Sustainable use of black soil critical zone
In the northern hemisphere, three major black soil zones contribute greatly to world agriculture. These are located along the mid-latitude zone, across northeast China, North America and southern Russia-Ukraine. However, after several hundred years of cultivation, they are facing many problems including erosion, contamination and salinization, which threaten their sustainability. There is urgent need to measure their state, and to understand the evolution and the future of the black soil associated ecosystems to support sustainable land-use plans. The 鈥淓arth's critical zone鈥 initiative develops an integrated structure to research the near-surface environment of the planet, and provides a plan to comprehensively study black soils.
This project will investigate how the black soil forms and evolves, the current state of these areas, and how we can ensure its sustainable use. An observation system using remote sensing, geochemistry and critical zone observatories, will be established for a comprehensive understanding of the black soil critical zone and its mutual impacts with global change. If possible, the research will extend to other black soils such as Pampas Prairie in South America. The outcomes of the project, including the data and observatories, will be open to the public for education and research purposes.
The co-leaders of this project are internationally recognised researchers in these topic areas, and come from leading academic institutions in Australia, Canada, Czechia, Greece, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, Ukraine, and the United States.
Key information
Duration
2019-2023
IGCP Theme
Earth Resources
Project Leader
Shenyang Geological Survey of China.
Highlights
Field Research trip
Following a 2021 study on the development of global black soil formation, the project team conducted field research to further determine the controlling factors of parent material and geographical elements on the formation and development of black soil. This activity brought together experts and professors from the School of Earth System Science of Tianjin University, as well as Quaternary geologists from the Tianjin Geological Survey Center of China Geological Survey and land science experts from Jilin University.
GeoScene Enterprise platform
New modules have been added to this updatable, editable, and shareable database of ecological sites in Northeast China's black soils. The platform responds to the actual needs of ecological geological work, realizing the integrated process of resource calling, decision calculation, and map-making services.
Academic Forum
Project members had an online exchange with academicians and experts on Black Soil Evolution and Ecological Effects. More than 300 researchers from relevant research units attended the academic forum and conducted in-depth exchanges and discussions on the main body of black soil evolution.
Workshop and academic conference
Project members participated in a webinar-conference, sharing scientific and technological innovation achievements in the Global Black Soil Critical Zone over the past five years. Since the implementation of the project, achievements have included: the creation of a black soil critical zone observation station; the development of a data information platform; space-space integrated observation; as well as the comparison of soil geochemistry in the global black soil region.
It was decided that the proposed next step would be to prepare a comprehensive research report to provide scientific and technological support for global climate change, sustainable use of black soil, and research on the Earth's critical zone.
Seminar presentation
IGCP project 665 technicians attended a meeting organized by the China Geological Survey of the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Argentine Bureau of Mining and Geology of the Argentine Ministry of Economy. The team gave a presentation on "Evolution and Sustainable Use of Soil Resources in the Global Black soil Critical Zone". The participating scholars fully demonstrated the latest scientific research achievements of China and Afghanistan in related fields, and expressed their high recognition of the geological work of both sides and their positive willingness to cooperate.
