Soil salinization in drylands: Measure, monitor, and manage
Soil salinization poses a critical threat to global agricultural productivity, ecosystem resilience, and regional resource sustainability. Primary and secondary salinization processes—driven by natural and anthropogenic factors—are intensifying under climate change and unsustainable land-use practic...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Ecological Indicators |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X25005382 |
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| author | Jingzhe Wang Jianli Ding Yankun Wang Xiangyu Ge Ivan Lizaga Xiangyue Chen |
| author_facet | Jingzhe Wang Jianli Ding Yankun Wang Xiangyu Ge Ivan Lizaga Xiangyue Chen |
| author_sort | Jingzhe Wang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Soil salinization poses a critical threat to global agricultural productivity, ecosystem resilience, and regional resource sustainability. Primary and secondary salinization processes—driven by natural and anthropogenic factors—are intensifying under climate change and unsustainable land-use practices, jeopardizing food security and soil health in drylands. This viewpoint article synthesizes global research on the mechanisms governing soil salinization in drylands, evaluates spatial–temporal drivers of salt accumulation, and critically assesses advances in measuring, monitoring, and managing strategies. Emerging technologies are highlighted, including accurate monitoring using multi-source data fusion, advanced modeling techniques and multiscale full-cycle soil salinity simulation through digital twin technology, and integrated approaches combining hydraulic engineering, chemistry, biology, ecology, and nature-based solutions (NBS) to address soil salinization. Salinization management is a global priority for achieving SDG2. Integrating Earth’s Critical Zone framework reveals salinization’s cascading impacts on agroecosystems, urging synergistic adoption of nature-based solutions and precision agriculture. We emphasize sensor-driven soil health monitoring, salt-tolerant crop breeding, and policy frameworks that incentivize circular resource systems. Shifting from soil amelioration to salt-tolerant germplasm innovation, supported by multidisciplinary synergies, represents a strategically crucial pathway for transforming saline-alkali soils into climate-resilient agricultural assets, thereby securing national food security. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-abd9b8e6e60b445c8d4a876d07de53a8 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1470-160X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecological Indicators |
| spelling | doaj-art-abd9b8e6e60b445c8d4a876d07de53a82025-08-20T03:48:19ZengElsevierEcological Indicators1470-160X2025-06-0117511360810.1016/j.ecolind.2025.113608Soil salinization in drylands: Measure, monitor, and manageJingzhe Wang0Jianli Ding1Yankun Wang2Xiangyu Ge3Ivan Lizaga4Xiangyue Chen5School of Artificial Intelligence, Shenzhen Polytechnic University, Shenzhen 518055, China; Corresponding authors.Xinjiang Institute of Technology, Aksu 843100, ChinaInternet of Things Research Institute, Shenzhen Polytechnic University, Shenzhen 518055, China; Corresponding authors.College of Geography and Remote Sensing Sciences, Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830017, ChinaInstituto Pirenaico de Ecología (IPE-CSIC), Spanish National Research Council, Avenida Montañana 1005, 50059 Zaragoza, SpainSchool of Earth Sciences and Spatial Information Engineering, Hunan University of Science and Technology, Xiangtan 411201, ChinaSoil salinization poses a critical threat to global agricultural productivity, ecosystem resilience, and regional resource sustainability. Primary and secondary salinization processes—driven by natural and anthropogenic factors—are intensifying under climate change and unsustainable land-use practices, jeopardizing food security and soil health in drylands. This viewpoint article synthesizes global research on the mechanisms governing soil salinization in drylands, evaluates spatial–temporal drivers of salt accumulation, and critically assesses advances in measuring, monitoring, and managing strategies. Emerging technologies are highlighted, including accurate monitoring using multi-source data fusion, advanced modeling techniques and multiscale full-cycle soil salinity simulation through digital twin technology, and integrated approaches combining hydraulic engineering, chemistry, biology, ecology, and nature-based solutions (NBS) to address soil salinization. Salinization management is a global priority for achieving SDG2. Integrating Earth’s Critical Zone framework reveals salinization’s cascading impacts on agroecosystems, urging synergistic adoption of nature-based solutions and precision agriculture. We emphasize sensor-driven soil health monitoring, salt-tolerant crop breeding, and policy frameworks that incentivize circular resource systems. Shifting from soil amelioration to salt-tolerant germplasm innovation, supported by multidisciplinary synergies, represents a strategically crucial pathway for transforming saline-alkali soils into climate-resilient agricultural assets, thereby securing national food security.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X25005382Soil salinizationRemote sensingSoil water-salt dynamicsEarth’s critical zoneDrylands |
| spellingShingle | Jingzhe Wang Jianli Ding Yankun Wang Xiangyu Ge Ivan Lizaga Xiangyue Chen Soil salinization in drylands: Measure, monitor, and manage Ecological Indicators Soil salinization Remote sensing Soil water-salt dynamics Earth’s critical zone Drylands |
| title | Soil salinization in drylands: Measure, monitor, and manage |
| title_full | Soil salinization in drylands: Measure, monitor, and manage |
| title_fullStr | Soil salinization in drylands: Measure, monitor, and manage |
| title_full_unstemmed | Soil salinization in drylands: Measure, monitor, and manage |
| title_short | Soil salinization in drylands: Measure, monitor, and manage |
| title_sort | soil salinization in drylands measure monitor and manage |
| topic | Soil salinization Remote sensing Soil water-salt dynamics Earth’s critical zone Drylands |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X25005382 |
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