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Dear Subscribers,
Please see herebelow the latest (November 2017) IUSS Alert 149.
Apologies for cross-posting.
Amir Kassam
Moderator
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-----Original Message-----
From: The International Union of Soil Sciences - IUSS <
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To: kassamamir <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wed, 29 Nov 2017 10:26
Subject: IUSS Alert 149 (November 2017)
If you have problems reading this content - please follow this link to the
IUSS page <http://iuss.boku.ac.at/index.php?article_id=676>IUSS Alert 149
(November 2017)
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IUSS News21st World Congress of Soil Science
The 21st World Congress of Soil Science (21WCSS) will take place in Rio de
Janeiro, August 12 – 17, 2018. Dedicated to the theme *“Soil Science:
Beyond food and fuel”*, it will review the key role of soil science in
answering some of the topical key questions regarding future food and water
security, environmental protection and climate change mitigation. There
will be 8 conferences, 16 interdivisional symposia, 72 symposia organized
by the four Divisions of IUSS, 16 symposia organized by the IUSS Working
groups, and numerous oral presentations and poster sessions. Around 7,000
participants are expected from more than 100 countries. The organizers are
looking forward to receiving your abstracts and to your registration
through the 21WCSS online registration system. A conference folder showing
all th e detail s is available at the IUSS website.
Important dates:
Abstract submission ends by January 20, 2018
Abstract acceptance after March 15, 2018
Early registration ends March 31, 2018
Regular registration until May 12, 2018
Read more: https://www.21wcss.org/
Download the congress information: http://iuss.boku.ac.at/files/2
1wcss_-_meeting_information.pdf
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New WRB homepage
The World Reference Base for Soil Resources (WRB) Working Group belongs to
IUSS Division 1 (Soils in Space and Time), Commission 1.4. (Soil
Classification). The WRB is an international soil classification system for
naming soils and creating legends for soil maps. The task of the Working
Group is to test and further develop the WRB. The WRB Working Group has a
strong relationship to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
Nations (FAO), where the WRB documents are published. The third edition,
update 2015, is the currently valid WRB. At present, it is available in
four languages (English, Georgian, Spanish and Polish) and can be
downloaded from the new homepage. In addition, the new homepage h as infor
mation about the WRB classification levels, features a picture gallery and
a history section.
Read more: http://www.soil-science.com/?id=wrb
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Last call for applications for the Dan H. Yaalon Medal
The Dan Yaalon Young Scientist Medal – an award by the IUSS Division 1:
Soils in Space and Time and Commission 4.5: History, Philosophy and
Sociology of Soil Science – is awarded once every four years at the World
Congress of Soil Science. The first presentation will take place at the XXI
World Congress in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in August 2018.
The deadline for nominations is Dec. 31, 2017. The nominees will be
notified on Feb. 1, 2018.
A nominee should be a researcher in his/her early scientific career, i.e.,
PhD student or postdoc researcher within the first 5 years after PhD
graduation; be an active member of a national soil science society and/or
the International Union of Soil Science and, have published in the field of
soil science. Further information about the qualification criteria and the
nomination procedure can be found at the IUSS website.
Read more: http://www.iuss.org/index.php?article_id=631
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2017 edition of the Soil Science Society of Nigeria Newsletter published
The most recent newsletter of the Soil Science Society of Nigeria is now
available: The Bill for an Act for the establishment of the Nigeria
Institute of Soil Science was signed into law on 3 February 2017. There are
various reports on the 2016 World Soil Day and International Year of
Pulses, followed by information on the 41st Annual Conference of the Soil
Science Society of Nigeria held at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University,
Bauchi, 12-17 March 2017, with the theme “Land Degradation, Sustainable
Soil Management, Food and Nutrition Security”.
Read more: http://www.iuss.org/index.php?article_id=673
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News from the IUSS Website
The most recent Viewpoint on “The Solutions Under Foot” by Rattan Lal,
President of the International Union of Soil Sciences is now available on
the IUSS website.
Read more: http://iuss.boku.ac.at/index.php?article_id=636
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News from European Confederation of the Soil Science Societies
The next Eurosoil will take place at Geneva in 2020. Switzerland was
elected in Istanbul in November 2016, with the theme “Connecting people and
soils”. The commitment made is not only to organize a high level “Swiss
made” scientific congress, but also to develop the scope of the congress
towards stakeholders and to revive the European Confederation of the Soil
Science Societies (ECSSS). As put forward by the theme, the ambition is to
make ECSSS the soil voice for the soil causes at European level, and to
involve stakeholders in the activities.
Therefore, new statutes, activities and a web site for the ECSSS are in
preparation. During 2018, these changes will be submitted to the ECSSS
council by Pr. Pascal Boivin, the elected ECSSS president, and a vote will
be organized at Rio WCSS 2018. We are currently updating the contacts for
the council members. Among the objectives of the future ECSSS is to support
the countries that need help to maintain permanent activities of a soil
science society, and foster the involvement of young scientists in the
Eurosoil2020. Contact: [log in to unmask] or [log in to unmask]
Read more: http://eurosoil2020.com/
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General NewsThe call for the Land and Soil Management Award 2017/18 is now
open!
The prize rewards land use and soil management practices mitigating soil
threats i.e. soil degradation, erosion, reduction of organic matter
content, diffuse contamination, and compaction as well as the reduction of
soil biodiversity, salinization, sealing, flooding and landslides. In doing
so, the award sheds light on outstanding achievements, encouraging new
concepts of land and soil protection and their implementation in land
management, as well as enhancing awareness about the importance of land and
soil functions. 5.000 € as well as a diploma of recognition are awarded to
the winning project. Application deadline: December 31, 2017.
Read more: http://www.europeanlandowners.org/awards/soil-land-award?mc_
cid=c92ed4112a&mc_eid=468a5141b2
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ICSU and ISSC members vote to create a new merged 'International Science
Council'
On 26 October 2017 at a historic joint meeting, members of two leading
international science councils voted to merge, launching a process that
will see the formation of a single global entity called the International
Science Council that unites the scientific community, including all social
and natural sciences. The new International Science Council brings together
the current members of ISSC (International Social Science Council) and ICSU
(International Council for Science), including 40 international scientific
unions and associations including IUSS, and more than 140 national and
regional organizations such as academies and research councils.
The organization will be launched at a founding General Assembly to be held
in Paris, France in 2018. Its mission will be to serve as the global voice
of science, providing leadership in coordinating international action on
issues of major public concern.
[From: ICSU Newsletter, 26 October 2017]
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2nd Global Soil Biodiversity Conference a big success
The 2nd Global Soil Biodiversity Conference held 15-18 October, 2017, in
Nanjing, China, was a success attracting more than 1000 participants from
47 countries. Co-organized with the Chinese Academy of Science, the
conference featured 20 keynote speeches from international leaders sharing
ground breaking research from China, Europe, Australia, the United States,
and Brazil. Concurrent sessions, poster presentations, workshops, and
round-table events all contributed to sharing new ideas and building new
collaborations.
Read more: http://blog.globalsoilbiodiversity.org/article/2017/10/25/
2nd-global-soil-biodiversity-conference
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Open digital mapping for assessing carbon storage in tropical peatlands
Researchers from Sydney, Australia, and Bogor, Indonesia demonstrate that
tropical peatland can be mapped accurately and cost effectively using
freely-available remote sensing data and open source software. At COP23 in
Bonn, the Global Peatlands Initiative and various organisations held events
aiming to bring peatlands on the agenda at COP23. Peatlands have an
important role in the global carbon cycle as it stores a huge amount of
carbon. A small loss of peat from land clearance and mismanagement can
contribute a large amount of CO2 to the atmosphere. Indonesia has one of
the largest peatlands in the tropics, with an estimate of 15 million
hectares. Responding to the global issue of reducing CO2 emissions,
Indonesia has legislation on the protection and management of the peat
ecosystem. The legislation outlined conservation areas, which depends on
the thick ness of peat; however, the main challenge is the lack of
fine-scale, accurate maps of peat distribution and its thickness. The
current peatland map in Indonesia is at a coarse scale with much
uncertainty that it cannot be used to implement conservation and management
regulations.
Read more: http://www.digitalsoilmapping.com/article/open-digital-mappi
ng-for-assessing-carbon-storage-in-tropical-peatlands/
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Shallow soils promote savannas in South America
The boundary between South American tropical rainforests and savannas is
influenced by the depth to which plants can root, research indicates.
Shallow rooting depth promotes the establishment of savannas. Previous
research has shown that precipitation and fire mediate tropical forest and
savanna distributions. The study shows that below ground conditions need to
be considered to understand the distribution of terrestrial vegetation both
historically and in the face of future climate change. The study is based
on computer vegetation models. Source: Senckenberg Research Institute and
Natural History Museum.
Read more: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/10/171023180702.htm
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Massive Carbon Sink May Be More Resilient Than Scientists Thought
Carbon-rich peat bogs seem to adapt well to changes in temperature,
precipitation and other climate-related factors. One of the world’s most
important carbon-storing ecosystems may be more resilient to environmental
change than previously suspected, scientists have just reported. And that
could be good news for addressing global warming.
A new study, released in the journal Nature Communications finds that
plants in carbon-rich European peat bogs are able to adapt to changes in
temperature, precipitation and other climate-related factors. As the
environment changes, specific types of plants may die off and be replaced
by new species—but the study suggests that the incoming species tend to be
similar to the old ones, meaning the stability of the bog is preserved.
Read more: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/massive-carbon-
sink-may-be-more-resilient-than-scientists-thought/?utm_s
ource=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sa-editorial-
social&utm_content&utm_term=sustainability_partner_text_free
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Conferences, Meetings and Workshops2017
WORLD SOIL DAY 2017 – Land, Soils and Science
4 – 6 December 2017, IBGE Brussels, Belgium. Land and soils require our
attention! This celebration of World Soil Day is devoted to the topical
research needs for soil and land use. The event will present and discuss
state-of-the-art and pressing gaps in European research on land and soils
from the perspectives of policy makers, funders, end-users of research and
scientists.
Read more: http://www.worldsoilday2017.eu
Edit-a-thon for World Soil Day
Dec 5, 2017 (1-4 pm, Pacific Time); Orchard Commons Study Lounge, 6363
Agronomy Rd
<https://maps.google.com/?q=6363+Agronomy+Rd&entry=gmail&source=g>., UBC
campus, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Join us at this interactive event! Our goal is to improve the information
about soils on Wikipedia, the medium used by millions. Learn how to update
articles, add citations, and share your great soil photos with the world!
World Soil Day Wikipedia edit-a-thon is an event where members of soil
science community can edit and improve specific content in Wikipedia such
those pages that have not been fully developed (e.g., soil science stubs
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Soil_science_stubs ) or that are
lacking media. Furthermore, there is also an opportunity for Canadian soil
scientists to enhance the Canadian content on Wikipedia by adding a page
about the Canadian Society of Soil Science. Do not worry if you’ve never
edited a Wikipedia entry before! The edit-a-thon on Dec 5, 2017 will
provide training and support.
Online meeting access: https://is.gd/Soilday
2018
42nd Annual Conference of Soil Science Society of Nigeria “Sustainable
Management of Soil and Water Resources for Food Security, Climate Change
Adaptation and Mitigation”
March 12–16, 2018, Institute for Agricultural Training and Research, Moore
Plantation, Ibadan – Oyo State, Nigeria. Abstract submission to
[log in to unmask] until 31 December, 2017
Read more: http://www.sssniart2018.com
Conference Soil Classification and Education
May 18-20, 2018, Toruń, Poland. Globalization and global environmental
issues, as well as unification of scientific research and teaching on the
EU and global levels require harmonization of technical languages, such as
the terminology used in soil science. The aim of this conference is to
present solutions for international education in soil science, elaborated
within the Erasmus+ FACES project, to present new attempts to soil
description and classification. Full papers submission deadline: 25
February 2018
Read more: https://sites.google.com/site/facesconference/
21th ISTRO Conference 2018
September 24-27, 2018, Paris, France. The International Soil Tillage
Research Organization (ISTRO) is an international association whose
objective is to stimulate research on tillage and no till, compaction and,
more broadly, to contribute to soil protection and to improve soil quality.
The scientific topics during the conference will focus on advances in soil
structure characterization, soil compaction, biogeochemical processes and
carbon sequestration, with a special interest on soil ecology and ecosystem
services. Equipment strategies will also be discussed with soil tillage
strategies, smart farming, tires and tillage equipment design. Abstract
submission until 1 March 2018.
Read more: http://istro2018.webistem.com
International Scientific Conference: “90 Years Forest Research Institute –
for the Society and Nature” – First announcement
October 24-26, 2018, Sofia, Bulgaria. The objective of the event is to link
traditions and innovations in international and local experience with
forest ecosystems, their resources, services, functioning and management
for social wellbeing.
More information will be available soon at http://www.bas.bg/fribas and
http://www.fri.bas.bg.
The 13th International Conference of ESSS – first announcement
Management of Water and Soil Resources under Global Climate Changes.
December 4-5, 2018, Dokki, Giza, Egypt. Conference venue: the Egyptian
International Center of Agriculture “EICA”. Organized by the Egyptian Soil
Science Society (ESSS), under the umbrella of the International Union of
Soil Sciences (IUSS).
Read more: http://www.esss.org.eg/
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New publications
Urban Soils
Edited by Rattan Lal, B. A. Stewart. Published in October 2017 by Routledge
as part of the Advances in Soil Science Series, 406 pages, 55 B/W
Illustrations, hardback ISBN 9781498770095, e-book ISBN 9781315154251,
price hardback £114.00.
Urban soils are composed of geological material that has been drastically
disturbed by anthropogenic activities and compromised their role in the
production of food, aesthetics of residential areas, and pollutant
dynamics. Properties of urban soils are normally not favorable to plant
growth—the soils are contaminated by heavy metals and are compacted and
sealed. Therefore, the quality of urban soils must be restored to make use
of this valuable resource for delivery of essential ecosystem services
(e.g., food, water and air quality, carbon sequestration, temperature
moderation, biodiversity). Part of the *Advances in Soil Sciences Series,
Urban Soils* explains properties of urban soils; assesses the effects of
urbanization on the cycling of carbon, nitrogen, and water and the impacts
of management of urban soils, soil restoration, urban agriculture, and food
security; evaluates ecosystem services provisioned by urban soils, and
describes synthetic and artificial soi ls.
Read more: https://www.routledge.com/Urban-Soils/Lal-Stewart/p/book/
9781498770095
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European achievements in soil remediation and brownfield redevelopment
Edited by Ana Payá Pérez and Sara Peláez Sánchez. A report of the European
Information and Observation Network’s National Reference Centres for Soil
(Eionet NRC Soil), published by the Joint Research Centre, the European
Commission’s in-house science service in 2017, ISBN 978-92-79-71690-4 (PDF),
ISBN 978-92-79-71691-1 (print).
This monograph presents examples of success stories of remediation of
contaminated soils in various contexts and different European countries,
aiming at sharing best practices of soil restoration and management of
contaminated sites among European countries. Eight countries present a
total of 17 cases which illustrate how soil and brownfields remediation
along with sustainable land management have become essential for reversing
the trend of soil degradation and ensuring the provision of ecosystem
services by soil. The cases show progress in research and innovative
technologies of soil remediation, new outstanding approaches to soil
remediation management, beneficial integration of stakeholders in
decision-making and fruitful progress in raising public awareness and
citizen science.
Read more: http://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/bitstream/
JRC102681/kj0217891enn.pdf
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Fundamentals of Soil Ecology
By David Coleman, Mac Callaham, D. Crossley, Jr.; 3rd Edition published by
Elsevier 13 November 2017, imprint Academic Press, 376 pages, eBook ISBN:
9780128052525, paperback ISBN: 9780128052518, price paperback EUR 83.63.
Fundamentals of Soil Ecology, 3rd Edition, offers a holistic approach to
soil biology and ecosystem function, providing students and ecosystem
researchers with a greater understanding of the central roles that soils
play in ecosystem development and function. The text emphasizes the
increasing importance of soils as the organizing center for all terrestrial
ecosystems and provides an overview of theory and practice in soil ecology,
both from an ecosystem and evolutionary biology point of view. This new
edition is fully updated, including an expanded treatment of microbial
ecology and new sections on advances in molecular techniques and climate
change research. These updates make this edition an essential resource for
researchers and students in soil ecology and microbiology.
Read more: https://www.elsevier.com/books/fundamentals-of-soil-ecology/
coleman/978-0-12-805251-8?start_rank=1&producttype=
books&publicationyear=2017&sortby=sortByDateDesc&q=soil
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The Soils of Turkey
Edited by Kapur Selim, Akça Erhan and Günal Hikmet. Published by Springer
in the World Soils Book Series; 1st ed. 2018, XIII, 369 pages, 324
illustrations, 275 illustrations in color, ISBN 978-3-319-64390-8, price
hardcover 149,99 € | £120.00 | $189.00, price e-book 118,99 € | £96.00 |
$149.00.
This book compiles all available and relevant information concerning the
soils of Turkey, including the soil survey studies conducted by
universities and governmental institutes from the early 1950s until today.
Recent findings and advances include the description and analyses of new
profiles from some parts of the country by the chapter authors; reflecting
the latest version of the World Reference Base (WRB) soil system, they
produce a refined soil map. The book offers valuable guidance on soil
management for planners of agricultural strategies, land management experts
concerned with terrestrial carbon management (soil-sequestered and biomass
carbon) and climate change mitigation, and educators concerned with raising
awareness for the long-neglected significance of Turkey’s soils.
Read more: http://www.springer.com/de/book/9783319643908
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