Advancing Soil Compaction Assessment: A Comprehensive Study in Ireland

Abstract

Soil degradation is a substantial threat to agricultural productivity and ecosystem service provision across Europe. However, the nature of soil degradation varies across spatial scales, with considerable regional disparities observed amongst individual member states. In Ireland, soil compaction represents a significant soil threat, imposed by the country's environmental conditions, inherent soil characteristics and prevailing land management practices. Despite being a widely recognised issue, this study presents the first Indicative Soil Compaction map for Ireland. The map helps to inform strategic management practices to mitigate soil compaction at regional scales. We utilise a dual indicator approach, with soil bulk density serving as an indicator of compaction and soil moisture deficit and trafficable days as an indicator of environmental conditions. This integrated approach provides an assessment of soil compaction at soil association level. Our findings reveal that compaction is high in Ireland, although its degree varies geographically across the country, influenced by management practices and intrinsic soil properties. High bulk density soils are found to dominate the country, particularly in the east and southeast of Ireland, indicating a high degree of soil compaction. Whilst much of central Ireland is characterised by moderate compaction, it is imperative to implement good management practices in both moderate and high bulk density soils to prevent further compaction. It is evident that management practices (e.g., intensive arable farming) have a potentially overriding effect compared to intrinsic soil susceptibility to compaction, which is apparent across the southeast of Ireland. This research now provides a valuable tool for developing targeted regional strategies to manage and reduce soil compaction, aligning with broader European Union ambitions to achieve healthy soils by the year 2050.