions in space-timeNature Video presents five shortfilms on the future of physics.Recorded at the 2008 NobelLaureate Meeting in Lindau, thesefilms capture the conversations

between young researchers and physics LaureatesGeorge Smoot, William Phillips, John Hall, David Grossand Gerardus 't Hooft. They grapple with universalideas including dark matter, dark energy, the LargeHadron Collider, space-time and quantum computing.Visit www.nature.com/video/lindau/index.html tosee these videos.

New NewsletterThis issue of the newslet tercontains exciting infor -mation from the first everjoint meeting of the SoilScience Society of Americaand the Geological Societyof America! This was a par -ticularly exciting meetingfor those of us in the soilscience community whostraddle the line between

geology and soil science. It also celebrates the life ofRoy Simonson, a great soil scientist who passed awayin 2008. Additional information includes happeningsat the German Society of Soil Science, information onnew opportunities to publish, and lists of new booksand journal articles that came out recently. I hopeeveryone finds something of interest in this issue! Anyand all submissions for future newsletters arewelcomed! These may include short articles, bookreviews, and news items. Please send such materialsto Eric Brevik at [email protected]

Call for nominations: Dokuchaev and von Liebig Award

Two awards are presented by IUSS at each WorldCongress of Soil Science (WCSS) to recognizeoutstanding contributions in two specific areas:• IUSS-Dokuchaev Award for basic research in soil

sciences• IUSS-Liebig Award for applied research in soil sciencesThese two awards are differentiated by the type ofcontribution rendered, not by professional membershipgrouping. Eligible are members of the InternationalUnion of Soil Sciences. Only one award can be given toone person during one year. Further information pleasecontact Winfried Blum at [email protected]

GlobalSoilMap.net – a new digital soil map of the world

GlobalSoilMap.net is a new global project that aims tomake a new digital soil map of the world using state-of-the-art and emerging technologies for soil mappingand predicting soil properties. It was launched in New

M AY 2009 19

York in February. The new digital map will consist ofprimary functional soil properties at a grid resolution of90 by 90 m. It will be freely available, web-accessibleand widely distributed. GlobalSoilMap.net was initiatedby the IUSS Working Group on Digital Soil Mapping in2006. The consortium, which is led by ISRIC - World SoilInformation (Wageningen, Netherlands), includes theJoint Research Centre of the European Commission(Ispra, Italy), the Commonwealth Scientific andIndustrial Research Organization (Canberra, Australia),the University of Sydney (Sydney, Australia), theChinese Academy of Sciences (Nanjing, China), theEarth Institute at Columbia University (New York, USA),the US Department of Agriculture - Natural ResourcesConservation Service (Morgantown, USA), IRD(Montpellier, France), the Brazilian AgriculturalResearch Corporation (Embrapa, Rio de Janeiro) andCIAT-TSBF (Nairobi, Kenya). For more information visitwww.globalsoilmap.net which also has a press release.

Innovative Earth-Related Learning Ideas

Earth Learning Idea (ELI)was developed as aninternet-based support

network for teacher trainers and teachers of earthscience across the globe, by providing educationalresources that will promote interactive teaching andthe development of investigational and thinkingskills, whilst provoking educational debate -minimizing costs by using voluntary effort andcommitment wherever practicable. ELI wasestablished in 2007 as a run-up to the InternationalYear of Planet Earth (IYPE) with its primary activity inthe 2008 IYPE. By early November their website hadover 8500 visits from 115 countries. The responsewas so encouraging that ELI will continue the projectinto 2009. See the Earth Learning Idea website atwww.earthlearningidea.com

What is a soil (in French)We are pleased to announcethat a presentation of the soilresearch programmes run bythe IRD (Institut de Recherche

pour le Développement) is now available on-line:www.iuss.org/IUSS DG-SDG positions.pdfIt is part of a series of thematic presentations entitled‘Suds en ligne’, devoted to the IRD’s researchprogrammes. This presentation has been awarded the

‘International Year of Planet Earth’ label, in recognitionof the scientific value of the soil studies undertaken byIRD towards the sustainable development of our planet.

32,000 pages of soil science unearthed

All proceedings of 18 World Congresses(1927-2006) have been scanned and areavailable as PDF on the IUSS website (underWorld Soil Congresses). So that means thatyou now have full access to all articles

published in these proceedings. Each volume is onePDF – some are rather large (500 Mb) and may takesome time download but it gives you access tohundreds of articles. You can search through a PDFwith the <CTRL F> command and type your keywordor author name or any combination. Ideally, eachpaper is added to the large international literaturedatabases and we welcome all suggestions how thatshould be materialized and financed.

New PedometronA new issue of Pedometron hasbeen published in March. Thenewsletter contains information onthe Richard Webster Medal,GlobalSoilMap.net, a report fromthe national scale soil monitoringworkshop, and a couple of articlesthat make you think (Why indicator

kriging should be abandoned; Preparing developing-country students for pedometrics; Alex’s mostpreferred pedometrics paper; Spatial coveragesampling on various spatial scales; Mapping researchhot-spots using citation rate and Google geocodingservice; Pedomathemagica) and there is thepedometrician (Dick Brus) and non-pedometrician(Johannes Lehmann) profile. The Newsletter can be downloaded on www.iuss.organd on www.pedometrics.org

All Landsat data in the USGS archive now free

Landsat sensors record reflected andemitted energy from Earth in variouswavelengths of the electromagneticspectrum. Landsats 5 and 7 ‘see’and record blue, green, and red light


in the visible spectrum as well as near-infrared, mid-infrared, and thermal-infrared light that humaneyes cannot perceive. Landsat records thisinformation digitally and it is downlinked to groundstations, processed, and stored in a data archive. Itis this digital information that makes remotelysensed data invaluable. Landsat data have beenused to monitor water quality, glacier recession, seaice movement, invasive species encroachment,coral reef health, land use change, deforestationrates and population growth. Landsat has alsohelped to assess damage from natural disasterssuch as fires, floods, and tsunamis, andsubsequently, plan disaster relief and flood controlprograms. The Landsat data in the USGS can now befreely downloaded, visit http://glovis.usgs.gov

A global siteThe Earth Portal is acomprehensive resource

for timely, objective, science-based informationabout the environment. It is a means for the globalscientific community to come together to producethe first free, expert-driven, massively scaleableinformation resource on the environment, and toengage civil society in a public dialogue on the roleof environmental issues in human affairs. It containsno commercial advertising and reaches a large globalaudience. The Earth Portal has three components:(i) The Encyclopedia of Earth with over 3,500articles, is produced and reviewed by 1,000 scholarsfrom 60 countries; (ii) The Earth Forum providescommentary from scholars and discussions with thegeneral public, (iii) The Earth News offers newsstories on environmental issues drawn from manysources.

M AY 2009 21

Julian Dumanski Ottawa, Canada

Progressively, the geopolitics of soil and waterconservation are shifting from agriculture, forestry,and other extractive services, to provision ofenvironmental goods and services and global lifesupport systems. The links among human welfare,ecosystem integrity, and land degradation areincreasingly being realized, but the major policydecisions on control and mitigation are being madeby urban people who are well meaning, butgenerally not highly knowledgeable on the tradeoffspossible to provide for an improved environment.

Global Trends Influencing the Agenda for Soil and Water ConservationClimate change is one of the major global drivingforces with potential to significantly impact ourapproaches to soil and water conservation (globalagricultural GDP is projected to decrease by 16 % by2020 due to climate change).The influence of this,however, is compounded by several social andeconomic driving forces that result from our continualinitiatives for improved incomes and lifestyles. Thecurrent global recession is a direct consequence ofthe globalization of international markets, and mayultimately have some impacts on soil conservationpolicies. However, the consequences have yet to besorted out.The more important of the global driving forces arethe following:

Increasing Human Footprint on the EnvironmentThe human footprint on global terrestrialecosystems is very large and growing exponentially.Currently, fully 83% of the world’s land area isdirectly influenced by human interventions, and

estimates are that by early in the next century, allland will be under some degree of management. Thisvery extensive footprint originates as we continuallyexpand our economic influence on the landscape.However, the results are of lower resilience than theenvironmental goods and services provided by nature,and the consequences are often land degradation,desertification, poverty, and increasing marginalizationof the world’s disadvantaged. Soil conservationistshave a responsibility to explain the impacts of thesehuman interventions on future human welfare,environmental services, and human health.

UrbanizationUrbanization of global populations is increasingdramatically; sixty one per cent of global populationsare expected to live in urban areas within the nextthree decades. The impacts of this are two fold.Firstly, cities and towns are the main consumers ofmost ecosystem services, and thus the ecologicalhuman footprints will increase dramatically asincomes and consumption increase. Secondly, thechoices and actions of urban dwellers are morepowerful than those of rural populations, and futurepolitical discussions on the environment will beincreasingly controlled by these urban influences,including decisions on soil and water conservation.Soil conservationists must be ready to playincreasingly important roles in these strategicdiscussions.

GlobalizationGlobalization is a relatively recent phenomenon but onewith potentially significant impacts on soil and waterconservation policies. This is because of the new drivingforces on the use and consumption of naturalresources, namely income growth, high energy prices,rapidly escalating food prices, emerging biofuelmarkets, and climate change. These dramatic changesare due to a series of interrelated factors, includingincreased global populations (expected to increase a

Emerging Global Trends ProvideNew Opportunities in Soil AndWater Conservation


further 30%), high economic growth, particularly inChina, India, and Brazil, shifting rural-urban populations,growth of the middle class with higher incomes andchanging consumption habits, reduced cereal stocks,the search for alternate fuels, and climate change. Related to this is the growing power and leverage ofinternational corporations on the production andmarketing chain, including the horizontal consolidationthat has occurred across the agri-input industry, withthe top three agri-chemical companies accounting forroughly half of the total market. The concentration ofmarketing power in the hands of internationalcorporations is not likely to benefit soil conservationsince these companies emphasize food quality, foodsafety, and guaranteed supply at the required time,rather than global environmental benefits. However,they may be useful partners in promoting certificationschemes for soil conservation. Regardless, the soilconservation community must recognize that there arenew players on the field and that they wieldconsiderable consumer and political power.

Information PowerThe age of information and the age of globalization areparallel driving forces, but whereas the latter is drivenby trade, the former is driven by new technologies andthe evolution of new and improved skills andunderstanding. In contrast to the past, where nationstates derived individual national policies on issuessuch as the environment, the evolving approaches areto move toward integrated, international solutions onglobal environmental problems. This is best illustratedby the growing influences of the internationalenvironmental conventions, administered by theUnited Nations. These are increasingly powerfulinstruments, with highly effective convening powers,centered primarily on the urban constituency. Forexample, in 2007, the Intergovernmental Panel onClimate Change shared the Nobel Prize with Al Gorefor their work on climate change. This was achievedthrough the collaboration of hundreds of scientistsfrom many countries in the space of only about 15years. Such impact has never been achieved before.

Emerging Opportunities and Next StepsThere are new driving forces that will influence thegeopolitical agenda for soil and water conservation.These include climate change, but also the risingconsumerism in the global middle classes, including

the rapidly urbanizing populations of China, India,and Latin America. The processes of globalization,modern technologies of knowledge management,and the rising influence of urbanites have thepotential to considerably change the way wepromote soil conservation. Also, there are new andincreasingly powerful players on the soilconservation scene, including the nature-basednongovernmental organizations that are emerging asinfluential players in soil conservation. We must becognizant of these driving forces and react to capturethe opportunities they present. There are many promising, new opportunities for soilconservation, as illustrated in the internationalenvironment conventions, the evolving, newprograms under sustainable land management, andthe evolving international environmental tradingschemes. Benefiting from these opportunities willrequire some shifts in focus for the soil conservationcommunity, a move from defining the processes oferosion and developing technological fixes, towardmore involvement in the social and political processesof community led soil conservation, and removing thebarriers and bottlenecks to soil conservation. Inparticular, the soil conservation community must bemore proactive in mobilizing and empowering thefarmers and herders of society in the fight againstland degradation, since they are the immediate directbeneficiaries of improved land management andthose who suffer the most from land degradation. Theinternational environment conventions provideguidance and opportunities for such shifts, and somesuccesses achieved with international institutionsprovide guidance on approaches.The world has changed, and the science of soil andwater conservation must also change. The soilconservation community must stop looking at whathas worked in the past, but look forward to what isneeded in the future. It must move from perennialstudies of erosion and prescriptive engineeringapproaches to more holistic and participatory (social)approaches. It must move to procedures whichintegrate soil conservation, rural landscapemanagement, and technological innovation, withprofit generating activities and market opportunities.We must get on board with the new driving forces andnew program opportunities; we must catch the wave.

This article is a summary of the original published in the JSWC 2009

64(1):11A-14A. It derives from the keynote paper given at the XVII

meeting of the Brazilian Society for Soil and Water Conservation and

Management, 10 - 15 August, 2008, Rio de Janeiro

M AY 2009 23

Soil is a vital, non-renewable resource that providesessential goods and services to human life andecosystem by playing a major role in climate change,food, fiber and energy supply, carbon storage, waterregulation, biodiversity, geological, geomorphologicaland archaeological heritage, and human health.Thus, it is essential to maintain and preserve the soilfunctions for the sustainable development of humansociety. The sustainable use, the preservation andthe sustainable restoration of the capacity of soil toperform as many as possible of the aboveenvironmental, economic, social, scientific andcultural functions of soil is thus essential to humanand ecosystem life.

The European Confederation of Soil Science Societies(ECSSS) was founded in the year 2004 with theobjectives ‘to foster collaboration and cooperationamongst the National Societies of Soil Science inEurope and amongst European soil scientists in allbranches of the soil sciences and their applications,and to give support to the above in the pursuit oftheir activities’ (Article A2 of ECSSS Statutes). Theactivities of ECSSS include (from Article A4 of ECSSSStatutes): (a) the facilitation of the organization ofmeetings and conferences, principally the EUROSOILCongress every four years; (b) the promotion of thedissemination of material relevant to the interest ofECSSS; (c) the establishment of cooperation withother related organizations in Europe; (d) therepresentation of Soil Science to a wide Europeanaudience; (e) the identification of priority areas atthe national and international levels for soilprotection and preservation in Europe; (f) theundertaking of any action that can advance theimpact of Soil Science in Europe. The supreme bodyof ECSSS is the Council, which consists of thePresident, the Vice-President and one accreditedrepresentative from each Full Member Society, andhas the general responsibility for the efficientfunctioning and the success of the Confederation,discusses and develops strategy and activities ofECSSS and solicit and select the countries and venuesof the EUROSOIL Congresses, which is the main eventof ECSSS and covers all Soil Science disciplines.

Long-term soil sustainability is endangered bynumerous threats that have been listed in theproposal of a European Directive for soil protection.To address and prevent soil degradation processesthat significantly adversely affect the capacity of soilto perform its several functions, measures need tobe established for the restoration and remediation,including mitigation, of degraded soils to a level offunctionality consistent at least with its current andapproved future use. To this regard, a motion hasbeen produced during the last EUROSOIL Congressheld in Vienna in October 2008 to support the EUFramework Directive on soil, which focuses on theneed to have a unique legal and political frameworkfor soil protection and preservation at the Europeanlevel.

President: Prof. Dr. Nicola Senesi Vice-President: Prof. Dr. Teodoro MianoDipartimento di Biologia e Chimica Agroforestalee Ambientale, Università di Bari, Via Amendola, 165/A, Bari-70126, Italy.Tel. +39-080-5442853, Fax: +39-080-5442850, e-mail: [email protected]

European Confederation of Soil Science Societies


M AY 2009 25

Five questions to Gary Peterson

Gary A. ‘Pete’ PetersonAge: 69Position: Professor and Head Soil and Crop Sciences

Department Colorado State UniversityAddress: Fort Collins, CO 80523E-mail: [email protected]

1. When did you decide to study soil science?I majored in chemistry for the first 3 years afterentering university, primarily because of an interestthat developed in my later high school years. Mychemistry interest remained, but I struggled with whatI wanted to do with it. Academic counselorssuggested I consider applying my chemistry interest tothe field of agriculture. One of the first classes Ienrolled in was ‘Introductory Soil Science’ taught by amaster teacher, Professor Robert A. Olson. Thesubject matter was fascinating to me, and thefollowing semester I requested that Prof. Olson beassigned as my academic advisor. In addition, hehired me as an undergraduate student assistant in hisresearch laboratory, which put me in contact with hisgraduate student group. Following these experiencesmy career choice was easy; soil science and inparticular soil fertility management. The change fromChemistry major to Soil Science (in an AgronomyDept.) cost me an additional year of time to completemy B.S. degree, but it was well worth the time!

2. Who has been your most influential teacher?Without a doubt, Professor Robert A. Olson at theUniversity of Nebraska (now deceased). Two otherpersons also have greatly influenced my career; Dr.John Pesek at Iowa State University (my Ph.D.advisor) and Prof. Charles A. Fenster at theUniversity of Nebraska (my unofficial mentor duringmy first academic position at Nebraska)

3. What do you find most exciting about soil science?The most exciting fact about soil science, to me, ishow soil functions are so tightly linked to thesustainability of earth’s life systems. This realizationhas grown as my career has matured; it was not asapparent to me when I started in my career.

4. How would you stimulate teenagers and younggraduates to study soil science? ‘Hands on’ experiences are the best stimulus forteenagers. The trick is finding the correct venues forthe experiences. In Colorado we do not have a goodway to do this at present.For college students, work experiences in researchlaboratories and field projects are very effective.Over my career some of my best graduate studentswho pursued careers in Soil Science started asundergraduate research assistants. Their interest ispiqued as their eyes are opened to the applicabilityof our science to the solution of agricultural andenvironmental problems in a real world setting.

5. How do you see the future of soil science?We need to focus our attention on young peoplebeginning at the grade school level. Ourprofessional societies must lead these efforts, butindividuals need to act locally to make it actuallyhappen. National level efforts like the Smithsonianexhibition, ‘Dig It – The Secrets of Soil’, sponsoredby the Soil Science Society of America, are excellentplatforms from which to launch our programs.However, the follow up must be at the local level.We must also find ways to get soil science classesinserted into other curricula at our universities.This will require improved communication on adepartment to department basis, and I dare say on

Five questions to a soil scientist

a professor to professor basis. As soil scientists weshould be actively campaigning with our universitycolleagues about the value of placing their studentsin soil science classes.

Five questions to Winfried E.H. Blum

Age: 67Position: Professor of Soil Science and Director of

the Institute of Soil ResearchDepartment of Forest and Soil SciencesUniversity of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences (BOKU), Vienna,

Address: Peter Jordan Str. 82, 1190 ViennaE-mail: [email protected]

1. When did you decide to study soil science?I became interested in soils long before I started my firstuniversity studies in forest engineering, in 1960, becauseduring high-school, I assisted in field investigations forforest site classification in southern Germany.n my second year at Freiburg University, I had basiccourses and field training in soil science and becameeven more interested in this topic. After my finalexam in this subject, in 1962, I was asked if I wouldlike to start a PhD thesis on the genesis of soils onlimestone in the southern Rhine Valley.I agreed, andstarted in parallel new studies in analyticalchemistry, geology, mineralogy, crystallography andbotany (plant sociology and physiology), in order tobroaden my knowledge base for soil research. – In1965, I finished my Master in forest engineering, in1968 my PhD in natural sciences, with a thesis in soilscience. In 1971, I concluded my habilitation(Dr.rer.nat.habil.) in soil science.

2. Who has been your most influential teacher?In the first place, this was Professor Robert Ganssenat Freiburg University, who wrote the first book onsoil geography in German language, which had a

very wide distribution among geographers andwhich was also translated into other languages.After the conclusion of my first studies, I received aspecial scholarship, which allowed me to study soilscience in Nancy, France, with Professor PhilippeDuchaufour, at his Centre of Biological Soil Scienceof the CNRS and at the Nancy University. Bothteachers were most influential, the first one on myinterest in soil genesis and geography, and thesecond one with regard to the ecology of soils.

3. What do you find most exciting about soil science?The most exciting and challenging aspect of soilscience is the complexity of soils, which is like ascientific puzzle and requires a broad basis insciences. This complexity is not only inherent in thegenesis of soils, but also in their functions forhuman society and the environment. As Secretary-General of ISSS/IUSS for 12 years, I had the chanceto travel in many parts of the world and toexperience the complexity of soil systems, due tothe very different soil forming factors.

4. How would you stimulate teenagers and younggraduates to study soil science?As a student at Freiburg University, I taught soilscience to high-school pupils of different ages, withthe experience that the easiest way to stimulateyoung people is to explain them the importantfunctions of soil for humans and the environmentand how intensively human life is linked to soil.During my time as university teacher, each year Iinvited high-school students of different ages tocome to my laboratories and to study soil throughthe microscope and through simple physical andchemical experiments, which they found fascinating,e.g. watching the behaviour of biiota in soils throughthe microscope, or to measure carbonates, pH andother soil characteristics. Here, the most importantthing was not to look only at soil from a distnace,but to take soil into one's hands and to study it atclose range.

5. How do you see the future of soil science?As a realist and an optimist, I am convinced thatsoil science will become more important in themedium to long term, because the demands on soilwill strongly increase, from the production of food,feed and fibre, to biofuel and other goods andservices, including its role in global atmosphericcycling, e.g. greenhouse gas emissions and carbonstorage. This prevision is based on different current


developments: for example the still ongoingincrease of the world population (about 85 millionsper year), the move of about 1 billion people fromrural to urban areas during the next decade, leavingbehind subsistence agriculture and local foodproduction, thus putting pressure on the local,regional and international food food markets, theexponentially increasing demand for grain forproducing animal protein in some parts of theworld, and finally the constant loss of fertile landthrough sealing, for the development ofphysical/technical infrastructures, such as housing,industrial production, transport ways and others.Currently, Europe alone loses about 10 km² of soiland land per day. Under these circumstances, theremaining soil has to be used in a moreknowledgeable way (‘knowledge-based bio-economy’), in which soil science should and willplay a dominant role.

M AY 2009 27

The favourite books of Thorsten BehrensRecommending soil science books is a non-trivialtask and is depending on the audience. Manyimportant, interesting and beautiful books arealready recommended ranging from groundbreakingones such as Jenny's book on soil forming factors,books focussing on specific techniques like Websterand Oliver's ‘Statistical methods in soil and landresource survey’, to general soil science text bookssuch as the ‘Handbook of Soil Science’. We can nolonger ask Hans van Baren of ISRIC who reviewed598 soil science books between 1999 and 2007.

Three of my favourite books I would recommend tostudents interested in modern (spatial) soil scienceresearch such as pedometrics, soil geography,digital soil mapping, pedology and soil sensing are:• Guidelines for Surveying Soil and Land Resources

by McKenzie, Grundy, Webster and Ringrose-Voase(2008, CSIRO Publishing).

• Soil Geomorphology - an Integration of Pedologyand Geomorphology by Gerrard (1992, Chapman& Hall)

• Principals of Geographical Information Systems by Burrough and McDonnell (1998, OxfordUniversity Press)

‘Guidelines for Surveying Soil and Land Resources’is an amazing collection of knowledge promotingimportant and modern methods and standards forsoil surveys. Even though it is focussing on soil andland resource surveys in Australia most conceptsare rather universal. ‘Soil Geomorphology - anIntegration of Pedology and Geomorphology’provides a detailed discussion of soil formation inrelation to relief, which, to my point of view, is ofgreat importance for understanding and mappingsoils in space. ‘Principals of GeographicalInformation Systems’ is one of the best bookscurrently available on the topic of GIS. It presentsa strong theoretical basis and thus provides oneof the most important prerequisites needed forpedometrical research.

The favourite books of Mike VepraskasThese three books are my favorite soil science texts.My research and teaching interests deal withpedology and soil physics, and these books reflectthose topics.1. Brewer, R. 1964. Fabric and mineral analysis of

soils. Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York. 470 p.This book is the most important text on how soilmorphology should be described and quantified, atboth the macroscopic and microscopic levels. It alsolays out methods for calculating volume changes tosoil components that occur from weathering. This isthe one book that has had the greatest impact onmy career, and the careers of those who have taughtme. I was introduced to it during my M.S. research,used it again for my Ph.D. research, and continue torefer to it in research conducted over the last 30years. It is the only soils text I am aware of wherepeople from around the world have literallymemorized its definitions and concepts for soilcomponents. This book should be considered one ofthe classic texts in soil science. Although not an easybook to read, nor an ideal text for teaching classeson micromorphology, it is an indispensablereference source for pedologists and soil physicists.It should be consulted by anyone dealing with soilsolids, pores, soil structure, and soil formation. Morerecent texts are available from other authors, butthey build upon the concepts presented here, andso I feel Brewer’s book should never be forgotten.

2. Russell, E.W. 1973. Soil conditions and plantgrowth. 10th ed. Longman, London. 849 p.

This comprehensive text on soil science was a familyaffair, with ten editions written by father and/or son,beginning with the first edition published in 1912. Iwas told to read this book, cover to cover, by myPh.D. advisor in order to prepare for my preliminaryexams. I thought at first he was crazy because thebook is over 4 cm thick. Paging through it now, I seefrom the underlined sections that I did make itthrough most of the text. The book has remainedone of my favorite soil science texts for two reasons.First, the writing is very clear, with terms and


Favourite Soil Science Books

concepts carefully defined and illustrated. Second,the literature discussed is not necessarily extensive,and is dated now, but the examples were chosencarefully to make their points. I still find thediscussions in this book to be clearer than thosefound in more recent texts.

3. Holtz, R.D. and W.D. Kovacs. 1981. An introductionto geotechnical engineering. Prentice-Hall, Inc.,Englewood Cliffs, NJ. 733 p.

This text was written by engineers for anintroductory course on soil mechanics. Of its 11chapters, chapters 1 through 7 deal with soil andwater topics that most soil scientists will recognize.The writing is straightforward and concepts clearlydefined.

This is a favorite book of mine because I borrowedextensively from it when developing lectures for anundergraduate class on soil physics. In my opinion,every teacher of soil physics should read this book.It is unique in how it uses phase diagrams to solveproblems related to masses and volumes of water,solids, and air. While authors of soil physics textsusually include a discussion of phase diagrams intheir books, they seem to use the diagrams only asan illustration of soil components. Engineers on theother hand, use phase diagrams as a problem-solving tool. This was very useful to me in instructingmy students (largely turf majors) in how to calculatebulk density, porosity, and water contents for varioussituations.

The favourite books of Florence CarreSoil science gathers a lot of disciplines and providesmany models dedicated to environmental solutions.It is then difficult to tackle very deeply all thedisciplines and understand every model. The book‘Sols et Environnement. Cours et Etude de cas.Dunod, coll. Sciences Sup. 832 p (MC Girard, C.Walter, J. Berthelin, J.C. Remy, JL Morel, 2005)’ isvery interesting to read since it clarifies soil sciencebasis, presents soil landscapes (particularly Frenchones, sorry for this bias) and provides methods foranswering specific issues related to environmentalproblems. It allows for getting a first sight on aspecific problem and for searching afterwards, otherpublications which are describing more deepenconcepts and methodologies. This book is always onmy desk. Thanks to all the contributors who did a

great job. Actually, most of them were my teachers-I can then put a face on their name and can hearthem speaking. It is facilitating the learning!To go deeper in the functioning of soil andparticularly soil key properties like Soil OrganicCarbon and Nitrogen and their relations with globalenvironment, I particularly recommend the book‘Carbon and Nitrogen in the Terrestrial Environment.Kluwer Academic Publishers Springer, 432 p.’ (R.Nieder and D.K. Benbi, 2008). This book is clear, thecarbon and nitrogen cycles are well explained, and atthe same time it goes deepens in relations betweenenvironment and soil functions without forgettingglobal change issues. It presents models forestimating green house gases fluxes with their plusand minus. It provides then a good overview of thedifferent impacts of environmental compartmentson soil carbon decrease, nitrogen release. This isnowadays for me, an unavoidable book.The third book I have in mind is also recent and morerelated to my daily work. It is the ‘Guidelines forSurveying Soil and Land Resources, 2nd Edition.CSIRO Publishing.557 p. (N.J. McKenzie, M.J. Grundy,R. Webster, A.J. Ringrose-Voase, 2008)‘. This book isvery complete in the domain of Soil Survey and LandResources Assessment. All the steps of soil surveyingare present. Moreover, this book stresses the factthat quantitative assessment of soil properties andderiving environmental issues is now necessary andaffordable by people working in this domain. Thetools are then described but also their way ofprovision, the quantitative models for soil mapping,land evaluation and land management. Of course,the authors did not forget a section dedicated tocommunication. Although communication isnecessary to describe, it is seldom explained. I thenparticularly appreciate it here. I encourage all thepeople working in this domain to read thiswonderful book.

The favourite books of Murray LarkIt is ironic, given his reputation as a scourge ofreligion, that I approached Richard Dawkins to tellhim that I wished to abandon Zoology for SoilScience, with feelings one might ascribe to theeldest son of a staunchly protestant family informingthe patriarch that he has signed up as a Jesuit.Dawkins was then my tutor at New College, Oxford,he was notoriously disdainful of applied science ingeneral and agricultural sciences in particular. But I

M AY 2009 29

had just read the first book on my list: The Soil UnderShifting Cultivation by Peter Nye and DennisGreenland. The book approached the practicalproblems of shifting cultivation in fundamentalterms. How short can the cultivation cycle be if thesystem is to be sustainable? Nye and Greenlandassembled data from trials in forests across thetropics, but this was not a prelude to a rather dullexercise in data mining. Rather they used the datato put reasonable bounds on parameters for a ?rst-order model of soil carbon. Having estimated these,they could explore a range of situations, showinghow short the cycle could be before a long-termdecline in fertility and stability would set in; rigorousconcepts, mathematics and real problems. I knewthen that soils science was for me! If I had toconvince an eager school-leaver that his or hermathematical and scientific skills could be appliedto problems both intellectually satisfying andimportant to their fellow humans, then I would givethem this book. The second book is Duchaufour’s Pedology. I readDuchaufour in the summer vacation at the end of mysecond year. By then my head was buzzing withinformation about the soil. What Duchaufour offersis a system for this information. The book beginswith an account of soil-forming processes and theirfunction in the environment. Out of this emerges theconcept of zonal and intrazonal soils, and so the ?nalchapters on the classes in Duchaufour’s system.Again, the strength of this book is its conceptualapproach. It would make excellent emergencytreatment for a student whose passion for soilscience is suffocating through enforced study of SoilTaxonomy. These two books made me a soil scientist. The lastone made me a pedometrician. I arrived at university with an enthusiasm forstatistics. None of the recommended texts gavequite the insight of Richard Webster’s Quantitativeand Numerical Methods in Soil Classi?cation andSurvey. Despite the specialist title this sets out theprinciples of design-based statistics, with a bit moredetail on multivariate methods, and a tantalizing halfpage on geostatistics, which Webster had onlyrecently encountered when the book was publishedin 1977. I have recommended this book to studentson introductory statistics courses, and those whoneed to get to grips with multivariate methods. Infact I nearly lost my copy when I lent it to a studentwho was puzzled by principal components. A secondedition was published in 1990, with Margaret Oliver

as coauthor: Statistical Methods in Soil and LandResource Survey. It is a scandal that it is no longeravailable. Reprinting it would save us from muchwasted effort through badly-designed sampling orunthinking use of statistical packages.


IFA Award – Andre Bationo

The International Fertilizer Industry Association (IFA)announces the winner of the 2009 IFA InternationalCrop Nutrition Award : Dr André Bationo is theDirector of the West Africa program of the Alliancefor a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) , based inAccra, Ghana, and Senior Program Officer of AGRA’sSoil Health Program. This award recognizes hiscontribution to soil fertility research and developmentin Sub-Saharan Africa and, in particular, his efforts topromote research in the field of efficient, balancedand environment-friendly fertilization.

André Bationo’s research has shown that nitrogen(N) and phosphorus (P) are the most limitingnutrients in the Sudano-Sahelian zone of Africa andthat fertilizer use efficiency in this region can beimproved through proper placement andcombination with organic inputs. Technologies onthe use of rock phosphate crop residues and cattlemanure have also resulted in improved crop yield,soil fertility and reduced cost of production amongsmallholder farmers in the Sudano-Sahelian zone. He

has contributed to about 300 scientific scientificpublications. In collaboration with researchers at theInternational Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), the International Center forSoil Fertility and Agricultural Development (IFDC)and universities, André Bationo pioneered thedevelopment of the fertilizer microdose technologyin West Africa to reduce the risk of crop failure.Farmers adopting this technology have been able torecord yield increases of 50 to 100 per cent. In Niger,for example, 5,000 farm households in twenty pilotsites adopted fertilizer microdosing in just threeyears. The technology has subsequently beenadopted in Mali, Burkina Faso, Senegal and manymore other African countries.In an effort to link farmers to markets, AndréBationo’s research has also encouraged the adoptionof the Inventory Credit System (ICS) and a revolvingfund to remove the barriers to the adoption of soilfertility restoration technologies. The combination ofthe appropriate localized soil fertility improvementtechnologies, post-harvest credit and storage of grainas collateral (‘warrantage’), enabling farmers to sellcrops later in the season for higher prices and higherprofits, has helped farmers in Niger produce 50 percent more food, increase their farm incomes whileprotecting their natural resources.André Bationo has integrated both on-station and on-farm research using participatory approaches toensure that new technologies suit the socio-economicand biophysical conditions in which farmers live andwork. His most recent focus has been on IntegratedSoil Fertility Management (ISFM), in particular onthe development and refinement of soil fertilityimprovement technologies involving the use ofinorganic fertilizers, animal manures, grain legumes,agroforestry options, integrated nutrient managementoptions, and soil, water and nutrient conservation.Dr Bationo is the 18th recipient of the Award, but thefirst African. He was nominated by IndustriesChimiques du Sénégal (ICS) . He graduated fromLaval University in Canada with a PhD in SoilChemistry and has then been involved in researchand programme management for the past 25 years.His last two positions were at the Tropical Soil

M AY 2009 31

Honors and Awards

Biology and Fertility Institute of the InternationalCenter for Tropical Agriculture (TSBF-CIAT) inNairobi, Kenya as Coordinator of the AfricanNetwork for Soil Biology and Fertility (AfNet), andpreviously at IFDC in Niamey, Niger working in jointIFDC-ICRISAT research projects.The International Fertilizer Industry Association (IFA)grants every year the IFA International CropNutrition Award for research that has led tosignificant advances in crop nutrition and that hasbeen communicated successfully to the farmers inthe form of practical recommendations.

Taylor Medal Alex McBratney and Budiman Minasny

The JK Taylor Gold medal in Soil Science wasawarded by the Australian Society of Soil Science toUniversity of Sydney scientists Alex McBratney,Professor of Soil Science, and ARC Queen Elizabeth IIFellow Budiman Minasny. During 2006-2008 they co-authored 24 papers in international journals and 4book chapters in the following soil science concepts.Since 1999 (with 41 published papers together) theyhave a total of 351 citations, and an average of 9.2citations per paper.

Digital soil mappingDigital soil mapping is the creation of a spatial soilinformation system using field and laboratoryobservation methods coupled with quantitativespatial prediction techniques. This is the fastestgrowing area in soil resource management. Theyhave developed novel techniques for mapping soilorganic carbon stocks and profile distribution in theLower Namoi Valley, and are lead authors for twochapters in the revised ‘Australian Soil and LandSurvey Handbook’ by CSIRO Land and Water.

Modelling soil formationThe authors have taken soil formation processes tothe next level: quantitative mechanistic modelling.The authors devised a mechanistic model to studythe formation of soil in the landscape and identifiedmajor processes in a continuity equation to modelsoil thickness as a function of bedrock weatheringand erosion processes. This model was able tosimulate soil development in a landscaperealistically, and has been applied to predict thespatial distribution of soil in a complex agriculturallandscape at fine spatial and temporal scales. Theauthors also have created a soil profile model thatconsiders the weathering of parent materials withphysical, chemical, and biological processes andleads to the creation of soil horizons.

Soil inference systemsThe authors established empirical models to predictsoil hydraulic properties for Australian soil using easyto measure soil properties. These include predictionof water retention and bulk density. They havepioneered the concept of soil inference systemswhich endeavours to build a soil expert systeminferring soil properties with minimal uncertaintiesby means of logically linked predictive functions.They also showed that the infrared diffusereflectance spectrum of soil can be used as an inputand as a complement to a soil inference system.

IPNI Science Award John RyanThe International PlantNutrition Institute (IPNI)has named Dr. John Ryan ofthe International Center forAgricultural Research inDry Areas (ICARDA) as thewinner of the 2008 IPNIScience Award. Dr. Ryan isSoil Fertility Specialist/Principal Scientist/Consultant,located at Aleppo, Syria. Hereceives a special plaque

plus a monetary award of US$ 5,000. ‘We are honored to announce John Ryan as therecipient of the IPNI Science Award. He is a trulyoutstanding scientist and most deserving of thisrecognition. His distinguished career has includedteaching, research, extension, and service. And Dr.


Ryan has been prolific in the number of qualitypublications he has authored, co-authored,contributed to, or edited,’ said Dr. Terry L. Roberts,President of IPNI. ‘Dr. Ryan has worked on fivecontinents during his career and has bridged the gapbetween the developed and undeveloped world.’

Dr. Roberts also acknowledged the other outstandingnominees for the award, and encouraged futurenominations of qualified scientists. Private or publicsector agronomists, soil scientists, and crop scientistsfrom all countries are eligible for nomination. This isonly the second year the IPNI Science Award hasbeen presented. The previous recipient in 2007 wasDr. M.S. Aulakh of India.Born in Tipperary, Ireland, from a farmingbackground, Dr. Ryan earned his B. Agr. Sc. in 1967 atUniversity College Dublin. Dr. Ryan subsequentlyreceived his Ph.D. in Soil Science at UniversityCollege Dublin/National University of Ireland, in1971. Later, while serving as a post-doctoralresearcher in soil science in the Soil and WaterScience Department as a Fulbright Scholar at theUniversity of Arizona, he earned his M.S. inAgricultural Education. In 1999, he was awarded theDoctor of Science (D.Sc.) degree by UniversityCollege Dublin based on significant published work.Before joining ICARDA, Dr. Ryan was Soil FertilitySpecialist/Professor of Agronomy with the Universityof Nebraska, working with the USAID/MIAC-MarocProject based at Aridoculture Center, Settat,Morocco, from 1987 to 1992. From 1975 to 1986, hewas Professor of Soil Science at the Faculty ofAgricultural and Food Sciences, American Universityof Beirut, in Beirut, Lebanon. At ICARDA, Dr. Ryan’s innovative strategic research(soil fertility/ agronomy/ crop nutrition) has involvedwheat, barley, chickpea, lentil, vetch, and medics,focusing on sustainability in long-term croppingsystems in rotation trials. Other crop-focusedconcerns include water and nutrient use efficiency,supplemental irrigation, wastewater use, andconservation tillage. His work on efficient fertilizeruse for the past three decades has been a factor inthe 10- to 20-fold increases in regional fertilizer use.Dr. Ryan’s other significant contributions includeincreasing awareness of micronutrients for cropgrowth and nutritional quality in Middle Eastern soilsand demonstration of the potential of legume-based,cereal rotations to sequester carbon and improve soilquality and crop water use efficiency. While his workis directly related to the Mediterranean, it has

implications outside the region. His innovativeresearch has led to publication of more than 165journal articles, 16 books, 25 chapters, 24 internalarticles, 48 conference proceedings, 170 abstracts,and 30 reports.During his career, Dr. Ryan has served on editorialboards of three international journals and fourregional journals. He is a member of the AmericanSociety of Agronomy (serving as Chair of itsInternational Division), the Soil Science Society ofAmerica, the Crop Science Society of America, theInternational Union of Soil Scientists (serving asChair of its Soil Fertility and Plant Nutrition Division,2002-2010), and the Soil and Plant Analysis Council.He served on the World Phosphate Industry’sScientific Advisory Committee (1997-2007) and isinvolved in several scientific networks. Dr. Ryan is a Fellow of the American Society ofAgronomy (1998) and the Soil Science of America(1999). He received the International Soil ScienceAward (1997), the International Service in AgronomyAward (2004), and the International Service in CropScience Award (2008), being the only scientist fromthe CGIAR to receive all three international awardsfrom the Tri-Societies. In 2007, he received the SoilScience Distinguished Service Award from SoilScience Society of America, and the Benton JonesAward from the Soil and Plant Analysis Council fromNorth America. He was also the recipient of theprestigious International Crop Nutrition Award fromthe International Fertilizer Industry Association (IFA)in 2006, and was accorded the ‘Distinguished CitizenAward’ from the University of Arizona (2000). Inrecognition of his lifetime services to internationalsoil science, Dr. Ryan was recently announced asHonorary Member of the International Union of SoilScientists (2008); the Award will be presented at theIUSS World Congress in Brisbane, Australia in 2010. The IPNI Science Award is intended to recognizeoutstanding achievements in research, extension, oreducation, with focus on efficient and effectivemanagement of plant nutrients and their positiveinteraction in fully integrated crop production thatenhances yield potential. Such systems improve netreturns, lower unit costs of production, and maintainor improve environmental quality. The recipient isselected by a committee of noted internationalauthorities.

M AY 2009 33

Hans van Baren

1936-2009

Deputy Secretary General IUSS 1990 - 2002Book Review Editor ISSS/IUSS 1970 - 2008IUSS Honorary Member 2006

Drs J.H.V. (Hans) van Baren passed away on 27th

January 2009. Hans van Baren has been a long-termofficer and first class leader in the ISSS and IUSS, hasmade major contributions to the Soil Map of theWorld and has been instrumental in theestablishment and development of the uniqueWorld Soil Museum (ISRIC) in Wageningen.Hans was born in The Hague, but his formative yearswere spent in Utrecht. Hans studied geology at theUniversity of Utrecht and followed courses inWageningen under the guidance of Professor C.H.Edelman. After his graduation, he took the initiativeto establish contact with UNESCO, which at that timehad a system whereby young scientists wererecruited to work in UNESCO projects around theworld. With the support of his uncle, Professor F.A.van Baren, Hans went to Paris where he was offeredemployment. Based in Rome he assisted with themajor task to compile the FAO-Unesco Soil Map ofthe World. This was a key challenge and itscompletion in the mid 1970s is by many regarded asan important milestone in soil science.

After three years working in the FAO-UNESCO SoilResources Office, Hans went for FAO to East Pakistan(Bangladesh) where he conducted soil surveys. Thisposting lasted for two years after which he was sentto Kenya to assist with the development of thenational soil survey institute. With his Dutchcolleagues, the first soil reconnaissance of the wholecountry was made followed by detailed mapping ofareas of high agricultural potential.With the experience gained in Rome, Bangladesh andKenya, Hans was offered a post in the InternationalSoil Museum (ISM, now ISRIC - World Soil Information),which at that time had only recently been set up bythe ISSS. Together with his colleagues, he set aboutcollecting and preparing soil monoliths of differentsoils according to the classification of the FAO-UNESCO Soil Map of the World. These monolithswere the foundation of the unique ISRIC collection oftoday. He was acting director of the ISM from 1975 to1978 and deputy director from 1978 to hisretirement of ISRIC in 1997.

The transfer of the International Soil Museum fromUtrecht to Wageningen took place in 1978. Asectional building, specially designed for ISM, wasconstructed containing a lecture room, an exhibitionhall (World Soil Museum), offices for staff andlaboratories for soil monolith preparation and soil


Obituaries

Hans with his uncle Prof. F.A. van Baren and aunt in

Utrecht, late 1960s

Hans teaching about the FAO-Unesco legend in 1984

analysis. Under the guidance of Hans the Museumexpanded and fulfilled an important role in theexhibition of soils of the world, and the world of thesoils. He was much involved in the collection andclassification of the soil monoliths. He started the book review section of the ISSSBulletin in the early 1970s. Each year the number ofreviews grew and in the 1990s Hans reviewed 100 to150 books annually for the Bulletin. Many readers ofthe Bulletins have indicated that they found thebook review section the most useful and informativepart of the Bulletin. In 1990, he was elected DeputySecretary General of the ISSS and became heavilyinvolved in the day-to-day management of thesociety including its transformation to a union(IUSS). He has been supportive for national soilscience societies, particularly in developing

countries and maintained a wide global network ofsoil scientists. In 2002, he officially retired from hisDeputy Secretary General post of the IUSS but hecontinued to review books for the IUSS Bulletin until2008. He was made IUSS honorary member in 2006.

Hans was also active in museums and social projectsin Wageningen and was knighted (Ridder in de Ordevan Oranje-Nassau) for all his activities in November2008. By that time a brain tumour had already beenfound and he was to start chemo- and radiationtherapy. Two months after his knighthood, he passedaway. Hans was a modest man, with great humour,insight, work ethics, networking abilities and interestsin the world around him. He was a friend of the soil,but most of all a caring and dedicated friend for thosewho knew him. A friend forever has died.

Roel Oldeman1942-2008

Dr ir L.R. (Roel) Oldeman suddenly passed away on24th November 2008. Roel was born on 16th June,1942, in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia. In 1968 hegraduated from Wageningen Agricultural Universityand went to Hawaii for his PhD study on sugarcane:‘Analysis of Sugarcane Production in Relation toClimate, Soils, and Management’. From 1972 to 1980he worked as agroclimatologist at the CentralResearch Institute for Food Crops (CRIFCI) in Bogor,Indonesia, in the framework of a bilateralagricultural assistance programme betweenIndonesia and the Netherlands. His researchactivities focused on the relationship betweenclimate and rice-based-cropping systems. From 1980to 1982 Roel worked as guest researcher atInternational Institute for Land Reclamation andImprovement (ILRI), Wageningen, the Netherlands.There he wrote the technical report ‘A Study of theAgroclimatology of the Humid Tropics of SoutheastAsia’, at the request of the Interagency Group (FAO,UNESCO, WMO) on Agricultural Biometeorology.Roel was a visiting scientist at the International RiceResearch Institute (IRRI), Los Baños, Philippines from1982 to 1985, where he was a Project Manager of ajoint IRRI-WMO Rice-Weather Studies program.Since the mid 1980s until his retirement in 2002 heworked at ISRIC, Wageningen, The Netherlands. Firstas senior scientist and as part of his duties heworked for 12 months on the agroecological

M AY 2009 35

Hans at his ISRIC desk in 2000, reviewing books, servicing

IUSS members.

Hans and the mayor of Wageningen on 20th November

2008, knighted Ridder in de Orde van Oranje-Nassau

characterization of Madagascar in the framework ofa Rice Research and Training Project of theInternational Rice Research Institute (IRRI). From1987 to 1990 Roel was the Project manager of a jointUNEP-ISRIC project: World Map on the Status ofHuman-Induced Soil Degradation (GLASOD,published in 1990). That map has been widely usedand was his masterpiece.

From 1992 to 2002, he was the director of ISRIC andresponsible for the management of ISRIC with thefollowing mandate: The collection and disseminationof scientific knowledge of the soils of the world aimedat a better understanding of their characterization,classification, distribution, and capability for sustainedland use at local, national, and global scale.After his retirement, he worked as volunteer for theOpenluchtmuseum (Open Air Museum) in Arnhem.Roel had a sudden stroke on the 22nd November2008 and passed away two days later. He will beremembered as a highly amiable and open-mindedperson, who always was good company, andinseparable from his pipe. He is survived by his wifeHenneke and daughter Mariëtte.

SO LONG, ROELWhen Henneke Oldeman called me in November lastyear to say that Roel had been taken to hospital, hervoice told me that something was very wrong. It wasindeed. That Saturday morning he had taken somepot plants to a glasshouse for storage during winter.When he came back, he looked tired and his speechwas impeded. Henneke called the family doctor whodiagnosed a brain haemorrhage and called anambulance. Too much fuzz, (typically) according toRoel. He climbed on the stretcher himself, underprotest. In hospital he slid in a coma from which henever awoke.I have known Roel Oldeman for some 40 odd years.We both entered Wageningen University in 1960 tostudy soils. After his study he went to Hawaii wherehe got his PhD; I went to Turkey and from there toIndonesia. It was a pleasant surprise when one daywe received message that Dr Oldeman would jointhe project. He and Henneke were very much at easein Indonesia. Socially very active, great organizers,and indefatigable. There is still an internationalschool in Bogor that they helped set up. They stayedon for some 8 years and then moved to IRRI in thePhilippines. From there they went back toWageningen. Roel became a staff member of ISRICand later its director. They bought a house inOosterbeek near Wageningen where they becamethe hard core of the ‘Bogor Group’, friends whoworked in Indonesia in the 1960’s and 1970’s andshared common memories and experiences.Roel Oldeman was a pleasantly steady person. In allthose years I have never seen him angry or bitter. Hehad a positive attitude; I think that he saw therelativity of it all. He was a family man and ‘the bestgrandfather on the planet’ in the words of his son-in-law. And he was a great friend.If there is justice and a heaven, which I ardentlyhope, I expect to meet him there. He’ll probably siton the terrace. ‘Heineken, Dries?’ Yes, my friend.Silly? Perhaps, but what a great prospect!

Paul Driessen


A. J. (Tony) Smyth1927 - 2008

After taking a degree in geology at the University ofCambridge, Tony was recruited by the U.K. ColonialResearch Service in 1952 to carry out soil surveys ofthe cocoa-growing areas of Western Nigeria. Newly-married, he and his wife Joyce lived at severalstations in the bush, where there were few moderncomforts, but the work was interesting and aconstant challenge. Eventually, Tony was madeDirector of Soil Survey at Moor Plantation, Ibadan.‘The Soils and Land use of Western Nigeria’ by Smythand Montgomery (1962) is a classic of its kind whichTony later expanded into an FAO bulletin on cocoasoils. Tony had a talent for making informationavailable in a simple format, as was illustrated by hisWest Nigerian soil classification disc.

Though grounded as a desk officer when he joinedFAO in 1962, Rome was a better place for a youngfamily than living in the bush. He travelled widelyvisiting FAO projects and attending internationalmeetings. He was always ready to support staff inthe field, both with his practical and pragmaticadvice and with his administrative experience. In theearly seventies, he led the move from diverse, local,land suitability classifications to the globally-applicable ‘Framework for Land Evaluation’, whichbecame one of the most widely used FAO manuals. After 12 happy years in Rome, Tony moved toLondon in 1974 when he was appointed Director ofthe then Land Resources Development Centre whichalready had a well-established reputation for its

Land Resource Studies. Under Tony’s direction,further expansion of staffing took place so that, by1984, professional staff of LRDC numbered morethan 60. However, more difficult and frustratingtimes followed as government cut back its researchestablishments. Tony retired in 1987, after which heserved on the board of IBSRAM (the InternationalBoard for Soil Research and Management) for fiveyears, which enabled him to sustain his interest insoil and land evaluation and to maintain contactswith international colleagues and friends.Tony Smyth will be remembered as an excellentcolleague and as a sociable person with a greatsense of humour and a sardonic wit that couldpuncture holes in the pompous. He is survived by hiswife, Joyce, and two adult children. Tony and Joycehad celebrated their 56th wedding anniversary twoweeks before Tony died on 15 August.

Hugh Brammer and John Coulter

Peter Alan Burrough 1944 - 2009

Many pedologists and geographers will know ofPeter Burrough from his book Principles ofGeographical Information Systems for Land ResourceAssessment in which he described how to organize,analyse and present spatial data on soil and land.The first edition was the outcome of his experiencein soil survey, landscape classification andquantitative pedology.Peter Burrough took his first degree in chemistry atthe University of Sussex. He won a scholarship topursue research in organic chemistry at Oxford.Once there, however, he discovered that soil wasmore interesting, and he joined Philip Beckett'ssmall band of heretics who were questioning theorthodoxy of soil survey and seeking to place surveyand classification on a proper quantitative basis. Hewas awarded his doctorate for his contribution.

In the last year of his doctoral studies he wasappointed junior lecturer in the university'sGeography Department. There his interest ingeography, a subject he had not studied at school,grew. He successfully applied to join the BritishOverseas Development Administration and wasappointed to serve as soil surveyor in Sabah,Malaysia. In Sabah he maintained his interest in

M AY 2009 37

statistical pedology while doing `bread-and-butter'survey for rural development. He then spent threeyears as lecturer in geography and soil science in theUniversity of New South Wales. It was barren time,with a heavy teaching load and no time for research.So in 1976 he moved to the Netherlands, initially inthe Soil Survey Institute in Wageningen and later inWageningen University where he threw himself intoDutch life and culture. There his research careertook off. He developed computer-based methods forlandscape classification and display, leading tonumerous publications on a variety of topicsincluding fractals, geostatistics, error propagationand fuzzy classification. In 1984 his prowess,achievement and enthusiasm were recognized bythe University of Utrecht which appointed him asprofessor of physical geography and geographicalinformation systems.He finished his book in between these two jobs. Thebook was an instant success in a time that GIS wasrapidly developing and there were no authoritativetexts yet. Peter became a GIS celebrity and travelledthe globe to give keynote addresses and to promotehis work and that of his students. Although hisinterests widened to encompass topics well outsideof soil science, he continued to publish in journals ofsoil science and may be regarded as one of thefounders of the pedometrics community. The newmethods from mathematics, statistics and computerscience that he introduced to soil science havehelped shape the way we do quantitative soil sciencetoday. The British Soil Science Society recognized thiswhen it made him an honorary member in 2008.

Peter thrived in the dynamic environment at UtrechtUniversity and loved teaching as much as research.Unfortunately in 2005 the university's shortage ofmoney forced him into early retirement, but it gavehim the opportunity to accept an honorary researchprofessorship at Oxford University. Sadly, illnesssoon took hold and prevented him fromimplementing his plans for research, and hereturned to the Netherlands in October 2008.Many will remember Peter for his charismaticpresentations and influential publications, but whatcharacterized Peter most was his unboundedenthusiasm and excitement for research. While incharge of a large research group with manyresponsibilities, he would still find time to developtools for spatial analysis for his students, to makenew discoveries and to share these with whoeverpassed his room. It is his passion for science that weshall remember most.

Richard Webster and Gerard Heuvelink


Photo by Nicholas Burrough

M AY 2009 39

A revolution in the use of soil information on a global scale!The Launch of GlobalSoilMap.net – New York, 17th February 2009

After a long gestation period GlobalSoilMap.net wasformally launched at Columbia University, New Yorkon Tuesday 17th February 2009. The project is aglobal partnership of institutions: The Earth Instituteat Columbia University, New York; ISRIC fromWageningen, AfricaSoils.net, CSIRO Australia, JRC(European Commission), The Chinese Academy ofSciences, NRCS (USA), TSBF-CIAT, EMBRAPA (Brazil),IRD (France) and the University of Sydney (Australia).The partnership seeks to produce a digital soil mapof the world using state of the art technologies andwhere possible new and innovative technologies inthe rapidly developing field of data transfer andcommunication, to enable information about soil onthe ice-free part of the earth’s surface to be readilyaccessible for use in a variety of contexts. This newapproach will replace the eye-pleasing coloured soil

maps with which many of us are familiar, but oftenserve principally as colourful wall coverings in officesrather than being used to address soil relatedproblems. Producing a soil map was often a toppriority but often little thought was given to how touse the soil map once it was produced. Frequentlythere was only limited linkage between the originalsoil observations upon which the maps was basedand other soil based information such as field trialdata and other environmental information whichhad been gathered before or were gatheredsubsequently.

The aim of the project will be to map the ice-free landsurface to provide a soil information system consistingof the primary functional soil properties at a gridresolution of 90m x 90m. Whilst this alone will be amajor advance on our current available informationit will be supplemented by interpretative andfunctionality options, using state of the art knowledgein Soil Science and other environmental spheres toprovide a comprehensive system to support decisionmaking on many of the issues faced in global, regional

Reports of meetings

and local development. With the rapid developmentsin the speed and accessibility of wirelesscommunications and the development of low costrecording and retrieval systems this is aimed to bereal time information! These digital soil maps offerthe opportunity for information to be presented inthe form it is most readily understood using coloursand patterns. Information retrieval may be of only asmall part of the data set, or may be of interpretationsof soil and other environmental data for a specificpurpose. The supporting material available in theproject will provide the procedures for manipulationand combination of the range of data to generate afar greater set of information than is possible with atraditional soil map. As new requirements arise andnew interpretations become possible as knowledge isgained these will be made available.

The first step in this global initiative, funded by theBill and Melinda Gates Foundation to the sum of $18million, is to support the Alliance for a GreenRevolution in Africa (AGRA) and partners from theprogramme to map the soils of sub-Saharan Africa.The work in Africa has created the Africa SoilInformation Service. This first step recognises sub-Saharan Africa as probably the key area of the globewhere the need to use all available soil data tooptimise the use of soil and avoid catastrophesthrough mismanagement is of paramountimportance. Using innovative technologies viasatellite the project will create detailed images oflarge areas, indications of the nutrient status of soils,the available soil moisture and the levels of soilorganic matter. These data will be collected togetherwith climatic data and other environmental

information and made available via the internet. Theprogramme also includes training for extensionofficers to enable them to use these data at a localscale making farmer relevant decisions andproviding appropriate guidance. At a regional ornational scale the data will enable more effectivedevelopment planning by governments and whereappropriate donors and investors. The provision ofthese data will enable farmers to maintain andimprove sustainable food production in sub-SaharanAfrica. This is particularly important as the climateshifts predicted for this region seem likely to begreater than for most other areas of the world andconsequently will require more adjustment byfarmers to maintain their production. With thenewly available data these adjustments will be basedon scientific knowledge.

The ProjectTo address the global targets of this programme theproject has established continental nodes under theglobal co-ordination of Alfred Hartemink at ISRIC.The Nodes and responsible organisations are:Sub-Saharan Africa:- TSBF-CIAT, Kenya and the Earth Institute,

Columbia University.North America:- NRCS, USALatin America and Caribbean:- EMBRAPA, BrazilEurope and Eurasia:- JRC (EC), Italy Oceania:- CSIRO and University of Sydney, Australia.


Prof. Jeffrey Sachs addressing the GlobalSoilMap.net crowd

East Asia:- Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of

Sciences, PR of China.Further nodes are being developed in North Africa,West Asia and South Asia.

The LaunchThe launch on 17th February 2009 took place in theItalian Theatre at Columbia University, New York on17th February 2009, well attended by representativefrom the USA and across the rest of the globe, withIUSS represented by Stephen Nortcliff, and a strongdelegation from South Korea. The formal opening wasprovided by Jeffrey Sachs, Director of the EarthInstitute. Those of you who attended the WCSS inPhiladelphia will have been inspired by the visionpresented by Jeffrey Sachs for the key role soil scienceand knowledge of soils must play in global decisionmaking In his introductory comments here in NewYork, Jeffrey Sachs reiterated the critical importanceof knowledge about soils in many issues facing theglobal community today; he identified this project asa major step towards the aim of ensuring thatknowledge of soils is universally available andaccessible to play this key role in addressing pressingglobal issues such as global food security, sustainableuse of resources and responses to climate change.Jeffrey Sachs congratulated all of the team inestablishing this project, but specifically Pedro Sanchezand Alfred Hartemink, for identifying this gap ininformation provision and working tirelessly over thepast two years to move forwards to the point wherethis launch heralded the first significant step towardsreadily accessible soil data any where in the world.

The launch involved a series of illustratedpresentations in person together with messages ofsupport from Kofi Annan, Chairman, Alliance for aGreen Revolution in Africa and Jacques Diouf,Director General, Food and Agriculture Organisationof the United Nations, on video or read on behalf ofthose unable to be present. The presentationshighlighted both the general principles underlyingthe project and the particular regional focus andcontributions from each of the Nodes. Theafternoon began with a presentations on thepotential use of digital soil data on aspects ofsustainable development, focusing on ClimateChange, Sustainable Land Use, Food Security andSoil Biodiversity. This was followed by a discussionbetween the audience and the panel. The final

session of the day presented viewpoints on theglobal impact of GlobalSoilMap.net from ZhongliDing (Chinese Academy of Sciences), Paul Bertsch(Soil Science Society of America), Sveinn Runólfsson(Soil Conservation Service of Iceland – the firstnational soil conservation service) and MichaelGolden (US Department of Agriculture- NaturalResources Conservation Service).The day finished with a wine and cheese receptionand the opportunity to reflect on the potential impactof this project, which takes the scientific andacademic aspects of digital soil mapping, one of thenewest and most rapidly growing parts of the SoilScience in the last decade, and applies the knowledgeand approaches of this academic subject to thepractical problems of soil management and soil use.

Stephen NortcliffSecretary General, IUSS

Annual Meeting of the Western Enviro-Agricultural Laboratory Association Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

The Annual Meeting of the Western Enviro-Agricultural Laboratory Association (WEALA) washeld at the Northern Forestry Centre, CanadianForest Service, Natural Resources Canada, Edmonton,Alberta, Canada on April 1, 2009.

Plans are underway to hold a workshop in early 2010.We have organized annual workshops since the firstworkshop on soil sampling, quality assurance/qualitycontrol and laboratory accreditation in Lethbridge,Alberta in 1985. A recent workshop dealt with‘Advances in analytical technology’. It included avendor show consisting of presentations and displaysby instrument manufacturers and laboratoryequipment suppliers (IUSS Bulletin No. 110, Page 59,2007 ). Since the feedback from the participantsindicated that this was an extremely usefulworkshop, we are planning to organize the 2010workshop on the same theme. An OrganizingCommittee is working out further details.

An annual analytical round robin has been part ofWEALA’s activities since the founding of thisAssociation. The results of a survey that I conductedwhen we formed this Association showed that this

M AY 2009 41

was the primary impetus for most of the members tojoin the Association. Generation of high quality datahas always been and remains the top priority. Theround robin collaborative studies have enabled thelaboratory to achieve this goal. At the AnnualMeeting, a planning committee was formed toconduct the next round robin.

Charlene Rollheiser was elected President for 2009-2010. In the past, the address of the business officeof WEALA would change whenever a Secretary-Treasurer was elected. It was decided that thebusiness office should be located at one place. Thisprovides continuity and ease of retrieving archivalrecords. Joel Crumbaugh will continue to serve asSecretary-Treasurer and maintain all the records.Further information on WEALA can be obtained bycontacting him ([email protected]). Visit usonline at www.weala.com.

The WEALA is a non-profit association of analyticallaboratories. The main objective of this 30-year oldgroup is to generate high quality analytical results.The group provides a forum for developingstandardized methodologies, discussions onlaboratory management, and exchange ofinformation on topics of mutual interest amonganalysts to improve laboratory operations. TheAssociation was founded by Jim A. Carson, RayGrimson, Yash P. Kalra, Don H. Laverty, and AlRasmuson in 1979. I have had the privilege ofparticipating in almost all the meetings andworkshops and several round robins since the firstmeeting held in Calgary, Alberta on June 28, 1977 todiscuss the feasibility of forming this Association. Ihave enjoyed serving as Secretary/Treasurer (1981-

82, 1985-86), Vice President (1982-1983, 1986-1987), and President (1983-1984, 1987-1988) of thisAssociation.

Yash P. Kalra, Canadian Forest Service, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada([email protected])

Report on the 4th Australian and New Zealand joint soil science conference ‘Soils 2008’Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

The 4th joint soil science conference of the AustralianSociety of Soil Science (ASSS) and the New ZealandSociety of Soil Science (NZSSS) was held 1-5December, 2008, at Massey University, PalmerstonNorth, New Zealand. Approximately 335 registrantsattended, the bulk from Australasia but others fromthe U.K., U.S.A., Brazil, Denmark, Kazakhstan, Japanand Taiwan also participated. Previous joint meetingsof the two societies, held every four years, have beenat Melbourne (1996), Lincoln University nearChristchurch (2000), and Sydney (2004). The 2008conference featured a slogan ‘Soil - living skin ofplanet Earth’ and was held as part of the‘International year of planet Earth’ commemorations. The conference was organised largely along the usuallines: plenary sessions, theme sessions (symposia),and oral papers (189 in total) and poster papers (66in total) were delivered in up to four concurrentsessions over a five-day period. Social events were afeature of the meeting and included an icebreakersession and evening meal to start the conference, a


steam-train trip and visit to a wind farm, theconference dinner and awards ceremony, a hangi(traditional Maori meal cooked underground), and abarbecue. Because larger-than-expected numbersattended the conference, the organisers, ledextremely ably by Vince Neall of Massey University,were forced to run the plenary sessions at a separatecampus in a building with sufficient seating to copewith the numbers. This meant that only two fullplenary sessions were held during the conference, atthe start and at the end, in this separate venue. The theme sessions with invited speakers ranconcurrently throughout the conference and incompetition with concurrent sessions. I personallywas a little disappointed by this (understandable)arrangement because all the thematic speakers hadtopical subjects that were of wide interest.Unfortunately it was not possible to attend all thethematic talks because of concomitant programmecommitments. I would have preferred a full plenarysession each day where the sense of community isfully realised together with the opportunity to hear awide range of talks. The thematic topics andspeakers/leaders were as follows: 1. The water crisis(theme speaker Neil McKenzie, CSIRO Land andWater, Canberra, ACT, Australia); 2. Confrontingsalinity (Kevin Goss, Future Farm Industries CRC,Western Australia); 3. Soil acidification (Bob White,Professor Emeritus, University of Melbourne,Australia); 4. Valuing natural capital (Brent Clothier,Plant & Food Research, Palmerston North, NewZealand); 5. Sustaining soil biological health andfunction (Richard Bardgett, Professor of Ecology,Lancaster University, United Kingdom); 6. Soils andthe carbon economy (Stewart Ledgard, AgResearch,Hamilton, New Zealand); 7. Integrated environmentalmanagement including subthemes (a) plant nutrition,(b) soil quality, and (c) emission, runoff, leaching andmitigation (Dan Hillel, Columbia University, New Yorkand Professor Emeritus, University of Massachusetts,Amherst, U.S.A.); and 8. Horizons for soil science inAustralasia and Oceania soil science education:realising potential (theme facilitator Margaret Brown,AgResearch, Palmerston North, New Zealand). The opening plenary speaker was Daniel Hillel whoas always spoke eloquently and passionately on‘Homo et humus’ to open the conference (althoughI must say I was very aware of much of the materialhe presented, and I even use some of his phrases inmy lectures - properly cited of course!). Theconcluding plenary speaker was Paul Reynolds, ChiefExecutive of Ministry for the Environment of New

Zealand, who spoke on ‘The importance of soils toNew Zealand’. The talk was well organised andpresented though I personally was a bit tired of the‘same old’ message by this point. The annual N.H.Taylor Memorial Lecture of NZSSS, presentedsmoothly and engagingly during the final plenarysession by Megan Balks (University of Waikato,Hamilton, New Zealand), was entitled ‘Footprints atthe ends of the Earth: impacts and management ofhuman activities on frozen soils’ and was very wellreceived. The conference finished with an horizonseducation forum where the audience was challengedto come up with ideas to promote soil science andenhance its teaching. I was not sure where thediscussion was leading and what the point wasregarding any follow-up action plan (if there wasone). I got the impression that by this time many inthe audience were rather jaded but nevertheless Iacknowledge of course the challenge is one that weneed to confront and work at without let-up.

Several more thematic sessions were held. Theseincluded two joint IUSS commission sessions (ofcommissions 4.1, 4.2, and 4.3): ‘The environmentand land use’ (chaired jointly by Brent Clothier,HortResearch, New Zealand, and Leo Condron,Lincoln University, New Zealand) and ‘Theenvironment and human health’ (chaired jointly byGrant Northcott, HortResearch, New Zealand, andChuck Rice, Kansas State University, U.S.A.). Threefurther thematic sessions were held on ‘Techniques,applications and informatics’, ‘Soils, landscapedevelopment and dating’, and ‘Volcanic soils’.A lot of excellent papers were presented during theconference, the award for the best being made to claymineralogist-turned philosopher Jock Churchman onhis masterly talk ‘The (philosophical) status of soilscience’ during which Jock examined the roots of thediscipline and the attributes that make it distinct andspecial. Other notable talks included RichardBardgett’s ‘The consequences of soil biodiversity forecosystem function’. (There were more but I cannotbegin to list them!) Sessions on biochar and anythingto do with carbon were very popular and usuallyaudiences overflowed lecture rooms.All conference participants received a spiral boundcopy of the abstracts volume, a separate ‘progammeat-a-glance’ booklet, and a memory stick containingall the abstracts. The abstracts, as seems to be themodern way (flawed in my view), were listedaccording to programme order with a crossreferencing system to the theme session and day. It

M AY 2009 43

is not easy to find a specific author’s abstractbecause the entire 5-day programme has to bescanned first to find the day and time of the author’stalk and then that information is used to grindthrough the abstracts volume using the codes. Whynot just list abstracts in alphabetical order of the firstauthor (or provide an index)?Six field trips were organised including a 3-day pre-conference trip ‘Ashes and Issues’ through northernand central North Island (led by David Lowe, HaydonJones, and Paul McDaniel). This trip began in Aucklandand concentrated on volcanic-ash derived soils, theirage relationships and development throughupbuilding pedogenesis, and current environmentalmanagement challenges associated with their use.There were 23 participants (including four students)on this tour, deriving from Japan, Taiwan, U.S.A., U.K.,Australia, and New Zealand. The trip was blessed withexceptionally fine early summer weather. In preparingfor the trip, I encountered for the first time a farmerwho refused us access to a small quarry on his landdespite a range of pleas and bribes, and another landowner took exception to our presence on a road,belonging jointly to eight residents, primarily becauseshe had not personally been consulted (anotherowner had given me permission, I hasten to add). A 1-day post-conference trip from Palmerston North toWellington along the southwest coast of North Island(led by Tessa Mills and Brent Clothier) examined peri-urban pressures, the viability of rural communities,and valuing natural capital. Four 1-day intra-

conference trips (free to all participants through theirregistration fees) covered a range of soils and land-useissues in the local area: (1) Intensification anddiversification of land uses: economic andenvironmental trade-offs (led by Brent Clothier, RogerParfitt and Alec Mackay); (2) Sustainable managementof North Island soft-rock hill country (Grant Cooperand Alec Mackay); (3) The Manawatu sand country soilchronosequence (Vince Neall); and (4) Loess andvolcanic soils of the Manawatu terrace-lands (AlanPalmer). I was forced to opt-out of my trip but heardgenerally favourable reports about the trips. Thepacked lunches were enormous.

The standards of catering and the catering staff wereexemplary (apart from the ‘coffee’ which was a littlebelow par I thought). Fantastic meals, both lunchesand evening meals, as well as tea breaks wereprovided every day of the conference by theorganisers. Such service helped to explain the ratherdaunting registration fees that exceeded $900 NZD.The social events were friendly, the (free) train-tripbeing enjoyed by many. The conference dinner wasnotable in two ways: the longest set of awards evermade by ASSS and NZSSS in history, and a minorfracas. The patience and calmness of Vince Neall incontrolling the evening were incredible.A feature of the conference I found a little disappointingwas that the poster papers were located well away fromthe area where the oral papers were presented. I feltposters had the usual and unwarranted ‘lesser status’


Participants relaxing on the pre-conference ‘Ashes and Issues’ tour of North Island.

and when I visited the poster hall on several occasionsI was almost alone. An incident occurred during one ofour PhD student presentations. Some IT peopleappeared through a door alongside the student andbegan discussing in whispers some technical issuewhilst the student was delivering her paper. I feltcompelled to protest (the student was one of ourWaikato group) but then desisted, such a protestprobably being more disruptive in the end than thewhispered conversation. On another occasion, anotherof our students, who shall remain nameless,accidentally banged the arm of Alex McBratney whileentering the lecture room to see the talk by Alex (Alexhad been waiting unseen behind the sole entrance doorwhen the student entered). Unfortunately, tocompound this first unavoidable error, the student inraising his arms to applaud the departing speaker, hitwith his elbow a weird big red button that resulted in allthe lights coming on and the data projector switchingoff (it was not able to be reactivated until later when itwas more-or-less too late). Why would there be such abutton in the middle of the seating in a lecture theatre?!As a result, Alex had to give much of his talk without hispowerpoint slides. We apologise to Alex but point thefinger of blame at Massey University’s architect orhandyman! Later, Alex (with co-author BudimanMinasny) was awarded the J.K. Taylor Gold Medal in SoilScience by the ASSS, which we hope made up for us

ruining his talk! Actually, I have a lot of time and praisefor the IT coordinators, the minor ‘whispering’ blemishabove being an exception. They handled all the heavydemands on them with patience and skill and I thinkdeserved a huge amount of praise for helping towardsthe conference’s great success.

One feature that worked well at the conference,despite my initial misgivings, was the free transport(bus pick-up) provided daily between the campusand accommodation for those participants whostayed in town. Vince Neall and his team at Massey Universitydeserve enormous credit for organising an excellentand friendly conference for us to enjoy andapppreciate. My overseas colleagues and guests,and our Waikato University group, really enjoyed allaspects of the conference experience. For those whohave never organised a conference, it is anextremely arduous and demanding exercise with no-let up before or during the event, and the demandscontinue afterwards as well when there areaccounts, taxes, reports and other gruelling aspectsto finalise. We remain very grateful to all whocontributed to the conference organisation, or whoprovided meals and other services or support, andwho prepared presentations for our benefit. I am convinced that the joint conferences of ASSS andNZSSS are extremely beneficial to both groups of soilscientists (and to those from elsewhere). As someoneremarked to me, the feeling our group came awayafter ‘Soils 2008’ was one of mutual respect (alwaysa good start) and a willingness to appreciate thedifferent viewpoints and problems facing eachcountry regarding soils and their use underincreasing pressure, and to offer each other supportand solutions through research, communication, andfriendship. Rumour has it that the next meeting in2012 may be held in Tasmania. Beforehand thoughthe Australians have the severe challenge oforganising and running the IUSS world soil congressin Brisbane in 2010. We in New Zealand wish themwell and look forward to meeting up again with theAussies, along with many other internationalscientists making the long trip downunder.

David J. LoweDepartment of Earth and Ocean Sciences, University of Waikato Private Bag 3105, Hamilton, New Zealand 3240 [email protected]

M AY 2009 45

Allan Hewitt makes a point

International Meeting on Soil fertility Land Management and Agroclimatology9 October - 1 November 2008. Kuşadasi, Turkey

This international meeting was organized by AdnanMenderes University, Faculty of Agriculture, Depart-ment of Soil Science in collaboration with the SoilScience Society of Turkey, and IUSS in Kusadasi-Aydin.It took place in the midst of a beautiful Aegeanautumn and was attended by about 135, out which75 were foreign delegates. It was one of the low costmeeting a a world known touristic area. Kuşadasi inAydin.province along the Aegean sea of Turkey isgraced with abundant natural beauty, and history.Kuşadasi is near the Ancient City of Ephesus, Houseof Virgin Mary, Artemis Temple and Basilica of St John,a thoroughly an excellent model to the Antic World inculture and art. The temple of Artemis is known asone of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world. Oraland poster papers were presented mainly on soilfertility, land management and the effects of climatechange on soil and agriculture with the oralcontributions from the esteemed internationalscientists. Important studies conducted by eminentresearchers were also shared during the conference.The meeting took place in a hotel along the sea withfantastic views, food, and atmosphere.

Main topics that were discussed included: Plantphysiology in stress environment, agroclimatology,carbon cycle, soil and water management, soil andwater pollution, desertification and land degradation,soil quality improvement, soil and water conservation,soil and water pollution, GIS and remote sensing,

pedology, plant nutrition and soil fertility, Irrigationand water quality, biodiversity soil microbiology andbiochemistry. Papers on soil physics and watermanagement were excellent, they were goodexamples of interdesciplinary studies in soil science.

A general very useful discussions took place in thelast day of the meeting including: 1. Soil biological (plant microbial ecology) and

physical system need to be addressed togetherfor sustainable management and conservation ofthe soil resources.

2. We need to pay attention to the paper publishedin June 2004 in Science Magazine SOIL ISTHEFINAL FRONTIERS to develop integratedapproches that may lead to exercise morepractical soil science for public consumption.

3. We must pay attention to teaching of soils andeducation to provide better conditions for futuresoil scientists.

4. Soil degradation, loss of organic matter, carbonsequestration soil quality and soil cropmanagement systems are important major issuestogether with residue management, organo-mineral fertilizers, P and N management, effect ofnew agricultural technologies on soil-plantsytems, K dynamics and leaching, organic farmingwe must keep in mind.

5. Pedological studies remains to be essential.Global Soil Change emerging a new overarchingarea in Soil Science.

6. Efforts of the young scientists were very muchappreciated.

7. We must work with other related scientists, suchas geologist, engineers, chemist, ecologists etc toidentify new avenues.


Participants of the meeting

2009

14th International Clay Conference 12-20 June Italy

Meeting on Soils with Mediterranean Type of Climate - 22-26 June Lebanon

Soil organic matters - 23-25 June UK

Functions of soil in a pan European context 23-25 June Czech Republic

16th Nitrogen Workshop - 28 June-1 July Italy

7th International Conference on Geomorphology 6-11 July Australia

Int. Symposium on Soil Organic Matter Dynamics 6-9 July USA

11th International Symposium on Soil and Plant Analysis 21-25 July USA

42nd IPUAC Chemistry Solutions - 2-7 Aug UK

Pedometrics 2009 - 26-28 Aug China

Humic Substances in Ecosystems 8 13-17 Sept Slovakia

8th International Carbon Dioxide Conference 13-19 Sept Germany

International conference on cryopedology 14-20 Sept Russia

Bridging the Centuries: 1909-2009 - 100 years ofsoil science - 16-17 Sept Hungary

Salinization conference - 20-23 Sept Hungary

Biohydrology 2009: Biology and soil hydrologyinteractions - 21-24 Sept Slovakia

Advances of molecular modelling ofbiogeochemical interfaces6-7 Oct Germany

Int. Symposium on Environmental PollutionMediterranean 7-11 Oct Italy

5th SUITMA conference 21-25 Sept USA

ASA-CSSA-SSSA International annual meeting 1-5 Nov USA

Living with Landscapes 1-5 Nov Egypt

Soil geography: New horizons 16-20 Nov Mexico

5th conference of the African Soil Science Society22-28 Nov Cameroun

XVIII Congreso Latinoamericano de la Ciencia delSuelo - 16-20 Nov Costa Rica

Int. Conf. on Food Security and EnvironmentalSustainability - 17-20 Dec India

2010

4th Int. Conf. on Plants & Environmental Pollution 7-10 Feb India

Int. Conf. on Soil Fertility and Productivity 17-20 Mar Germany

19th World Congress of Soil Science, Brisbane, 1-6 Aug Australia

ASA-CSSA-SSSA International annual meeting 31 Oct-4 Nov USA

M AY 2009 47

Upcoming meetings

A Handbook of Tropical SoilBiology. Sampling and Characteri-zation of Below-ground Biodiversity,by Fatima M. S. Moreira, E. JeroenHuising and David E. Bignell.Eartscan, 2008.hardback 9781844076215 £85.00.This practical handbook describes

sampling and laboratory assessment methods for thebiodiversity of a number of key functional groups ofsoil organisms, including insects, earthworms,nematodes, fungi and bacteria. The methods havebeen assembled and the protocols drafted by anumber of scientists associated with the UNEP-GEFfunded Conservation and Sustainable Managementof Below-Ground Biodiversity Project, executed bythe Tropical Soil Biology and Fertility (TSBF) Instituteof the International Center for Tropical Agriculture(CIAT). The methods provide a standardized basis forcharacterizing soil biodiversity and current land usesin terrestrial natural, semi-natural and agro-eco-systems in tropical forests and at forest margins. Theaim is to assess soil biodiversity against current andhistoric land use practices both at plot and landscapescales and, further, to identify opportunities forimproved sustainable land management through theintroduction, management or remediation of soilbiota, thus reducing the need for external inputs suchas fertilizers and pesticides. The book also containsextensive advice on the handling of specimens andthe allocation of organisms to strain or functionalgroup type.

Handbook of Agricultural Geo-physics. Edited by Barry Allred,Jeffrey J. Daniels, Mohammad RezaEhsani. ISBN: 9780849337284.Focuses on the use of near-surfacegeophysics for agricultural applica-tions. Describes three commonnear-surface geophysical methods

that can be employed for agricultural purposes.Provides detailed examples and case histories ofagricultural applications for these geophysicalmethods. Presents theoretical insight on soil electrical

conductivity measurement. Includes geophysicalmethods not typically used for agriculture currentlybut with possible future applications. Precisionfarming, site infrastructure assessment, hydrologicmonitoring, and environmental investigations - theseare just a few current and potential uses of near-surface geophysical methods in agriculture.Responding to the growing demand for thistechnology, the Handbook of Agricultural Geophysicssupplies a clear, concise overview of near-surfacegeophysical methods that can be used in agricultureand provides detailed descriptions of situations inwhich these techniques have been employed. Visitwww.crcpress.com for more details.

Guidelines for surveying soil andland resources Edited by N.J.McKenzie, M.J. Grundy, R. Webster,A.J. Ringrose-Voase. CSIRO Publishing,2008. ISBN: 9780643090910.Guidelines for Surveying Soil andLand Resources promotes thedevelopment and implementation

of consistent methods and standards for conductingsoil and land resource surveys in Australia. Thesesurveys are primarily field operations that aim toidentify, describe, map and evaluate the various kindsof soil or land resources in specific areas. The adventof geographic information systems, global positioningsystems, airborne gamma radiometric remotesensing, digital terrain analysis, simulation modelling,efficient statistical analysis and internet-baseddelivery of information has dramatically changed thescene in the past two decades. This authoritativeguide incorporates these new methods andtechniques for supporting natural resourcemanagement. Soil and land resource surveyors,engineering and environmental consultants,commissioners of surveys and funding agencies willbenefit from the practical information provided onhow best to use the new technologies that have beendeveloped, as will professionals in the spatial sciencessuch as geomorphology, ecology and hydrology. Visit www.publish.csiro.au/nid/22/pid/5650.htm formore details.


New Publications

Geomorphometry. Edited byTomislav Hengl and Hannes I.ReuterElsevier Science 2008. ISBN: 978-0-12-374345-9. A title in theDevelopments in Soil Scienceseries. Geomorphometry is thescience of quantitative land-surface analysis. It draws upon

mathematical, statistical, and image-processingtechniques to quantify the shape of earth's topographyat various spatial scales. The focus of geomorphometryis the calculation of surface-form measures (land-surface parameters) and features (objects), which maybe used to improve the mapping and modelling oflandforms to assist in the evaluation of soils,vegetation, land use, natural hazards, and otherinformation. This book provides a practical guide topreparing Digital Elevation Models (DEM) for analysisand extracting land-surface parameters and objectsfrom DEMs through a variety of software. It furtheroffers detailed instructions on applying parameters andobjects in soil, agricultural, environmental and earthsciences. This is a manual of state-of-the-art methodsto serve the various researchers who usegeomorphometry. Visit www.elsevierdirect.com/product.jsp?isbn=9780123743459 for more details

Soil Analysis in Forensic Taphonomy:Chemical and Biological Effects ofBuried Human Remains, by MarkTibbett and David O. Carter (eds). CRCPress, Hardback, 2008. $99.95. ISBN:9781420069914. Soil Analysis inForensic Taphonomy: Chemical andBiological Effects of Buried Human

Remains is the first book to concentrate entirely on thetelling impact of soil and its components on thepostmortem fate of human remains. Examining the basicphysicochemical composition of the soil as it relates toforensic science and taphonomy, leading experts fromacross the world: Offer an introduction to the nature,distribution, and origin of soil materials in forensiccomparisons; Discuss the action of biological soilcomponents, including invertebrates, fungi, andbacteria; Address rates and processes of decompositionand time of death estimates; Detail methods forcharacterizing and fingerprinting soils; Provide extensiveinformation on the decomposition of hair. Edited byMark Tibbett, a soil microbiologist and David Carter, aforensic scientist, this unique resource provides an up-to-date overview of fundamental scientific principles

and methods used in forensic taphonomy from a soils-based perspective. It provides an understanding of theprocesses at work, as well as practical methods andadvice for those involved with active investigation.

Land Change Science in theTropics - Changing AgriculturalLandscapes, by Millington,Andrew; Jepson, Wendy (Eds.)Springer, 2008, XVIII, 274 p. 50illus., Hardcover, ISBN: 978-0-387-78863-0. Land use and land-coverchange research over the pastdecade has focused mainly on

contemporary primary land-cover conversions in thetropics and sub-tropics, with considerable resourcesdedicated to the explanation and prediction oftropical deforestation and often ignoring thedynamism in the world’s agro-pastoral landscapes.This collection integrates cutting-edge research in thesocial, biogeophysical, and geographical informationsciences to understand the human and environmentaldynamics that change the type, magnitude andlocation of land uses and land covers in the changingcountryside. Our contributors are from across theglobe and draw on diverse empirical pan-tropical casestudies and disciplinary influences. The researchreported examines land-use and land-cover change inBolivia, Brazil, China, Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire, India,Malawi, Mexico, Pakistan, Peru, Senegal and Thailand.Each chapter in this book advances one of threethemes: (i) adaptations and change in settledagricultural zones, (ii) agricultural intensification, and(iii) markets and institutions. This book describes themonitoring of land-cover changes, explains theprocesses through which land is altered, anddescribes the development of spatially-explicitmodels to predict land change. This book illustrateshow practitioners have integrated knowledge fromthe three scientific realms - social, biophysical, andGIScience - that underpin land-change science.

Claves para la Taxonomía deSuelos, Décima Edición. (PDF;Spanish translation; 3.6 MB) Fordecades, NRCS has worked withsoil scientists from around theworld to increase awareness andexpand knowledge concerningthe importance of soil and its

impact on all aspects of life. By translating the ‘Keys’into Spanish, many soil scientists and other

M AY 2009 49

professionals from Latino America, the UnitedStates, and other countries will benefit from thiseffort for years to come. According to NRCSleadership, it will expand the horizons of U.S. SoilTaxonomy by having professionals in all parts of theworld applying and interpreting the system in amore uniform and consistent way. While soils differglobally, the ability to apply a system that isuniversally understood and accepted is a goal sharedby many soil scientists. The translation of the ‘Keys’into Spanish was the initiative of Luis Hernandez,Arkansas State Soil Scientist. In addition to the PDFfile listed above, the publication is available on a CDand can be requested by contacting the National SoilSurvey Center in Lincoln, Nebraska, USA. A limitednumber of hard copies will be printed.

Tropical Resource Management Papers. Free accessto over 90 PDFs (1990-2008) of the Tropical ResourceManagement Papers. The main objective of thisseries of papers is to allow a wider distribution thanthe circuit of international scientific journals for theresults of research on (sub)tropical resourcemanagement. The series is written by researchersand graduate students working within theframework of Wageningen research projects. Sincethe start in 1992, the focus of TRMP broadened fromSahel countries to the whole of Africa and to thewhole of developing countries in the tropics. Since2008 digital versions of more than 90 books areavailable. However, in some countries access tointernet is often slow and scarce and for this reasonits will be possible, upon request, to receive hardcopies of the TRMP books. Visit www.trmp.wur.nl formore information or e-mail [email protected]

Microbiological Methods ForAssessing Soil QualityEdited by J. Bloem, Alterra,Wageningen, The Netherlands;D.W. Hopkins, University ofStirling, UK; A. Benedetti,Instituto Sperimentale per laNutrizione delle Piante, Rome,Italy. With growing concernabout the protection of soil

quality and biodiversity many countries haveestablished regional and national programmes tomonitor soil quality. This book reviews the theory andpractice of a range of the various microbiologicalmethods used within these programmes. The firstsection gives an overview of approaches to monitoring,

evaluating and managing soil quality. The secondsection provides a practical handbook with detaileddescriptions of the methods. The methods aredescribed in chapters on soil microbial biomass andnumbers, soil microbial activity, soil microbial diversityand community composition, and plant-microbeinteractions and soil quality. Finally, a census is givenof the main methods used in over 30 Europeanmicrobiological laboratories.

Quickening the Earth: SoilMinding and Mending inIreland. J.F. Collins, School ofBiological and EnvironmentalScience, UCD, Dublin, 2008.This book documents theways and means adopted bygenerations of Irish farmersto maintain and restore soilfertility over many centuries.All available natural materials

were used: calcareous corals, clays, gravels, sands andshells; burnt lime; stable manures, composts, andseaweed/kelp. Separate chapters are also devoted tolime-burning; paring/burning/subsoil roasting; and tothe shorter histories of warping/watering; salt/guanoimports and bone treatment/products. As well asdocumenting advances in soil and agriculturalsciences, and drawing material from the husbandriesand the economic/social sciences, this book highlightsthe contributions made by Irish writers to theknowledge of soils and especially to the problem ofsoil acidity. Though focussed on Ireland, the researchis likely to be of interest to those working in manydisciplines including soil management, chemistry,fertility and pedology. E-mail: [email protected] €40.00; packaging and posting extra.

Soils in the Humid Tropics andMonsoon Region of Indonesia, byK.H. Tan. CRC Press, 2008. ISBN 10:1420069071 Highlighting the vastdifferences in tropical climate,from hot and humid to cool andarctic, this book explores theclimate, soil zones, and altitudinal

variation in soil formation. The author explores thechanges in geomorphology, especially in climateand vegetation above sea level, that have yieldedzones of different soils. The book makes accessiblehard-to-find information translated from Dutcharchives. Informally divided into two parts, it begins


with coverage of the development of soil science inIndonesia. The author reviews the geography andgeomorphology of the archipelago, climate,vegetation, and mineralization and humificationprocesses as factors of soil formation. The secondpart examines the major soils, their genesis,properties, taxonomy, land use, and evaluation. Thediscussion moves from lowlands, to uplands, thenmountains, and concludes with andosols found inthe mountains as well as in the lowlands. Focusedand timely, this book knits new knowledge with oldbut important information that has been previouslydifficult to access.

Hormones and PharmaceuticalsGenerated by ConcentratedAnimal Feeding OperationsTransport in Water and Soil, byShore, Laurence S.; Pruden,Amy (Eds.) Springer, 2009. ISBN: 978-0-387-92833-3. This book examines howhormones, antibiotics and

pharmaceuticals generated from concentratedanimal feeding operations (CAFOs) of cattle,poultry, swine and aquaculture are transported inwater and soil. Little is known of the environmentalfate of the tons of physiologically active steroidhormones released each year. In their own regard,in the last 20 years considerable attention has beengiven to a wide variety of natural andanthropomorphic agents known as endocrinedisrupting compounds (EDCs). Until thecontribution of steroid hormones to theenvironment are better defined, it will be difficultto quantify the exact impact of EDCs. While someadvances in the understanding of the fate of thesecompounds in water has been made, little is knownabout the processes that govern their transport insoil or how they eventually reach groundwater. Asthis book discusses extensively, it is somewhat of amystery how steroids, with their lipophilic nature,strong binding to humic acids and extensivemetabolism by soil bacteria, can be transportedthrough even a few centimeters of soil, let alone 20to 40 meters to the groundwater. With respect toantibiotics, the emphasis is on their fate andtransport in the environment and on theemergence of antibiotic resistant bacteria. Impactson soil ecology, including the impact of antibioticson the metabolism of other active agents, is alsodiscussed.

Laboratory and Field Testing ofUnsaturated Soils, by Tarantino,Alessandro; Romero, Enrique; Cui,Yu-Jun (Eds.) Springer, 2009. ISBN:978-1-4020-8818-6. This collectionfocuses on recent advances inlaboratory and field testing ofunsaturated soils. Leading

researchers from fourteen countries to representglobal research in the area of experimentalunsaturated soil mechanics have been invited tocontribute to this book. Twelve reports are presenteddealing with measurement and control of suction andwater content, mechanical, hydraulic, and geo-environmental testing, microstructure investigation,and applications of unsaturated soil monitoring toengineering behaviour of geo-structures. The mainmotivation behind this book is the rapid growth ofexperimental unsaturated soil mechanics over the lastcouple of decades. Several innovative laboratory andfield techniques have been introduced in mechanical,hydraulic, and geo-environmental testing. However,this information is widely dispersed in journals andconference proceedings and researchers andengineers beginning to work in the field ofunsaturated soil mechanics may find it difficult toidentify suitable equipment and instrumentation forresearch or professional purposes

Principles of Soil Conservationand Management, by H. Blanco &R. Lal. Springer, 2008. ISBN: 978-1-4020-8708-0. ‘Principles of SoilManagement and Conservation’comprehensively reviews thestate-of-knowledge on soil erosionand management. It discusses indetail soil conservation topics in

relation to soil productivity, environment quality, andagronomic production. It addresses the implicationsof soil erosion with emphasis on global hotspots andsynthesizes available from developed and developingcountries. It also critically reviews information on no-till management, organic farming, crop residuemanagement for industrial uses, conservation buffers(e.g., grass buffers, agroforestry systems), and theproblem of hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico and in otherregions. This book uniquely addresses the globalissues including carbon sequestration, net emissionsof CO2, and erosion as a sink or source of C underdifferent scenarios of soil management. It alsodeliberates the implications of the projected global

M AY 2009 51

warming on soil erosion and vice versa. The concernabout global food security in relation to soil erosionand strategies for confronting the remainingproblems in soil management and conservation arespecifically addressed.

Amazonian Dark Earths: WimSombroek’s Vision, edited by W.I.Woods, W.G. Teixeira, J. Lehmann, C.Steiner, A. WinklerPrins, and L.Rebellato. Springer, 2009. IBSN 978-1-4020-9030-1. Amazonian soils arealmost universally thought of asextremely forbidding. However, it is

now clear that complex societies with large, sedentarypopulations were present for over a millennium beforeEuropean contact. Associated with these are tracts ofanomalously fertile, dark soils termed terra preta orblack earths. These soils are presently an importantagricultural resource within Amazonia and provide amodel for developing long-term future sustainabilityof food production in tropical environments. The lateDutch soil scientist, Wim Sombroek (1934-2003) wasinstrumental in bringing the significance of these soilsto the attention of the world over four decades ago. Afree association of international scholars termed theTerra Preta Nova Group came together in 2001 andhas been very productive, including this volume. Itsintroductory comments and 28 chapters written by 73authors relate the latest findings in landscape history,indigenous practices, soil development, soil chemistry,anthropology, and archaeology, and the implicationsof those to modern social and land stewardship issues.

Soil Memory: Soil as a Memoryof Biosphere-Geosphere-Anthropo sphere Interaction, byV.O. Targulian, S.V. Goryachkin(eds.). Moscow, 2008 692 p. (InRussian with the extendedEnglish introduction andsummary). The concept of soilmemory is one of the promising

areas in the development of pedology. Its core is theperception of soils and earth’s soil cover, orpedosphere, as particular carriers and accumulatorsof information on the evolution and interaction ofall the Earth spheres. Soil and pedosphere areconsidered to be a memory of interactions in thebiosphere-geosphere-anthroposphere. Basicconcept and empiric developments of soil memory(the ability to record factors and processes of

pedogenesis in soil solid phase) are elucidated in thespecial scientific monograph for the first time. Thememory of different models of pedogenesis and itscombination with sedimentation is analyzed inapplication to the natural and anthropogenicenvironments. Potential information capacity of themain hierarchical levels of soil memory from thelevel of individual soil particles up to the level of soilcover as well as the problem of polymorphism andisomorphism of memory in respect of environmentare discussed. Special chapters are in concern withdetail analysis of mineral and biogenic memorycarriers, such as sand and silt particles, clayminerals, secondary carbonates, Mn-Fe nodules,cutans, soil porosity, humus, biomorphic particles,etc. You can order and read more about this book at:http://urss.ru/cgi-bin/db.pl?lang=en&blang=ru&page=Book&id=55805&list=65

Addressing soil degradation in EUagriculture: relevant processes,practices and policies, JRC, 2009.This report presents the findings ofa stock-taking of the currentsituation with respect to soildegradation processes, soil-friendlyfarming practices and relevant

policy measures within an EU-wide perspective. Thisoverview includes the results of the survey on thenational/regional implementation of EU policies andnational policies, a classification of the described soildegradation processes, soil conservation practices andpolicy measures, and finally the outcome of theStakeholder Workshop which took place in 2008.The report can be freely downloaded at:http://eusoils.jrc.ec.europa.eu/ESDB_Archive/eusoils_docs/other/EUR23767.pdf

Digital Soil Mapping withLimited Data, Hartemink, AlfredE.; McBratney, Alex; Mendonça-Santos, Maria de Lourdes (Eds.)2008, XXIV, 445 p. 109 illus., 55 incolor., Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-4020-8591-8. There has beenconsiderable expansion in theuse of digital soil mapping

technologies and development of methodologies thatimprove digital soil mapping at all scales and levels ofresolution. These developments have occurred in allparts of the world in the past few years and also incountries where it was previously absent. There is


almost always a shortage of data in soil research andits applications and this may lead to unsupportedstatements, poor statistics, misrepresentations andultimately bad resource management. In digital soilmapping, maximum use is made of sparse data andthis book contains useful examples of how this can bedone. This book focuses on digital soil mappingmethodologies and applications for areas where dataare limited, and has the following sections (i)introductory papers, (ii) dealing with limited spatialdata infrastructures, (iii) methodology development,and (iv) examples of digital soil mapping in variousparts of the globe (including USA, Brazil, UK, France,Czech Republic, Honduras, Kenya, Australia). The finalchapter summarises priorities for digital soil mapping.

Biophysico–Chemical Processes ofHeavy Metals and Metalloids in SoilEnvironments, A. Violante, P.M. Huang,G. M. Gadd (Eds), John Wiley & Sons.2008. ISBN 978-0-471-73778-0 Thisvolume, which consists of 15 Chapters,is organized into three sections dealingwith: (i) Fundamentals on Biotic and

Abiotic Interactions of Trace Metals and Metalloids withSoil Components, (ii) Transformations and Dynamics ofMetals and Metalloids as Influenced by Soil-Root-Microbe Interactions, and (iii) Speciation, Mobility andBioavailability of Trace Metals and Metalloids, andRestoration of Contaminated Soils. This book,contributed by a multidisciplinary group of soil andenvironmental scientists, provides the scientificcommunity with a critical evaluation of the state-of-the-art on the fundamentals of reactions and processes ofthese elements in soil environments. The book is animportant guide to scientists interested in environmentalsciences, soil chemistry and mineralogy, soilbiochemistry, soil microbiology, and plant nutrition andphysiology for understanding the biophysico-chemicalprocesses of these pollutants in soil environments. Thelatest advances in spectroscopy to study various aspectsof heavy metal and metalloid interactions with soilinorganic and organic components are reviewed.

A new report Review of existing information on theinterrelations between soiland climate change, madepublic by the EuropeanCommission, underlines thecrucial role that soils can play in

mitigating climate change. Europe's soils are anenormous carbon reservoir, containing around 75 billion

tonnes, and poor management can have seriousconsequences: a failure to protect Europe's remainingpeat bogs, for example, would release the same amountof carbon as an additional 40 million cars on Europe'sroads. The report is a synthesis of the best availableinformation on the links between soil and climatechange and underlines the need to sequester carbon insoils. The technique is cost competitive andimmediately available, requires no new or unproventechnologies, and has a mitigation potential comparableto that of any other sector of the economy. The reportand key messages can be freely downloaded at:http://ec.europa.eu/environment/soil/publications_en.htm

Biochar for Environmental Man-agement, Edited by J. Lehmannand S. Joseph. Earthscan, 2009.ISBN 9781844076581. Biochar isthe carbon-rich product when bio-mass (such as wood, manure orcrop residues) is heated in a closedcontainer with little or no available

air. It can be used to improve agriculture and the en-vironment in several ways, and its stability in soil andsuperior nutrient-retention properties make it anideal soil amendment to increase crop yields. In ad-dition to this, biochar sequestration, in combinationwith sustainable biomass production, can be carbon-negative and therefore used to actively remove car-bon dioxide from the atmosphere, with majorimplications for mitigation of climate change. Biocharproduction can also be combined with bioenergy pro-duction through the use of the gases that are givenoff in the pyrolysis process. This book is the first tosynthesize the expanding research literature on thistopic. The book's interdisciplinary approach, whichcovers engineering, environmental sciences, agricul-tural sciences, economics and policy, is a vital tool atthis stage of biochar technology development. Thiscomprehensive overview of current knowledge willbe of interest to advanced students, researchers andprofessionals in a wide range of disciplines.

Soil Carbon Sequestration and theGreenhouse Effect, 2nd edition,edited by Rattan Lal and Ronald F.Follett. Soil Science Society ofAmerica, 2009. ISBN: 978-089118-850-6. The concept of theGreenhouse Effect is more than acentury old, but today the observed

M AY 2009 53

and predicted climate changes attributed toanthropogenic increases in atmospheric CO2 moreurgently beg the question, what can be done? Thesecond edition of Soil Carbon Sequestration and theGreenhouse Effect is essential reading forunderstanding the processes, properties, andpractices affecting the soil carbon pool and itsdynamics. New themes addressed are urban soils,minesoils, biochemically recalcitrant compounds,carbonaceous materials, belowground carbon storageby woody plants, and peat soils. The geographic focusof the book is North America, with important chaptersfrom Canada and Mexico. Thematically, the secondedition encompasses data from modeling, labanalyses, plot studies, landscape assessment, andregional evaluation of soil carbon pools and fluxes.

Arsenic pollution: A global syn-thesis. P. Ravenscroft, H. Brammerand K. Richards. Wiley-Blackwell,Oxford (UK), Malden MA (USA).2009 xxviii + 588 p. ISBN 978-1-4051-8602-5 (hardcover); 978-1-4051-8601-8 (softcover). £65/US$129.95 (hardcover), £34.99/US$69.95 (softcover)

Arsenic Pollution compiles and summarises the mostup-to-date research on the distribution and causesof arsenic pollution in nature, its impact on healthand agriculture, and the encouraging research thatoffers hope in mitigating this unfolding health crisis.Seamlessly integrating geochemistry, hydrology, soilscience and agriculture, it offers the first truly globaland interdisciplinary account of natural arsenicpollution. The book provides information on thegeographical distribution of arsenic contaminationof groundwater, the geochemical causes of higharsenic concentrations in aquifers, the factorsinfluencing soil and plant uptake of arsenic, and thehealth implications of prolonged arsenic ingestionvia drinking water and food (especially rice). Optionsare highlighted for developing alternative watersources, methods for arsenic testing and removal,and mitigation of arsenic impacts on sustainableagriculture. Comprehensive and illuminating, thebook offers informed and challenging insights intoan emerging problem with untold humanconsequences.


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IUSS Honorary members

Year Member Country Year Member Country

1924 L. Cayeux † France

K. Glinka † USSR

Jos. Kopecky † Czechoslovakia

E. Ramann † Germany

Sir John Russell † UK

S. Winogradski † USSR

1927 P. Treitz † Hungary

1935 E.A. Mitscherlich † Germany

A. d’Sigmond † Hungary

J. Stoklasa † Czechoslovakia

G. Wiegner † Switzerland

1950 A. Demolon † France

D.J. Hissink † Netherlands

W.P. Kelley † USA

1954 S. Ma�son † Sweden

E. Truog † USA

1956 G. Bertrand † France

E.C.J. Mohr † Netherlands

1960 F.A. Bear † USA

1964 J.A. Presco� † Australia

1968 F. Hardy † UK

W.L. Kubiena † Germany

L.A. Richards † USA

A.A. Rode † USSR

1974 R. Bradfield † USA

G.V. Jacks † UK

Ch.E. Kellogg † USA

M.K. Kononova † USSR

A. Oudin † France

F. Scheffer † Germany

1978 G. Barbier † France

V. Igna�eff † Canada

Y. Ishizuka † Japan

L. Krolikowski † Poland

L. Ve�ori † Brazil

1982 Ph. Duchaufour † France

W. Flaig † Germany

V. Kovda † USSR

E. Mueckenhausen † Germany

E.W. Russell † UK

1986 H. Jenny † USA

D. Kirkham † USA

S.K. Mukherjee † India

R. Tavernier † Belgium

1990 G. Aubert † France

E.G. Hallsworth † Australia

J.S. Kanwar India

P. Schachtschabel † Germany

R.W. Simonson † USA

I. Szabolcs † Hungary

1998 G.H. Bolt Netherlands

R. Dudal Belgium

K.H. Hartge Germany

M. Kutilek Czech Rep.

J. Quirk Australia

W.G. Sombroek † Netherlands

K. Wada Japan

D.H. Yaalon Israel

S.V. Zonn † Russia

2002 R.W. Arnold USA

G.V. Dobrovolsky Russia

W. Gardner USA

H.M. Hamdi † Egypt

L.A.L. Sarmiento Colombia

F. Mancini Italy

B.S. Nosko Ukraine

R. Rosell Argentina

A. Ruellan France

A. Tanaka Japan

P.B.H Tinker UK

2006 W.E.H. Blum Austria

H-P. Blume Germany

J. Bouma Netherlands

S-J. Cho South Korea

J. Glinski Poland

M.G.H. Jamagne France

D.R. Nielsen USA

J.H.V. van Baren † Netherlands

L.P. Wilding USA