Today marks the 2024 FAO World Soil Day!
This year’s theme, Caring for soils: Measure, monitor, manage. Soil science has advanced significantly since the 19th century, driven by innovations like gene sequencing for detailed organism analysis, light spectroscopy for soil carbon and CEC measurements, and isotope tracing for biogeochemical cycles. Additionally, advances in computer modeling and statistics have enabled global predictions of soil changes, fueling the growth of the field of ‘pedometrics’!
While all the new gadgets and gizmos have given more analytic power to the soil scientist, much of soil science still starts with simple tools like shovels, sieves, and the trained eye of a scientist. Many soil scientists first connected with the field through hands-on methods such as hand-texturing soils, identifying horizons, or culturing soil microorganisms. Even today, the best data models rely on field-collected information and well-established laboratory techniques. These methods are brought to life through the expertise and dedication of researchers, technicians, and policy professionals, who transform raw observations into meaningful findings.
As Hans Jenny, pioneer of the soil-forming equation (ClORPT), emphasized, soils are incredibly dynamic and complex systems! With each advancement in methodology, their complexity becomes more apparent. While many like to cite the sheer abundance of organisms and minerals found within one cup of soil, few stop to ask how we know what we know. Unraveling soil’s secrets demands time, energy, and above all, determination from soil scientists. This World Soil Day, we celebrate the dedication of researchers, technicians, and consultants whose work deserves the highest recognition now more than ever.
To learn more about World Soil Day, visit the FAO’s world soil day website, which features campaign materials, contests, and activities. The PRSSS is also hosting several events across BC, so you won’t have to worry about spending world soil day alone. And if you are curious about the vast world of soil and data science, our 2025 Annual General Meeting will be exploring this topic further with guest speakers, panelists and workshops. Thank you to all our members for your continued support, and we hope to hear lots of great stories from this year’s world soil day.
