STFC Soils Sandpit

随着我们的人口增长到90多亿人，土壤对养活世界至关重要。现有的关于地球土壤动态变化的知识由于缺乏观测能力而受到阻碍。目前的技术水平是掩埋昂贵的仪器，或者在定制的实验室中收集土壤岩心样本并分析变量。这是昂贵的，并且提供的信息有限或静态。填补测量空白的物理、化学和生物模型基于有限的测量和假设，而这些假设在不同的环境中是不可靠的。一个例子是土壤C，最广泛使用的模型是在近30年前开发的。为了取得进步，我们需要模型和测量能力之间的一致性。下一代模型和观测系统对于促进对土壤这一关键自然资源的理解和管理至关重要。土壤是具有物理、化学和生物成分的复杂生态系统，包括氮、磷、碳和水(NPCW)变量。这些都是动态的，持续循环，在空间和时间上高度可变，支持植物生产力，是土壤健康的主要决定因素。这项拟议的倡议将：1)开发小型、廉价、持久、超低功率和无线的传感器，用于在时间和空间尺度上测量土壤NPCW组分，这是当今不可能的；以及2)支持预测NPCW循环和土壤污染物的模型开发，实现时空可视化和绘图，以支持资源管理和保护人类和生态系统健康。便携式微型机电传感器(MEMS)的最新进展表明，在现场测量土壤物理性质变化和NPCW循环/转化变量以及土壤容重和土壤污染物方面具有相当大的前景。相对于现有的测量技术，MEMS是潜在的游戏规则改变者，预计到2018年市场规模将达到220亿美元。虽然这些进展中的许多都发生在医学领域，但也有一些正在开发用于土壤，取得了重大进展。使用生物和纳米材料的微型化和可生物降解的传感器也非常有前途。许多不同的应用需要测量土壤性质的方法，包括精准农业、土壤碳核算、土壤复垦、水体污染和使用生物地球物理模型预测动态变化。该项目将使研究人员在理解和模拟土壤动态过程方面达到一个新的平台，以实现更高的资源利用效率和减少对土壤和水资源的污染。它将推动小型廉价传感器、下一代土壤模型和无线通信能力的发展。还需要新的校准和质量控制方法。这些事态发展有可能在未来的土地管理政策框架内确认对公共产品的未来付款。

Soils are critical to feeding the world as our population grows to over 9 billion people. Existing knowledge of dynamic changes in the Earth's soils is hampered by lack of observation capabilities. Current state of the art is to bury expensive instrumentation or to collect soil core samples and analyze variables in a bespoke laboratory. This is expensive and provides limited or static information. Physical, chemical, and biological models, which fill in the measurement gaps, are based on limited measurements and assumptions that are not reliable across the variable landscape. An example is soil C, the most widely used model was developed nearly 30 years ago. To advance we need a congruence between model and measurement capabilities. Next generations of models and observation systems are essential for advancing understanding and management of soil, which is a critical natural resource. Soils are complex ecosystems with physical, chemical, and biological components including nitrogen, phosphorus, carbon, and water (NPCW) variables. These are dynamic, cycle continuously, are highly variable over space and time, support plant productivity, and are major determinants of soil health. This proposed initiative will: 1) lead to development of small, inexpensive sensors that are long-lasting, ultra-low powered, and wireless for measuring soil NPCW components at temporal and spatial scales that are not possible today; and 2) support model development for predicting NPCW cycling and soil contaminants, enable spatial and temporal visualization and mapping to support management of resources and protect human and ecosystem health.Recent advances in portable microelectromechanical sensors (MEMS) show considerable promise for measuring soil physical property changes and NPCW cycling/transformation variables in situ, as well as soil bulk density and soil contaminants. MEMS are potential game changers relative to existing measurement technologies with market projections of $22 billion by 2018. Although many of these advances are occurring in the medical field, some are being developed for use in soils, with major advances being made. Miniaturized and biodegradable sensors using biological and nano materials are also highly promising. There is a wide range of literature on the need for ways to measure soil properties for many different applications, including precision agriculture, soil C accounting, soil reclamation, contamination of water bodies and the use of biogeophysical models for predicting dynamic changes.This project will enable researchers to reach a new plateau in understanding and modeling dynamic processes in soils to achieve higher efficiencies of resource use and reduced contamination of soil and water supplies. It will advance the development of small inexpensive sensors; next generation soil models; and wireless communication capabilities. New calibration and quality control approaches are also needed. These developments have the potential to validate future payments for public goods within future policy frameworks for land management.