title: Soil science. Soil and human security in the 21st century.
abstract: Human security has and will continue to rely on Earth's diverse soil resources. Yet we have now exploited the planet's most productive soils. Soil erosion greatly exceeds rates of production in many agricultural regions. Nitrogen produced by fossil fuel and geological reservoirs of other fertilizers are headed toward possible scarcity, increased cost, and/or geopolitical conflict. Climate change is accelerating the microbial release of greenhouse gases from soil organic matter and will likely play a large role in our near-term climate future. In this Review, we highlight challenges facing Earth's soil resources in the coming century. The direct and indirect response of soils to past and future human activities will play a major role in human prosperity and survival.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA. earthy@berkeley.edu.
authors.forename: Ronald
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Amundson
authors.affiliation: Life and Environmental Sciences Unit, University of California, Merced, CA 95343, USA.
authors.forename: Asmeret Asefaw
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Berhe
authors.affiliation: Land, Air, and Water Resources, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
authors.forename: Jan W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Hopmans
authors.affiliation: Climate Change Program Office, Office of the Chief Economist, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), 14th and Independence SW, Washington, DC 20013, USA.
authors.forename: Carolyn
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Olson
authors.affiliation: Board on International Scientific Organizations, National Academy of Sciences, 500 Fifth Street NW, Washington, DC 20001, USA.
authors.forename: A Ester
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Sztein
authors.affiliation: Plant and Soil Science, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Marine Science and Policy, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA.
authors.forename: Donald L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Sparks
mesh_terms: D000383:Agriculture / Q000639:trends; D057231:Climate Change; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D005308:Fertilizers; D005523:Food Supply; D005579:Fossil Fuels; D006801:Humans; D009584:Nitrogen; D012987:Soil; D013534:Survival
chemical_list: D005308:Fertilizers; D005579:Fossil Fuels; D012987:Soil; D009584:Nitrogen