Soil Science News

Engineers and Soil Scientists May Have Solved Mystery of Pisa’s Leaning Tower

The Leaning Tower of Pisa. Image credit: Mark Skillen.
May 9, 2018 by News Staff

The Leaning Tower of Pisa, or simply the Tower of Pisa, is a bell tower of the Cathedral of the Italian city of Pisa, known worldwide for its unintended tilt. Why has the Pisa tower survived the strong earthquakes that have hit the region since the middle ages? This is a long-standing question a team of engineers and soil scientists led by Roma Tre University’s Professor Camillo Nuti has investigated. The Leaning Tower of Pisa. Image credit: Mark...

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Permafrost in High Arctic. Image credit: TheBrockenInaGlory / CC BY-SA 3.0

Frozen Soils Could Become Major Source of Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Apr 9, 2015 by News Staff

Thawing permafrost in the Artic and sub-Arctic regions will likely produce a gradual and prolonged release of large quantities of greenhouse gases spanning...

NASA’s CALIPSO satellite has quantified in three dimensions how much dust makes the trans-Atlantic journey from the Sahara desert to the Amazon rain forest; among this dust is phosphorus, an essential nutrient that acts like a fertilizer, which the Amazon depends on in order to flourish. Image credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.

Phosphorus-Rich Dust from Sahara Desert Keeps Amazon Soils Fertile

Feb 24, 2015 by News Staff

Every year, millions of tons of dust from the Sahara desert cross the Atlantic Ocean, bringing vital phosphorus and other fertilizers to depleted Amazon...

An eroding bluff on the U.S. Great Plains reveals a buried, carbon-rich layer of fossil soil. Image credit: Jospeh Mason.

Ancient Soils Found to be Rich in Carbon

May 27, 2014 by News Staff

Deep, ancient soils, dating to between 15,000 and 13,500 years old, contain significant amounts of carbon and could contribute to climate change as the...

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