_{Credit: Dursun Acar (Source)}

Dear Colleagues,

Welcome to the October newsletter of the EGU Soil System Sciences Division! This month, we invite you to learn more about the new Nature call launched by Horizon Europe, the webinar “Soil Health in Practice: What Works in the Field?”, read a new SOIL paper, and learn more about the SSS Division through our Linkedin and Bluesky pages. Moreover, we also have some reminders to attend the International Conference on Human Impacts on Nature, the next Wageningen Soil Conference, and apply to contribute to the GeoCinema session during EGU27.

Heike Knicker, Division President

Beatrice Giannetta, Perrine Florent, ECS Reps

Diana Vieira, Fatima Meite

The ECS Team

What recently happened on Soil System Sciences?

On 2 October 2026, the Directorate-General of Research and Innovation published a new €230 million call on nature under Horizon Europe (HE), pursuing the HE objective of increasing biodiversity. Among the call 10 topics are “Understanding the nature and the extent of the effects of PFAS on biodiversity and ecosystem services”, or “Advancing interdisciplinary, data-driven research at the biodiversity-health interface under a One Health approach”. This call was presented during the Horizontal Activities info day, providing guidance on the call policy background and objectives, or the project design, impact and implementation. Recordings are available online.

Get Information Here

The webinar “Soil Health in Practice: What Works in the Field?” was held online on 15 October 2026. Bringing together practical experiences from specific actors (Fundación Global Nature, InBestSoil, LILAS4SOILS, IBERSOILL, and Farmers), the webinar addressed some soil challenges, management practices implemented and relevant lessons. Examined the gap between promising agricultural innovations and their practical implementation. And discussed the economic, technical, regulatory and knowledge-related conditions that determine whether new practices and technologies can realistically be adopted. A recording of the webinar is available online.

Learn More Here

Discover: “Biochar addition enhances soil aggregate stability by modulating soil internal forces: the critical role of readily oxidized organic carbon and particulate organic carbon” by Xiaoshuai Song, Chenyang Xu, Huanhuan Zhao, Jiangwen Li, Wei Du, Wuquan Ding, Zhenghong Yu, Fengbao Zhang, and Feinan Hu. Readily oxidized organic carbon and particulate organic carbon were the main factors affecting soil surface electrochemical properties. Biochar enhanced van der Waals attraction while reducing electrostatic repulsion and net repulsive forces, stabilizing soil aggregates.

Read The Full Article

In addition, you can now read interesting updates of the Soil System Sciences Division and related topics on LinkedIn and Bluesky pages.

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Upcoming Events and Deadlines  

From 15 to 17 December 2026 will be held online “Human Impacts on Nature”. This conference will deal with the way humans change nature, from agriculture and urbanization to mining, wildfires and resource exploitation; consequences of soil degradation, biodiversity loss, desertification or declining ecosystem services; human impacts measurement with field experiments, remote sensing, GIS, modelling, AI, or citizen science; reducing human pressure with sustainable agriculture and forestry, conservation, circular economy, or policies; and restoration, soil recovery, rewilding, nature-based solutions and ecosystem rehabilitation. Registration is still open.

Register Here

The sixth edition of the Wageningen Soil Conference will take place from 23 to 27 August 2027 at Wageningen (the Netherlands). The conference will bring together the soil science community around the following question: how do we move soil knowledge from the lab and the field to lasting real-world impact? WSC will be centered around the four themes “Sustainable soil, stewardship, and knowledge management”, “Mechanisms driving soil functions”, “Advances in soil mapping”, and “Soils for nature-based solutions”, with interactive masterclasses in the afternoons. Submit a proposal for interactive masterclasses by 11 December 2026.

Know More Here

GeoCinema is back for EGU27. Having any geosciences-related short clip or longer film from animations to interviews? Submit your film and it could be screened on-site and virtually during EGU27! Films must be in English or have subtitles in English, and you must hold permission rights to feature the film in a public venue. Someone affiliated with the film must be able to convene the session by providing a brief introduction and moderating a Q&A discussion following the screening. To convene the session, one must be registered for EGU27 on-site or virtual participation. Fill out the submission form online to contribute to this popular event by 30 November 2026.

Apply Here