Soils Protocol Bundle

Soils are one of Earth’s essential natural resources, yet they're often taken for granted. A living, breathing world, soils support nearly all terrestrial life by holding nutrients and water for growing organisms as well as filtering the water that flows through the ground.

Soils also influence how much water percolates back into the groundwater supply, an important factor for human settlements.

Learn more about MyNASA Data and the Soil protocol bundle.

Soil & the Environment

Despite its fundamental importance to life, soil comprises only 25 percent of the Earth's surface, of which only 10 percent can be used to grow food. For this reason, the human contamination and desertification of healthy soils due to increasing temperatures can have major impacts on food production and the health of the entire ecosystem. To avoid the most catastrophic effects, it's of the utmost importance to manage and protect our soils wisely.

To support these conservation efforts, researchers and organizations monitor our fertile soils very closely. These soil characteristic measurements are critical to identifying factors that influence the health of the soil and impact ecosystem function on land. Soil characteristics also affect water quality and aquatic ecosystems by contributing solid and dissolved materials to surrounding water bodies. Additionally, scientists use this data to determine various hydrological, meteorological, and carbon-storage processes.

Soils and their function within an ecosystem vary greatly from one location to another as a result of many factors, including differences in climate, animal/plant life, and the type/age of the soil. Inside the Soils Bundle, you can find a collection of protocols, prompts, and projects related to these issues and their intersections with the various Earth Spheres.

Bundle Overview