The complexity of soil presents major challenges with regard to the modelling of soil processes. Past efforts have been limited to specific aspects such as individual ecosystem services rather than providing a holistic understanding of soil dynamics including physical, chemical, and biological processes and the interlinkages between ecosystem services. In addition, advances in modelling offers new opportunities to predict the delivery of ecosystem services.
-Improve existing and develop and test new soil models that allow for better and easier integration and reduced uncertainty of soil-related (physical, chemical and biological) processes
-Integrate soil processes modelling for ecosystem services quantification
-Ensure inter-operability between existing databases and integration into Destination Earth and the European Soil Observatory
-Develop specific user cases for soil modelling, e.g. large-scale soil erosion modelling, towards the integration of local sustainable soil management practices or catchment or field scale modelling of nutrient exports (surface-subsurface-groundwater components)
-Enhanced modelling capacity of soil-related processes under Destination Earth
-Enhanced access to comprehensive soil relevant knowledge and data for a wide range of stakeholders and more informed decision making processes related to soil management and policy through relevant data provided by digital modelling of soil processes
-Improved sustainable soil management practices based on an increased understanding of soil-related processes, their synergies and their interlinkages with ecosystem services
-Increased understanding of soil responses to practices under different land uses, climate extremes, dry and rewetting and land cover dynamic at various scales
