The soil quality indicators and respective trigger values are to be tested in a desktop pilot trial and field validation exercise. The latter is likely to be undertaken at well- established soil monitoring sites and sites for which significant historical and soil characterisation information is known. The testing will be carried out using all the selected indicators from all of the functions identified by Loveland and et al (2002) which have been tested by members of the UK Soil Indicators Consortium.
4 Conclusions and recommendations
The outcomes of this report are:
• the derivation and use of a method to challenge soil quality indicators for their suitability to assess environmental interaction for a national soil monitoring network;
• a tiered, risk-based approach to indicator use catering for the broad soil interest of different agencies and stakeholders
• agreement on a minimum dataset of soil quality indicators for the soil function of environmental interaction: that is, soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, Olsen P, available and total Cu, Ni and Zn, bulk density and pH;
• trigger values for indicators to flag potential ‘headline’ issues of concern with soils;
• a rigorous approach and structured use of expert judgement, which was
considered to greatly reduce uncertainty and provide a sound methodology to the selection of SQIs;
• agreement from representatives of the UK soil science community and UK Soil Indicators Consortium on approaches and findings.
The recommendations from this work to take these findings forward in part are reliant on the work of other members of the UK Soil Indicators Consortium but include:
• bringing together the indicators for environmental interaction with those from the other soil functions to assess the minimum dataset;
• undertaking a road test of the methodology (all three tiers), indicators and triggers in a desktop pilot with a range of soil data, scenarios and locations;
• developing a monitoring strategy for the UK, through which the indicators can be further tested;
• using well-characterised soils at sites with documented histories to field test the method, indicators and monitoring strategy in a range of locations across the UK.
5 Glossary of terms
Environmental Interaction - soils form a crucial link between the atmosphere, underlying geology, water resources and land use. They filter substances from water and intercept particles from the atmosphere; they emit and adsorb atmospheric gases (including the suite known as greenhouse gases); they can store carbon and regulate the flow of water from rainfall to aquifers and surface water sources, vegetation and back to the atmosphere. These are the functions that the soil performs.
Soil Quality - The capacity of a specific soil to function, within natural or managed ecosystem boundaries, to sustain plant and animal productivity, maintain or enhance water and air quality, and support human health habitation.
Indicator - property or situation. Responds promptly and accurately to perturbation and a change in its value or status can be interpreted with regard to a desirable condition for that soil and/or land use.
Triggers - values or ranges of values above or below which a level of change is understood to be critical in terms of the soil’s fitness for a specific use.
Minimum dataset - minimum number of key soil quality indicators to be used for high level policy issues. The indicators that would be used nationally across the monitoring network.
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