The sensors, which are being developed by soil scientists at Lancaster University and researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder and the University of Manchester, track biological activity in soil by having a degradable substrate that is nibbled on by microbes.

The sensors offer the potential to reveal soil secrets including how they respond to climate events as well as their important role in storing carbon.

Soil salinization is one of the world’s most pressing threats to agriculture, especially in dry and semi-dry regions where salts and high pH can build up in the soil. These harsh conditions limit root growth, reduce nutrient uptake, and weaken crop productivity. Now, a new study shows that carefully designed biochar amendments can do more than improve soil chemistry. They can also guide plant metabolism and reshape beneficial microbial communities around the roots.

Soil pollution and degradation are threatening food security, crop productivity, and the long-term health of agricultural land worldwide. A new review published in Biochar suggests that one promising solution may come from pairing two powerful natural tools: biochar and beneficial microbes.

A new global analysis suggests that the climate mitigation potential of biochar could be overestimated if warming-driven carbon losses are not considered, especially in agricultural soils.

A new study published in National Science Review has revealed that global warming may reshape the distribution of sunlight reaching Earth’s surface. Climate models project reduced downward surface solar radiation over polar regions but increased radiation over Northern Hemisphere mid-latitudes, especially in local summer. The contrast is driven by increased atmospheric water vapor, reduced mid-latitude clouds, and enhanced polar cloud liquid water.