SoilTrEC Soil Transformations in European Catchments
Country: EU Projects
Start Date:   1/12/2009         Duration: 60 months         Project Type: RTD
Contract Number: 244118
Organisation Type:  University research group / research institute
Topics: 
Contaminated land-->Information management systems-->Geographical information systems
Soil-->Processes
Soil-->Soil Overview
Soil-->Soil quality
Project objectives: 
The aims of SoilTrEC are to address the priority research areas identified in the EU Soil Thematic Strategy and to provide leadership for a global network of 
Critical Zone Observatories (CZOs) committed to soils research. The specific objectives are to:  
  
•Describe from 1st principles how soil structure impacts processes and function in soil profiles,  
•Establish 4 EU Critical Zone Observatories to study soil processes at field scale,  
•Develop a Critical Zone Integrated Model of soil processes and function,  
•Create a GIS-based modelling framework to delineate soil threats and assess mitigation at EU scale,  
•Quantify Impacts of changing land use, climate and biodiversity on soil function and economic value,  
•Form with international partners a global network of CZOs for soils research, and  
•Deliver a programme of public outreach and research transfer on soil sustainability.
Project Summary: 
Through unsustainable land use practices, mining, deforestation, urbanisation and degradation by industrial pollution, soil losses are now hypothesized 
to be much faster (100 times or more) than soil formation – with the consequence that soil has become a finite resource.   
The crucial challenge for the SoilTrEC project is to understand the rates of processes that dictate soil mass stocks and their function within Earth’s Critical 
Zone (CZ). The CZ is the environment where soils are formed, degrade and provide their essential eco-services. Whist our understanding of the CZ has increased 
over the last 100 years, further advance requires scientists to cross disciplines and scales to integrate understanding of processes in the CZ, ranging from 
the nano to the global-scale.
Achieved Objectives:
Product Descriptions:
Additional Information:
Project Resources:
Weblink:
http://eusoils.jrc.ec.europa.eu/projects/SoilTrec/
Funding Programme(s): 
EC FP7: Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development.
Link to Organisations:

Joint Research Centre ISPRA
Submitted by: EUGRIS Team Professor Paul Bardos  Who does what?  03/10/2010 14:17:00