The Soil Nexus. Understanding Ecosystem Dynamics and Digital Innovations

Table of Contents

PART I: Defining soil and its role in ecosystems: Introduction to soil science and its contemporary relevance

1. Soil's contribution to biogeochemical cycles (water, carbon, nitrogen)

2. Microbial drivers of nutrient cycling (N, P, C) and soil formation in arid and semiarid ecosystems

3. Soil-plant interactions: Water retention and root development

4. Calcareous urban soils challenges: Exploring land use's role in mitigating heavy metal contamination in Southern Iran

5. Biofertilizers and organic amendments

PART II: Digital soil mapping

6. Digital innovation and soil microbiome: Recent advances in ecosystem monitoring, management, and sustainable agriculture

7. A novel AI-driven framework for farmer segmentation: A digital innovation case study linking socio-economic profiles to perceived soil and agronomic challenges

8. Spatial modeling of soil organic carbon using satellite imagery and machine learning for sustainable land management

9. Monitoring soil degradation warning zones using remote sensing data

10. Digital soil moisture mapping using vegetation indices and land surface temperature in Mashhad Plain, Northeastern Iran

PART III: Economic valuation of soil and policy frameworks for soil management and sustainable development

11. Mapping the digital soil properties of loess derived-soils in two depths with quantile regression forests and uncertainty map

12. Costs of soil degradation and economic loss calculations with implementation challenges in soil conservation laws

13. The role of NGOs and civil society in soil protection: A review

14. Groundwater governance gaps as a driver of land degradation in arid and semi-arid agricultural systems of Iran

PART IV: Soil and emerging technologies

15. Technologies for soil pollution reduction and restoration

PART V: Soil and food security

16. Impacts of chemical soil degradation: Pesticides, heavy metals on food insecurity and soil health

17. Saline soils and the challenges of food production

PART VI: The future of soil science: Prospects and challenges

18. Soil and biodiversity: A complex underground network

19. Climate change impacts on soil futures

20. Emerging technologies for soil data collection

Authors

Hamid Reza Pourghasemi Professor, Department of Natural Resources and Environment Engineering, College of Agriculture, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran. Hamid Reza Pourghasemi is a professor of watershed management engineering in the College of Agriculture, Shiraz University, in Iran. His main research interests are GIS-based spatial modelling using machine learning/data mining techniques in different fields such as landslides, floods, gully erosion, forest fires, land subsidence, species distribution modelling, and groundwater/hydrology. Professor Pourghasemi also works on multi-criteria decision-making methods in natural resources and environmental science. He has published over 230 peer-reviewed papers in high-quality journals and seven edited books for Springer and Elsevier and is an active reviewer for over 90 international journals. He was selected as one of the five young scientists under 40 by The World Academy of Science (TWAS 2019) and was a highly cited researcher in 2019 and 2020 Sedigheh Maleki Assistant Professor of Soil Sciences, Shiraz University, Iran. Sedigheh Maleki is an assistant professor of Soil Sciences at Shiraz University with over 12 years of experience in soil classification, mapping research, and pedological studies across arid, semi-arid, and subhumid environments. Her research focuses on understanding soil ecosystems, mapping soil resources, and promoting sustainable land-use practices through scientific inquiry. Since 2013, she has served as a guest lecturer for courses such as General Soil Science, Spatial Analysis, and GIS, emphasizing the integration of theoretical knowledge with practical fieldwork to prepare students for challenges in agriculture and environmental conservation. Over the past five years, she has published more than 10 papers in international journals, contributing significantly to the field. In April 2022, she began collaborating with governmental and international organizations on soil mapping and land rehabilitation initiatives, leading fieldwork teams in various environments to analyze soil profiles and spatial variability. Her work not only enhances academic understanding but also supports practical applications in land management and conservation.