STFC Soils Sandpit

随着全球人口增长到90多亿，土壤对养活世界至关重要。由于缺乏观测能力，现有的关于地球土壤动态变化的知识受到了阻碍。目前的技术水平是埋藏昂贵的仪器或收集土壤岩心样本并在定制的实验室中分析变量。这是昂贵的，并提供有限的或静态的信息。填补测量空白的物理、化学和生物模型是基于有限的测量和假设，在可变的景观中是不可靠的。以土壤C为例，最广泛使用的模型是近30年前开发的。为了推进，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的理解和管理至关重要，土壤是一种重要的自然资源。土壤是复杂的生态系统，具有物理、化学和生物成分，包括氮、磷、碳和水（NPCW）变量。它们是动态的、不断循环的、随空间和时间变化很大的，支持植物生产力，是土壤健康的主要决定因素。这一提议的倡议将：1)导致小型、廉价、持久、超低功耗和无线传感器的发展，用于在时间和空间尺度上测量土壤NPCW成分，这在今天是不可能的；2)支持预测NPCW循环和土壤污染物的模型开发，实现时空可视化和制图，以支持资源管理，保护人类和生态系统健康。便携式微机电传感器（MEMS）的最新进展显示，在测量土壤物理性质变化和NPCW原地循环/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年市场将达到220亿美元。虽然其中许多进展发生在医学领域，但有些进展正在开发用于土壤，并取得了重大进展。使用生物和纳米材料的小型化和可生物降解传感器也很有前途。在许多不同的应用中，需要测量土壤性质的方法，包括精准农业、土壤C核算、土壤复垦、水体污染和使用生物地球物理模型来预测动态变化，这方面的文献很多。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土壤和水供应的污染。它将推动小型廉价传感器的发展；新一代土壤模型；以及无线通信能力。还需要新的校准和质量控制方法。这些发展有可能在未来的土地管理政策框架内验证未来对公共产品的支付。

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.