Requirements for soil sampling in the context of ecosystem research

Soils are important compartments of ecosystems which are characterized by self-regulation within specific limits and different spatial and temporal heterogeneities. Soil sampling has to take into account the sampling strategy, pre-analytical sample processing, extraction and analysis and the interpretation of data as well as quality controls. Some examples from different investigations illustrate special sampling problems under different circumstances. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.