Genesis of an atypical Podzol in the Iberian Range: micromorphological characterization

A podzol has been described in the Iberian Range (Moncayo Natural Park), which may represent the southernmost example in Europe. The fact that it occurs at the podzol distribution limit makes its morphology atypical. The aim of this work is to identify the components and formation processes of the soil, and to determine if the processes are active or paleo-processes by a micromorphological approach. The study podzol is located in the top of a northern hillside (30% of slope), at 1600 m altitude on quartzitic sandstones, under Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) with an udic moisture regime and a frigid temperature regime. We found opaque, orthic iron oxide nodules at the base of the profile (Bhs1), which is related to a current oxidation-reduction process; silt caps are also observed on the coarse elements, pedofeatures evidencing the cryoturbation process, probably also current processes. In the Bhs2 horizon, coatings and micro-laminated clay infillings are identified that are interspersed with fine silts in the holes. Many of these coatings are fragmented and mixed with the basal mass of the soil, indicating that they are paleofeature, possibly prior to the current podzolization. En el Sistema Ibérico (Parque Natural del Moncayo) han sido descritos Podzols, que se encuentran entre los más meridionales de Europa. El hecho de estar en su límite de distribución hace que su morfología sea atípica. El objetivo de este trabajo es identificar los componentes y procesos de formación del suelo, y determinar si los procesos son activos o paleo-procesos, mediante un enfoque micromorfológico. El Podzol de estudio está situado en la cima de una ladera septentrional (30% de pendiente), a 1600 m de altitud sobre areniscas cuarcíticas, bajo pino silvestre (Pinus sylvestris) con un régimen de humedad údico y un régimen de temperatura frígido. Se encuentran nódulos opacos, órticos, de óxidos de hierro en la base del perfil (horizonte Bhs1), lo que está relacionado con un proceso de óxido-reducción actual; también se observan casquetes o cappings de limo en los elementos gruesos, edaforrasgo que evidencia el proceso de crioturbación, probablemente también actual. En el horizonte Bhs2 se identifican revestimientos y rellenos de arcilla microlaminada que se intercalan con limos finos en los poros. Muchos de estos revestimientos están fragmentados y mezclados con la masa basal del suelo, lo que indica que son paleoprocesos, posiblemente anteriores a la podzolización actual

Soil: the great connector of our lives now and beyond COVID-19

Open Access Journal; Published online: 05 Nov 2020Humanity depends on the existence of healthy soils, both for the production of food and for ensuring a healthy, biodiverse environment, among other functions. COVID-19 is threatening food availability in many places of the world due to the disruption of food chains, lack of workforce, closed borders and national lockdowns. As a consequence, more emphasis is being placed on local food production, which may lead to more intensive cultivation of vulnerable areas and to soil degradation. In order to increase the resilience of populations facing this pandemic and future global crises, transitioning to a paradigm that relies more heavily on local food production on soils that are carefully tended and protected through sustainable management is necessary. To reach this goal, the Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils (ITPS) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) recommends five active strategies: improved access to land, sound land use planning, sustainable soil management, enhanced research, and investments in education and extension. The soil is the great connector of lives, the source and destination of all. It is the healer and restorer and resurrector, by which disease passes into health, age into youth, death into life. Without proper care for it we can have no community, because without proper care for it we can have no life

Soil: The great connector of our lives now and beyond COVID-19

Humanity depends on the existence of healthy soils, both for the production of food and for ensuring a healthy, biodiverse environment, among other functions. COVID-19 is threatening food availability in many places of the world due to the disruption of food chains, lack of workforce, closed borders and national lockdowns. As a consequence, more emphasis is being placed on local food production, which may lead to more intensive cultivation of vulnerable areas and to soil degradation. In order to increase the resilience of populations facing this pandemic and future global crises, transitioning to a paradigm that relies more heavily on local food production on soils that are carefully tended and protected through sustainable management is necessary. To reach this goal, the Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils (ITPS) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) recommends five active strategies: improved access to land, sound land use planning, sustainable soil management, enhanced research, and investments in education and extension. The soil is the great connector of lives, the source and destination of all. It is the healer and restorer and resurrector, by which disease passes into health, age into youth, death into life. Without proper care for it we can have no community, because without proper care for it we can have no life. © Author(s) 2020

Annual carbon and nitrogen loadings for a furrow-irrigated field

Evaluations of agricultural management practices for soil C sequestration have largely focused on practices, such as reduced tillage or compost/manure applications, that minimize soil respiration and/or maximize C input, thereby enhancing soil C stabilization. Other management practices that impact carbon cycling in agricultural systems, such as irrigation, are much less understood. As part of a larger C sequestration project that focused on potential of C sequestration for standard and minimum tillage systems of irrigated crops, the effects of furrow irrigation on the field C and N loading were evaluated. Experiments were conducted on a laser-leveled 30ha grower's field in the Sacramento valley near Winters, CA. For the 2005 calendar year, water inflow and runoff was measured for all rainfall and irrigation events. Samples were analyzed for C and N associated with both sediment and dissolved fractions. Total C and N loads in the sediment were always higher in the incoming irrigation water than field runoff. Winter storms moved little sediment, but removed substantial amounts of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), or about one-third of the total C balance. Despite high DOC loads in runoff, the large volumes of applied irrigation water with sediment and DOC resulted in a net increase in total C for most irrigation events. The combined net C input and N loss to the field, as computed from the field water balance, was 30.8kgCha-1yr-1 and 5.4kgNha-1yr-1 for the 2005 calendar year. It is concluded that transport of C and N by irrigation and runoff water should be considered when estimating the annual C field balance and sequestration potential of irrigated agro-ecosystems.Runoff Dissolved organic carbon Carbon sequestration Reduced tillage Sediment transport

Conservation of soil organic carbon, biodiversity and the provision of other ecosystem services along climatic gradients in West Africa

Terrestrial carbon resources are major drivers of development in West Africa. The distribution of these resources co-varies with ecosystem type and rainfall along a strong Northeast-Southwest climatic gradient. Soil organic carbon, a strong indicator of soil quality, has been severely depleted in some areas by human activities, which leads to issues of soil erosion and desertification, but this trend can be altered with appropriate management. There is significant potential to enhance existing soil carbon stores in West Africa, with benefits at the global and local scale, for atmospheric CO2 mitigation as well as supporting and provisioning ecosystem services. Three key factors impacting carbon stocks are addressed in this review: climate, biotic factors, and human activities. Climate risks must be considered in a framework of global change, especially in West Africa, where landscape managers have few resources available to adapt to climatic perturbations. Among biotic factors, biodiversity conservation paired with carbon conservation may provide a pathway to sustainable development, and biodiversity conservation is also a global priority with local benefits for ecosystem resilience, biomass productivity, and provisioning services such as foodstuffs. Finally, human management has largely been responsible for reduced carbon stocks, but this trend can be reversed through the implementation of appropriate carbon conservation strategies in the agricultural sector, as shown by multiple studies. Owing to the strong regional climatic gradient, country-level initiatives will need to consider carbon sequestration approaches for multiple ecosystem types. Given the diversity of environments, global policies must be adapted and strategies developed at the national or sub-national levels to improve carbon storage above and belowground. Initiatives of this sort must act locally at farmer scale, and focus on ecosystem services rather than on carbon sequestration solel

Pregnancy-related complications in patients with fibromuscular dysplasia: A report from the european/international fibromuscular dysplasia registry

Current literature suggests a higher risk of pregnancy-related complications in patients with renal fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD). The aim of our study was to assess the nature and prevalence of pregnancy-related complications in patients subsequently diagnosed with FMD. A call for participation was sent to centers contributing to the European/International FMD Registry. Patients with at least 1 pregnancy were included. Data on pregnancy were collected through medical files and FMD characteristics through the European/International FMD Registry. Data from 534 pregnancies were obtained in 237 patients. Despite the fact that, in 96% of cases, FMD was not diagnosed before pregnancy, 40% of women (n=93) experienced pregnancy-related complications, mostly gestational hypertension (25%) and preterm birth (20%), while preeclampsia was reported in only 7.5%. Only 1 patient experienced arterial dissection and another patient an aneurysm rupture. When compared with patients without pregnancy-related complications, patients with complicated pregnancies were younger at FMD diagnosis (43 versus 51 years old; P<0.001) and had a lower prevalence of cerebrovascular FMD (30% versus 52%; P=0.003) but underwent more often renal revascularization (63% versus 40%, P<0.001). In conclusion, the prevalence of pregnancy-related complications such as gestational hypertension and preterm birth was high in patients with FMD, probably related to the severity of renal FMD. However, the prevalence of preeclampsia and arterial complications was low/moderate. These findings emphasize the need to screen hypertensive women for FMD to ensure revascularization before pregnancy if indicated and appropriate follow-up during pregnancy, without discouraging patients with FMD from considering pregnancy. © 2020 Editions Technip. All rights reserved