Summary
This 2025 Nature Reviews synthesis examines soil organic matter dynamics at field and landscape scales, moving beyond traditional plot-level soil science. The authors integrate soil physics, hydrology, biogeochemistry, and agronomic management perspectives to explain how organic carbon is stored, transported, and stabilised in heterogeneous agricultural and natural ecosystems. The review connects contemporary soil science findings with implications for carbon sequestration potential and soil health under different land management and climate scenarios.
Regional applicability
The landscape-scale framework and mechanistic understanding of organic matter dynamics are broadly applicable to United Kingdom agroecosystems, particularly given the heterogeneous field structures and variable soil types characteristic of British farming. Transferability to specific UK management contexts will depend on the extent to which cited field studies represent temperate maritime conditions; readers should assess the geographic provenance of case studies underpinning specific conclusions.
Key measures
Soil organic matter distribution, carbon storage, transport pathways, stabilisation mechanisms, field-scale heterogeneity, landscape-scale fluxes
Outcomes reported
The review synthesises evidence on how soil organic carbon is stored, transported, and stabilised across heterogeneous agricultural and natural ecosystems at field and landscape scales. It integrates insights from soil physics, hydrology, biogeochemistry, and agronomic management to explain organic matter dynamics and their implications for carbon sequestration and soil health.
Topic tags
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