The Soil Nexus

Hamid Reza Pourghasemi is a Professor of watershed management engineering in the College of Agriculture, Shiraz University, Iran. His main research interests are GIS-based spatial modelling using machine learning/data mining techniques in different fields such as landslides, floods, gully erosion, forest fires, land subsidence, species distribution modelling, and groundwater/hydrology. Professor Pourghasemi also works on multi-criteria decision-making methods in natural resources and environmental science. He has published over 230 peer-reviewed papers in high-quality journals, is an active reviewer for over 90 international journals, and has led numerous edited books. He was also selected as one of the five young scientists under 40 by The World Academy of Science (TWAS 2019). Sedigheh Maleki is an assistant professor of Soil Sciences at Shiraz University with over 12 years of experience in soil classification, mapping research, and pedological studies across arid, semi-arid, and subhumid environments. Her research focuses on understanding soil ecosystems, mapping soil resources, and promoting sustainable land-use practices through scientific inquiry. Since 2013, she has served as a guest lecturer for courses such as General Soil Science, Spatial Analysis, and GIS, emphasizing the integration of theoretical knowledge with practical fieldwork to prepare students for challenges in agriculture and environmental conservation. Over the past five years. In April 2022, she began collaborating with governmental and international organizations on soil mapping and land rehabilitation initiatives, leading fieldwork teams in various environments to analyze soil profiles and spatial variability. Her work not only enhances academic understanding but also supports practical applications in land management and conservation.

• PART I: Defining soil and its role in ecosystems: Introduction to soil science and its contemporary relevance1. Soil's contribution to biogeochemical cycles (water, carbon, nitrogen)2. Microbial drivers of nutrient cycling (N, P, C) and soil formation in arid and semiarid ecosystems3. Soil-plant interactions: Water retention, its availability toplants, and their influential factors4. Calcareous urban soils challenges: Exploring land use's role in mitigating heavy metal contamination in Southern Iran5. Biofertilizers and organic amendmentsPART II: Digital soil mapping6. Digital innovation and soil microbiome: Recent advances in ecosystem monitoring, management, and sustainable agriculture7. A novel AI-driven framework for farmer segmentation: A digital innovation case study linking socioeconomic profiles to perceived soil and agronomic challenges8. Mapping the digital soil properties of loess derived-soils in two depths with quantile regression forests and uncertainty map9. Monitoring soil degradation warning zones using remote sensing data10. Digital soil moisture mapping using vegetation indices and land surface temperature in Mashhad Plain, Northeastern IranPART III: Economic valuation of soil and policy frameworks for soil management and sustainable development11. Spatial modeling of soil organic carbon using satellite imagery and machine learning for sustainable land management12. Costs of soil degradation and economic loss calculations with implementation challenges in soil conservation laws13. The role of NGOs and civil society in soil protection: A review14. Groundwater governance gaps as a driver of land degradation in arid and semi-arid agricultural systems of IranPART IV: Soil and emerging technologies15. Technologies for soil pollution reduction and restorationPART V: Soil and food security16. Impacts of chemical soil degradation: Pesticides, heavy metals on food insecurity and soil health17. Saline soils and the challenges of food productionPART VI: The future of soil science: Prospects and challenges18. Soil and biodiversity: A complex underground network19. Climate change impacts on soil futures20. Emerging technologies for soil data collection

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