Summary
This synthesis review, motivated by the 2022 UK summer drought, consolidates peer-reviewed evidence on how temperate soils respond to drought stress and rewetting. The authors examine the principal changes across soil properties, the interactions between drought-induced and rewetting-induced processes, and recovery mechanisms, whilst identifying significant knowledge gaps relevant to UK agricultural and ecosystem management. The work provides a coherent framework for understanding soil resilience to moisture extremes in temperate regions.
UK applicability
Directly applicable to UK agricultural and natural resource management, as it synthesises evidence from UK and comparable temperate countries and explicitly addresses the 2022 UK drought experience. The findings will inform soil management strategies and policy responses to increasing drought frequency in UK farming systems and ecosystems.
Key measures
Physical, chemical, and biological soil properties; soil moisture storage and transport; soil recovery trajectories; drought and rewetting processes at soil and catchment scales
Outcomes reported
This narrative review synthesises knowledge on how temperate soils respond to drought and subsequent rewetting, examining changes in physical, chemical, and biological soil properties. The paper identifies key processes, recovery mechanisms, and knowledge gaps in understanding soil behaviour across agricultural and ecosystem drought cycles.
Topic tags
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