Soil health: Meaning, measurement, and value through a critical zone lens

Over the past 25 or so years soil health has been broadly studied, sometimes justly criticized, but commonly accepted and appreciated by stakeholders. Rather than follow the approach from over the last 10 to 15 years of concentrating on details of soil health indicators and agglomerated indices, recent publications have instead begun to analyze broader questions that have never really been satisfactorily answered, including questions about the rationale, limitations, and true meaning of soil health. This article joins the trend toward deeper analysis by examining the literature to propose the following: (1) why soil health is important, whether approached from a critical zone perspective or some other viewpoint; (2) more closely linking soil health and a critical zone approach to material fluxes, thereby informing how, where, and when soil health should be measured; (3) a clearer definition of the meaning of soil health in local relative terms; and (4) a stronger linkage between soil health and sustainability. The goal of this proposal is not to develop a specific conceptual model, but rather to spur further discussion leading to a more solid definition and description, which may in turn lead to more robust and broadly applicable approaches to understanding and measuring soil health.

Automated summary

This article examines the importance and meaning of soil health, proposing further research questions on the rationale, limitations, and local relative meaning of soil health. The goal of the article is to stimulate deeper discussion and develop a more solid definition and description, leading to a more comprehensive and widely applicable understanding and measurement of soil health.