The pedosphere is a major determinant in global water, carbon and other biogeochemical cycles. Since soil represents a natural body covering essentially the entire non-aqueous surface of planet earth, it is intimately involved in the absorption, storage, transfer and release of heat, water, gases and other chemicals; it serves as a reservoir for biological diversity and has a profound influence on the environments of all living organisms. Biogeochemical processes in soils are a primary driving force for key ecosystem functions including plant productivity and water quality. These processes also ultimately control the fate and transport of contaminants and nutrients. An emerging realization of the global interrelationships and relevance of these effects dictates the need for detailed mechanistic understanding of these processes.
Scientific goalsThe research within SPP 1315 "Biogeochemical Interfaces in Soil" aims at the systematic structural characterisation and functional exploration of biogeochemical interfaces in soil and at unravelling their role for the fate and effect of organic chemicals. Methodological approachUtilisation and cross-linking of new and emerging techniques adopted from the fields of molecular biology and material- and nano-sciences with soil physical, chemical and biological methods. |
![]() |