Figure 9: Examples of Mollisols (grassland soils) formed from loess. Both soils have mean annual precipitation of 450 mm. The Ustoll (a) has an ustic soil moisture regime and the Xeroll (b) has a ...

Scientists know iron oxide minerals store large amounts of carbon in soils, but lack a detailed, quantitative understanding of the specific chemical mechanisms that allow them to bind such a wide ...

A study on 'canopy soils' on old trees in Costa Rica shows they are important habitats and carbon stores that cannot easily be replaced. In certain trees, soils can form along branches and can support ...

Rapid erosion due to human activity, such as grazing livestock and farming, has stripped the Alps of almost all the soil formed since the retreat of the glaciers. This soil developed over millennia as ...

Earth’s top 2 meters (6 feet) of soil hold 2.5 trillion metric tons of carbon — more than is held in living vegetation and the atmosphere combined. But soil carbon sinks are under threat — global ...

In certain trees, soils can form along branches and can support varied plant and animal life. However, what conditions these ‘canopy soils’ form in, and what kind of biodiversity they support, has ...