The Joint Research Centre has extensive experience monitoring soils across the EU. It established the EUROSOILS certified reference materials program from 1989-1999 and has conducted regular soil monitoring. This includes the LUCAS survey which collects soil samples from over 260,000 points every 3 years to assess soil condition under different land uses across EU members. Comparability of data over time remains challenging due to differences in laboratories used. Establishing a single EU soil observatory that fully integrates national monitoring systems could help overcome this issue and support EU policies through comprehensive soil reporting and indicators.

1. The experience of the Joint Research Centre
Luca Montanarella, Oihane Fernandez Ugalde
European Commission
Joint Research Centre – D.3

2. The EUROSOILS certified reference materials
program of the JRC (1989-1999)

3. The EUROSOILS certified reference materials

4. ICP Forest and Forest Focus Regulation
EEC 2152/2003
ca. 5000 sites on a regular 16 Km x 16 Km grid

5. Soil Ring Test every 3 years
http://icp-forests.net/group/qualityinlaboratories/page/soil-ringtest-and-qa-qc-information

6. Can results be compared across
EU Member States?
Experience from the first Level I survey 1994/96

7. LUCAS
Land Use/Cover Area frame statistical Survey
• LUCAS survey
• 270,000 points
• Every 3 years
• Land cover and use
@lultimoalbero@EU_ScienceHub

8. LUCAS: EUROPEAN LAND USE / COVER AREA FRAME STATISTICAL SURVEY
1 100 000 points
LAND COVER classes
1 ARABLE LAND
2 PERMANENT CROPS
3 GRASSLAND
4 WOODED AREAS AND
SHRUBLAND
5 BARE LAND, RARE VEGET.
6 ARTIFICIAL LAND
7 WATER2km squared grid
Ground survey
Parameters
•Land cover
•Land use
•Soil sample
(10%)
•pictures
•etc.
Sample of around 260,000 pts
Second phase sample: in-situ data collection

9. Experience within LUCAS-Soil module
• LUCAS-Soil module aims to assess the condition of soil across
different land uses/covers in the EU, measuring physical, chemical
and biological properties
─ at a particular point of time
─ over time
• This module has became a key instrument for monitoring the
environmental performance of EU policies and strategies
• More than 20,000 soil samples are collected under different land
uses/covers across the EU in every survey

10. Experience within LUCAS-Soil module
Assessment at a particular point of time
• LUCAS-Soil surveys are repeated every 3 to 5 years
• Soil samples collected in each survey are analysed in a single laboratory
This ensures comparability of lab data within each survey
• Evaluation of pedological criteria in lab data for verifying coherence of
the raw data from the soil point of view
SELECTION OF POINTS
STANDARIZED SOIL
SAMPLING PROCEDURE
ANALISIS OF PHYSICAL,
CHEMICAL AND
BIOLOGICAL
PROPERTIES

11. LUCAS SOIL: TRAINING, SUPPORT MATERIAL, DATA
AND RESULTS

12. • Coarse fragments
• particle-size distribution (clay, silt, sand)
• pH
• Organic carbon
• Carbonate content
• Total nitrogen content
• Extractable potassium content
• Phosphorous content
• Cation exchange capacity
• Electrical conductivity
• Metals
• Multispectral properties
LUCAS Soil
@lultimoalbero@EU_ScienceHub

13. LUCAS is…
Expandable
• Modular structure
• New points
• New properties
• Monitoring

14. LUCAS Soil, the largest expandable soil dataset for Europe: a review
European Journal of Soil Science, Volume: 69, Issue: 1, Pages: 140-153, First published: 23 November 2017, DOI: (10.1111/ejss.12499)

15. Experience within LUCAS-Soil module
Assessment over time – comparison between surveys
2009/12 and 2015
• Improvement of the sampling procedure: first step to create an
harmonized soil dataset
─ Better control of sampling depth
─ A careful removal of the litter layer is needed in woodland
• Comparison of lab data between surveys
─ Different laboratories in each survey
─ A subset of soil samples collected in LUCAS 2009/12 were re-
analysed by the lab carrying analysis in LUCAS 2015

16. Experience within LUCAS-Soil module
Assessment over time – comparison between surveys
2009/12 and 2015
• Re-analysis of samples: good concordance except for CEC
Soil properties N samples Lin’s CCC RMSE
OC / g kg─1 214 0.98 8.50
CaCO3 / g kg─1 214 0.99 21.34
N / g kg─1 211 0.98 0.49
P/ mg kg─1 211 0.85 21.78
K / mg kg─1 211 0.98 81.64
CEC/ cmol(+) kg─1 213 0.35 14.08
pH−CaCl2 206 0.99 0.19
pH−H2O 206 0.97 0.31

17. Experience within LUCAS-Soil module
• Comparison of OC for points visited in 2009/12 and 2015 surveys

18. Experience within LUCAS-Soil module
• Modelling of OC changes in cropland based on 2009/12 and 2015 data

19. Experience within LUCAS-Soil module
Future of LUCAS-Soil module
• More surveys are needed to assess the effect of the laboratory in
the variability of the data and its implications to assess changes in
soil properties over time
─ Last survey was done in 2018 and lab data in being
processed
• The use of a single laboratory is still needed for soil monitoring at
EU scale

20. Conclusions
• Inter-laboratory measurement errors still too high for
allowing regular monitoring of soil parameters over time
in the EU
• Current soil monitoring at EU scale only feasible by using
a single laboratory for all analytical work
• Future integration of the LUCAS soil monitoring system
with the EU MS National Soil Monitoring Systems will
require a renewed effort in inter-laboratory calibration
and harmonization of methods

21. EU SOIL OBSERVATORY (EUSO)
Missing
Available
Implementation
Operational EU soil
monitoring system
supporting soil related
EU policies fully
integrated with National
soil monitoring systems
in MS
 EU soil status reporting (in
collaboration with EEA)
 Soil pollution indicators (Zero
Pollution Strategy)
 indicators in relation to the soil
aspects of the European Green
Deal including the Farm to Fork,
Biodiversity and Climate
Change Strategies
• Integration with EU MS’s National
soil monitoring systems
• ESDAC as the primary soil knowledge
hub for the EU and global data
• Coordination of EU-wide and global
sampling surveys
LUCAS Soil since 2009, Africa in 2020
• Modelling and indicator development
Future
deliverables
Target
FPI ESTAT CLIMA ENV AGRI DEVCO SANTE
Stronger Europe in the World
• Comprehensive Strategy on Africa
European Green Deal
• Biodiversity Strategy 2030
• Zero Pollution Strategy
Protecting our European Way of Life
• Cooperation towards Sustainable Growth
European Climate Law Farm to Fork strategy’s international dimensions

22. Thanks
Questions?
luca.montanarella@ec.europa.eu
http://esdac.jrc.ec.europa.eu