Temperate soils exposed to drought - key processes, impacts, indicators, and unknowns

Reinsch, Sabine ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4649-0677; Robinson, David A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7290-4867; van Soest, Maud A.J. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4656-515X; Keith, Aidan M. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9619-1320; Parry, Simon ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7057-4195; Tye, Andrew M. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4653-7773. 2024 Temperate soils exposed to drought - key processes, impacts, indicators, and unknowns [in special issue: Celebrating 30 years of International Day against Desertification, and Drought] Land, 13 (11), 1759. https://doi.org/10.3390/land13111759

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Abstract/Summary

The summer drought in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2022 produced significant speculation concerning how its termination may impact and interact with the soil resource. Whilst knowledge regarding soils and droughts exists in the scientific literature, a coherent understanding of the wider range of impacts on soil properties and functions has not been compiled for temperate soils. Here, we draw together knowledge from studies in the UK and other temperate countries to understand how soils respond to drought, and importantly what and where our knowledge gaps are. First, we define the different types of droughts and their frequency in the UK and provide a brief overview on the likely societal impacts that droughts place on the soil and related ecosystems. Our focus is on ‘agricultural and ecosystem drought’, as this is when soils experience dry periods affecting crops and ecosystem function, followed by rewetting. The behaviour of moisture in soils and the key processes that contribute to its storage and transport are examined. The principal changes in the physical, chemical, and biological properties of soils resulting from drought, and rewetting (i.e., drought termination) are discussed and their extensive interactions are demonstrated. Processes that are involved in the rewetting of soils are explored for soil and catchment-scale soil responses. Lastly, soils’ recovery after drought is considered, knowledge gaps are identified, and areas to improve understanding are highlighted.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	https://doi.org/10.3390/land13111759
UKCEH and CEH Sections/Science Areas:	Soils and Land Use (Science Area 2017-) Water Resources (Science Area 2017-)
ISSN:	2073-445X
Additional Information. Not used in RCUK Gateway to Research.:	Open Access paper - full text available via Official URL link.
Additional Keywords:	meteorological drought, soil moisture, soil water infiltration, rewetting, drought recovery, drought termination, soil microbes, soil fauna, soil water repellency, soil nutrients, soil health
NORA Subject Terms:	Earth Sciences Hydrology
Date made live:	04 Nov 2024 13:20 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/538303

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