Editorial: Current Research on Soil Science and Related Aspects of Environmental Sciences in Galicia

Abstract

As recently as under 200 years ago, soil was almost unknown as subject of scientific study, and its status was far from being part of the disciplines taught at universities (Brevik, 2005; Brevik and Hartemink, 2010; Díaz-Raviña and Caruncho, 2022; Reyes-Sánchez and Irazoque, 2022). Nowadays, however, Soil Science is a consolidated field of knowledge, with clear recognition at academic, scientific, and technical levels. In Spain, the Spanish Society of Soil Science (Sociedad Española de la Ciencia del Suelo, SECS) has reached 75 years of history, while in Galicia, Soil Science is commemorating 70 years. Throughout all this time, many professors and researchers have contributed their dedication and efforts to promote Soil Science in Spain and Galicia. Among them, Dr. E. Huguet del Villar, Dr. J. M. Alvareda, Dr. F. Guitián Ojea, and many others who followed them and who unfortunately are no longer with us. Those of us who continue to work in this field, as heirs to their legacy, will try to maintain and transmit their in-depth knowledge and impression to the next generations. The first studies on the soils of Galicia date back to the 1930s, carried out by Huguet del Villar, with his publications on the types of soils in Galicia (Huguet del Villar, 1935) and the Soil Map of the Lusitano-Iberian Peninsula (Huguet del Villar, 1938). After various other studies that followed those original ones, more recently several books were also published on the types of soils in Galicia, such as the one focusing on Soils in A Coruña province (Macías and Calvo, 1992), a chapter on Galician soils (Macías and Calvo, 2001), or the review on the soils of a wider area (the temperate-humid zone of Spain) carried out by Carballas et al. (2016). Soil has played a crucial role throughout human history. Regarding Soil Science, the knowledge generated by soil scientists has contributed to alleviating hunger in many parts of the world, has favored the restoration of degraded ecosystems, and currently helps us to face new challenges, such as the fight against global warming or the eutrophication of surface waters. However, we must also bear in mind that many soil scientists have the perception that soil and Soil Science do not receive the same social recognition as other related areas. For this reason, while advancing in scientific knowledge, we should also move ahead in the dissemination of our science. In this sense, the present SI of the SJSS aims to collect the results of research lines that address relevant and/or novel aspects related to Galician soils and other environmental compartments, ranging from the incidence of antibiotics in agricultural soils to the quantification of Blue C in Zostera soils in the Ría of Ferrol, among others. In fact, we take into account that, as artistic shows do, Science must go on and must be continuously updated and fed with the latest findings. The Editors of this Special Issue hope that all the papers included in it will contribute to showing what could be seen as a kind of interesting and stimulating performance focused on hot topics in Soil and Environmental Sciences, which take place in this geographic area, but are also relevant at a global level. Edited by: Irene Ortiz-Bernad, University of Granada, Spain