Detecting soil degradation and restoration through a novel coupled sensor and machine learning framework
Lead Research Organisation:
Lancaster University
Department Name: Lancaster Environment Centre
Abstract
Overview
In this proposal we outline an ambitious cross-disciplinary project focused on detecting soil degradation and restoration through a novel multi-functional soil sensing platform that combines conventional and newly created sensors and a machine learning framework. Our proposed work directly addresses the Signals in the Soil call to 'advance our understanding of dynamic soil processes that operate at different temporal/spatial scales.' Through the creation of an innovative new approach to capturing and analysing high frequency data from in-situ sensors, this project will predict the rate and direction of soil system functions for sites undergoing degradation or restoration. To do this, we will build and train a new mechanistically-informed machine learning system to turn high frequency data on multiple soil functions, such as water infiltration, CO2 production, and surface soil movement, into predictions of longer term changes in soil health including the status of microbial processes, soil organic matter (SOM) content, and other properties and processes. Such an approach could be transformative: a system that will allow short-term sensor data to be used to evaluate longer term soil transformations in key ecosystem functions. We will start our work with a suite of off-the-shelf sensors observing multiple soil functions that can be installed quickly. These data will allow us to rapidly initiate development and training of a novel mechanistically informed machine learning framework. In parallel we will develop two new soil health sensors focused on in-situ real time measurement of decomposition rates and transformation of soil colour that reflects the accumulation or loss of SOM. We will then link these new sensors with a suite of conventional sensors in a novel data collection and networking system coupled to the Swarm satellite network to create a low cost sensor array that can be deployed in remote areas and used to support studies of soil degradation or progress toward restoration worldwide.
In this proposal we outline an ambitious cross-disciplinary project focused on detecting soil degradation and restoration through a novel multi-functional soil sensing platform that combines conventional and newly created sensors and a machine learning framework. Our proposed work directly addresses the Signals in the Soil call to 'advance our understanding of dynamic soil processes that operate at different temporal/spatial scales.' Through the creation of an innovative new approach to capturing and analysing high frequency data from in-situ sensors, this project will predict the rate and direction of soil system functions for sites undergoing degradation or restoration. To do this, we will build and train a new mechanistically-informed machine learning system to turn high frequency data on multiple soil functions, such as water infiltration, CO2 production, and surface soil movement, into predictions of longer term changes in soil health including the status of microbial processes, soil organic matter (SOM) content, and other properties and processes. Such an approach could be transformative: a system that will allow short-term sensor data to be used to evaluate longer term soil transformations in key ecosystem functions. We will start our work with a suite of off-the-shelf sensors observing multiple soil functions that can be installed quickly. These data will allow us to rapidly initiate development and training of a novel mechanistically informed machine learning framework. In parallel we will develop two new soil health sensors focused on in-situ real time measurement of decomposition rates and transformation of soil colour that reflects the accumulation or loss of SOM. We will then link these new sensors with a suite of conventional sensors in a novel data collection and networking system coupled to the Swarm satellite network to create a low cost sensor array that can be deployed in remote areas and used to support studies of soil degradation or progress toward restoration worldwide.
Planned Impact
The work proposed here focuses on an issue of critical global need. The global decline in soil health and the extensive degradation of soils in managed ecosystems has been identified as a major issue by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, the UN Global Resource Panel and others. The work described here explores fundamental research and engineering challenges but does so with an eye toward the eventual use of our approach in early detection of both degradation and recovery of both managed and natural ecosystems around the world. Our proposed research, and sensor development, are designed with this long-term goal in mind, including our focus on transitioning from high cost, high power conventional sensors to low power (or passive) sensors linked to inexpensive networked field stations that have been used by PI Thomas (U of Colorado) to monitor groundwater pumps serving over 1.5 million people in East Africa. Our proposed use of the Swarm Satellite network for data exchange is also developed to support low cost, remote deployment of the sensor packages developed in this project. As our work progresses, we will explore different avenues to scale our technology through market or non-market mechanisms and our team overall has extensive experience in the transfer of technologies into private or non-profit sector application. In the UK, The Government has, through its 25 Year Environment plan, committed itself to improving soil health, and in particular addressing the need to ensure healthier soils by addressing soil degradation and the factors responsible for it. These factors include soil erosion, soil compaction and the decline in accelerated loss of organic matter, all of which are central to this proposal. A key pillar of the UK government's approach is to develop better information on soil health and the work proposed here plays strongly to the UK government's stated desire for research that provides a clearer picture of soil health. In addition, the plan sets out a desire to develop 'cost-effective and innovative ways to monitor soil at farm level' and to utilise technological developments that have the potential to 'revolutionise how we monitor the environment', both areas are clearly aligned to the sensing developments we propose here. Developing new approaches to machine learning that can be applied in multiple sectors has clear links to the UK's Industrial Strategy and particularly the desire to putting the UK at the forefront of the artificial intelligence and data revolution. The US research site is located on lands managed by the City of Boulder Open Space Department to restore the landscape to one that can support agricultural production. The City of Boulder is strongly supportive of this work and would like to use the data generated in this study to communicate the nature and results of the site restoration efforts to the public. To this end, we will develop a public-facing website (including a UK section, see below) that shows the live data flow from the site along with an explanation of what the data illustrates about changing soil function at the site. This site will be developed with the input of city staff and will include broader information on the causes and consequences of soil degradation at the site and the remediation work underway to address those issues. We will build on this experience and our networks to facilitate knowledge exchange between the project team, end users and policy makers. The project website will provide a valuable tool to both demonstrate the advances in soil health monitoring developed in this project and as a platform for communicating issues pertaining to the sustainable soil management, with a focus on grasslands in the UK context and degraded agricultural lands in the US.
Publications
Atreya M
(2022)
Wax Blends as Tunable Encapsulants for Soil-Degradable Electronics
in ACS Applied Electronic Materials
Atreya M
(2023)
A Transient Printed Soil Decomposition Sensor Based on a Biopolymer Composite Conductor.
in Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany)
Shu Q
(2023)
Characterising the ice sheet surface in Northeast Greenland using Sentinel-1 SAR data
in Journal of Glaciology
Description | We have developed a new way of analysing time series soil data to identify the point at which soil begins to dry following a rainfall event. We can then characterise the response of the soil following the cessation of rainfall. This allows us to say something about the physical health of the soil. We have developed new integrated sensors for soil moisture, electrical conductivity and CO2 evolution which we are currently testing. Our experimental work has shed new light on the resistance and resiliance of soil functioning to change |
Exploitation Route | The sensor d development is being looked at as a candidate for a spin out company by our US colleagues |
Sectors | Agriculture Food and Drink Environment |
URL | https://wp.lancs.ac.uk/sustainable-soils/signals-in-the-soil/ |
Title | Development of soil sensors |
Description | Work led by University Colorado Boulder on the development of soil biological sensors |
Type Of Material | Technology assay or reagent |
Year Produced | 2020 |
Provided To Others? | No |
Impact | None yet |
Description | Working together on NERC NSF grant - Manchester |
Organisation | Manchester University |
Country | United States |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We are working together on a joint field site and on join laboratory experiments. Manchester contributes significant soil ecology expertise |
Collaborator Contribution | See above |
Impact | Grant proposal to NERC |
Start Year | 2020 |
Description | Working together on Soil security grant |
Organisation | University of Colorado Boulder |
Country | United States |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We are working together on an NSF/NERC grant. Boulder brings expertise in sensor development and networking |
Collaborator Contribution | see above |
Impact | Instrumented field sites |
Start Year | 2019 |
Description | A Transient Printed Soil Decomposition Sensor based on a Biopolymer Composite Conductor |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | Whiting, G. A Transient Printed Soil Decomposition Sensor based on a Biopolymer Composite Conductor. Spring Materials Research Society Meeting (2023). San Francisco, CA |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
Description | Aboveground-belowground linkages, ecosystem processes, and global change |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | R. Bardgett talked to Distinguished Scientists Seminar, International Forum for Advanced Environmental Sciences and Technology (iFAST), Sept 2023. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
Description | Aboveground-belowground linkages, ecosystem processes, and global change |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Talk toPlenary, Biodiversity Exploratories Assembly, Germany, Feb 2024. (~300) |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
Description | Detecting soil degradation and restoration |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Talk at Sustainable oil Managment workshop organised by the SHui project |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Distributed Printed Electronics for Sustainable Environmental Practices |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | Whiting, G. Distributed Printed Electronics for Sustainable Environmental Practices. IEEE International Flexible Electronics Technology Conference (2023). San Jose, CA |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
Description | Distributed and Degradable Printed Electronics for Sustainable Environmental Practices |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | Whiting, G. Distributed and Degradable Printed Electronics for Sustainable Environmental Practices. Canadian Chemistry Conference and Exhibition (2023). Vancouver, BC |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
Description | Farmer workshop |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | This was a farmer meeting to discuss soil research and how it might be used in a farming context. Broad discussion about soil monitoring |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Harnessing biodiversity for soil health. |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | R. Bardgett talk to XXV International Grassland Congress May 14-19, 2023, Kentucky, USA |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
Description | Identifying soil signatures from soil moisture time series via a changepoint-based approach |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | Tlak to EGU General assembly Gong, M., Killick, R., Nemeth, C., Quinton, J., and Davis, J.: Identifying soil signatures from soil moisture time series via a changepoint-based approach, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23-28 Apr 2023, EGU23-2400, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-2400, 2023. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
Description | Invited lecture University Bern, Ecology Lecture Series, Oct 2022 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Invited talk at the University of Bern, Switzerland, as part of their Ecology Lecture Series, October 2022. The presentation was mainly to undergraduate and postgraduate students, but also to research and academic staff at the University. The talk generated discussions and potential future collaborations. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | Invited talk, University of Estonia, January 2023 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Invited talk at the University of Estonia on below ground responses to climate extremes, which generated discussions and potential future collaborations. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
Description | Keynote talk on soil microbial community responses to climate extremes: resistance, resilience and transitions to alternative states, Soil Ecology Lecture Series, China, 2022 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Presentation on soil microbial community responses to climate extremes: resistance, resilience and transitions to alternative states to the Chinese Soil Ecology Lecture Series, which provoked a series of questions and some future collaborations. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | Keynote to SARIC Annual dissemination event 'Towards an integrated soil sensing system for soil health' |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | A keynote talk to an online conference hosted by RCUK BBSRC organised as part of the SARIC programme 22nd November 2021 |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Linkages between above- and below-ground communities and global change. |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Plenary talk 3rdGlobal Soil Biodiversity Conference, Dublin, 2023 |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
Description | M. Atreya, G. Marinick, K. Dikshit, C. Bellerjeau, Y. Sui, C. Bruns, G.L. Whiting. Blends of Beeswax and Soy Wax as Encapsulating Materials for Soil-Biodegradable Electronics. |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Talk to the 2021 MRS Spring Meeting |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Novel Printed Soil Decomposition Sensors Based on Biodegradation. |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Paper given at the European Geosciences Union, Vienna. April 2023. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
Description | Online invited talk on "The Science behind Soil Health", Flowers From the Farm, Feb 2022 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Invited talk and video on soil biodiversity at the "Flowers on the Farm" online annual conference, from soils to sales, Feb 2022. Sparked much discussion and contacts with attendees afterwards for more information, and some media interest. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
URL | https://www.floraldaily.com/article/9400141/flowers-from-the-farm-launches-growing-season-with-roman... |
Description | Online presentation on Zoom into Soil: Regenerative Agriculture, BSSS/BES Webinar, Jan 2022 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Online presentation at British Soil Science Society/British Ecological Society workshop "Zoom into Soil: Regenerative Agriculture", Webinar, Jan 2022. Audience mainly practitioners and scientists, and online YouTube video produced from the workshop has been watched by >1300 viewers. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RggdJPe6nio |
Description | Plenary Lecture British Ecological Society Annual Meeting, Belfast, 2019. |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Plenary Lecture, The hidden majority: soil biodiversity, ecosystem processes, and global change. Celebrating Global Ecology, British Ecological Society Annual Meeting, Belfast, Dec 2019. The talk generated discussions and debate, and helped to raise awareness of the importance of soil biodiversity for ecological processes. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | Presentation in COMPSTAT 2022: A changepoint approach to modelling soil moisture dynamics |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | A presentation (online) about a changepoint detection approach to analysing soil moisture time series data was given in a hybrid session during the COMPSTAT conference 2022. The audience asked some interesting questions. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
URL | http://www.compstat2022.org/ |
Description | Printed Electronic Cryogels for in-vivo Plant Monitoring |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | Whiting, G. Printed Electronic Cryogels for in-vivo Plant Monitoring. IEEE Electron Devices Technology and Manufacturing Conference (2024). Bangalore, India |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
Description | Printed Electronic Devices for Environmental Monitoring |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | Whiting, G. Printed Electronic Devices for Environmental Monitoring. ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition (2023). New Orleans, |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
Description | Quinton, J., James, M., Davies, J., Whiting, G., Nemeth, C., Killick, R., Thomas, E., Bardgett, R., and Neff, J.: Detecting soil degradation and restoration through a novel coupled sensor and machine learning framework, EGU General Assembly 2020, Online, 4-8 May 2020, EGU2020-22591, |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Conference presentation |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
Description | Talk on biodiversity for sustainable soils, BASE Annual Conference, Nottingham, Feb 2022 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Invited talk at the BASE (biodiversity, agriculture, soils, environment) AGM and conference on Biodiversity for Sustainable Soils, Nottingham, Feb 2022. The talk considered to contribution of biodiversity to soil health and was delivered to an audience of farmers, land managers, and policymakers. The talk generated discussion and debate, and served to raise awareness of the science base behind soil biodiversity and its contribution to soil health. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
URL | https://base-uk.co.uk/news-article.asp?id=107 |
Description | Talk on soil sensing at SitS Annual Workshop: 17 -19 May 2022, Rothamsted |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Meeting of Sits research programme |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |