Advances in Soil Pollution and Assessment
A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Agricultural Science and Technology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 October 2026 | Viewed by 122
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Soil environmental protection is a cornerstone of ecosystem stability and long-term land productivity. Healthy soils regulate biogeochemical cycles, store and filter water, and constitute one of the largest terrestrial reservoirs of organic carbon, thereby contributing significantly to climate change mitigation. At the same time, soil is the foundation of food production, and its quality directly affects crop yields, food safety, and human and animal health. Contaminants such as heavy metals and pesticides can be taken up by plants and enter the food chain. Protecting soil from erosion, contamination, compaction, and structural degradation is therefore essential to preserve biodiversity at multiple trophic levels and to maintain critical ecosystem services.
Soil degradation impairs ecological functions, increases the risk of droughts and floods, reduces carbon sequestration capacity, and accelerates climate change. Consequently, comprehensive soil condition assessment is indispensable for identifying, preventing, and managing environmental risks. It enables the detection of areas affected by industrial, agricultural, or urban pressures and supports the design of effective decontamination, remediation, restoration, and long-term monitoring strategies. Emphasis should be placed not only on diagnosing soil contamination but also on advancing practical solutions for soil protection and recovery.
This Special Issue invites contributions from researchers engaged in interdisciplinary studies on the sources, scale, and effects of soil pollution and degradation across diverse environmental systems. We particularly encourage submissions addressing soil protection strategies, decontamination technologies, ecological restoration, and sustainable land management practices. Publications may include both conventional and innovative approaches for detecting and quantifying contaminants such as heavy metals, pesticides, petroleum hydrocarbons, microplastics, and pharmaceuticals.
Contributions that focus on the following areas are especially sought after: the development and validation of methods for soil quality assessment, ecological and human health risk evaluation, and the study of contaminant bioaccumulation and its impact on soil ecosystem functioning and food production. We also welcome contributions that address local and global challenges related to soil degradation, climate resilience, and the long-term safeguarding of soil resources. Papers presenting integrated monitoring frameworks, remediation techniques, and preventative soil protection policies will further enhance the scientific value of this Special Issue.
Dr. Barbara Pawłowska
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- soil quality
- soil pollution
- environmental assessment
- food safety
- soil ecosystem functions
- ecological and health risks
- soil monitoring
- soil degradation
- sustainable soil management
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