Time in a bottle: Use of soil archives for understanding long-term soil change

Authors: Bergh, Emma; CALDERON, FRANCISCO - Oregon State University; Clemensen, Andrea; Durso, Lisa; EBERLY, JED - Montana State University; Halvorson, Jonathan; Jin, Virginia; MARGENOT, ANDREW - University Of Illinois; Stewart, Catherine; Van Pelt, Robert - Scott; Liebig, Mark

Submitted to: Soil Science Society of America Journal
Publication Type: Review Article
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/22/2021
Publication Date: 1/10/2022
Citation: Bergh, E.L., Calderon, F.J., Clemensen, A.K., Durso, L.M., Eberly, J.O., Halvorson, J.J., Jin, V.L., Margenot, A.J., Stewart, C.E., Van Pelt, R.S., Liebig, M.A. 2022. Time in a bottle: Use of soil archives for understanding long-term soil change. Soil Science Society of America Journal. 86(3):520-527. https://doi.org/10.1002/saj2.20372.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/saj2.20372

Interpretive Summary: Archived soil samples allow researchers to understand how soil properties change over long periods of time. Such information is necessary when evaluating the sustainability of land management practices. The extent of soil archive use for research, however, is unknown. An exhaustive literature search was conducted to compile peer-reviewed publications that included soil archive use as part of original experiments. Metadata from the publications was extracted to facilitate insights on the use of soil archives globally. The number of publications since 1980 with documented soil archive use increased markedly each decade, peaking at 59 publications between 2016 and 2020. The age of soil archives across the compilation ranged from 5 to 160 years, with a mean archive age of 48 years. Publications using soil archives were mostly from countries in the northern hemisphere, with the top five reporting countries including the United States, United Kingdom, New Zealand, Canada, and China. Cropland was the dominant land use associated with soil archive publications. Nearly half of the reviewed publications focused on changes in soil carbon, nitrogen, or organic matter. Increased use of soil archives suggests the need for a global archive network to facilitate information and sample sharing among researchers. Such a network could offer a more inclusive collection of archive metadata, guidelines for sample access and data availability, and address the geographical gaps revealed in this review.

Technical Abstract: An improved understanding of long-term soil change and subsequent delivery of key ecosystem services can be facilitated by the study of soil archives. To date, the extent of soil archive use in the peer-reviewed literature is unknown. Here, we document the characteristics and distribution of global soil archive use, as found in 245 publications, following an exhaustive search of English language journals. Soil archive use has increased substantially since 1980, reaching 59 publications between 2016 and 2020 (24% of total). The age of soil archives across the compilation ranged from 5 to 160 years, with mean and median archive ages of 48 and 37 years, respectively. Publications using soil archives were mostly from countries in the northern hemisphere, with the top five reporting countries including the United States (61), United Kingdom (52), New Zealand (21), Canada (18), and China (14). Land uses associated with soil archive publications were dominated by agroecosystems, specifically cropland. Forty-seven percent of investigations focused on changes in soil carbon, nitrogen, or organic matter, while investigations of other subjects did not exceed 20%. Long-term multi-regional coordination and increased investment in curation and retention of soil archives are recommended.An improved understanding of long-term soil change and subsequent delivery of key ecosystem services can be facilitated by the study of soil archives. To date, the extent of soil archive use in the peer-reviewed literature is unknown. Here, we document the characteristics and distribution of global soil archive use, as found in 245 publications, following an exhaustive search of English language journals. Soil archive use has increased substantially since 1980, reaching 59 publications between 2016 and 2020 (24% of total). The age of soil archives across the compilation ranged from 5 to 160 years, with mean and median archive ages of 48 and 37 years, respectively. Publications using soil archives were mostly from countries in the northern hemisphere, with the top five reporting countries including the United States (61), United Kingdom (52), New Zealand (21), Canada (18), and China (14). Land uses associated with soil archive publications were dominated by agroecosystems, specifically cropland. Forty-seven percent of investigations focused on changes in soil carbon, nitrogen, or organic matter, while investigations of other subjects did not exceed 20%. Long-term multi-regional coordination and increased investment in curation and retention of soil archives are recommended.