How healthy are our soils?

They are inconspicuous, barely visible to the naked eye, and yet they determine the future of our planet. Billions of microorganisms in the soil form the basis for around 95 per cent of our food, are key components of global material cycles and, at over 3,000 billion tonnes, store more than twice as much carbon as the atmosphere and plants combined. "If you want to understand climate change, you have to understand the world beneath our feet. Our soils are not a renewable resource," says Andreas Richter, Head of the Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science (CeMESS) at the University of Vienna.

For his research into hidden ecosystems, the microbiologist recently received a substantial research grant from the Danish Novo Nordisk Foundation, which will provide ten million euros in funding for Richter’s ActiveSOIL project over the next six years.

From the Arctic to the Alps

"When we talk about life in the soil, we are actually referring to many tiny microorganisms working together in perfect harmony," explains Richter. "The active part of the microbial community is key to all processes in soils." To understand how these processes work, Richter's research group is studying soils in some of the Earth's most sensitive ecosystems, such as the wetlands of the Congo Basin, the Alps and the permafrost regions of the Arctic.

The Arctic, in particular, illustrates just how closely soil processes and climate change are connected. "The Arctic is already warming about four times faster than the global average. When soils that have been frozen for thousands of years thaw, microorganisms become active and release carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide. These are greenhouse gases that further accelerate global warming," explains the expert.

Yet the effects of climate change can also be seen right on our doorstep. For 19 years now, Richter's team has been investigating drought events in grassland soils. For example, by exploring how recurring periods of drought alter microbial communities and what consequences this has for carbon storage and the availability of nutrients. In a new experiment, Richter and his team are simulating the effects of heatwaves and droughts together.

The courage to embrace new ideas

For Richter, science is like searching for clues in a tricky criminal case. "My research is a bit like detective work – we have to piece together clues and, in some cases, develop entirely new methods to find out what is happening around us." However, Richter is convinced that scientific breakthroughs require not only a detective’s intuition and excellent research but also funding structures that leave space for bold ideas.

The funding provided by the Novo Nordisk Foundation will create precisely this freedom to explore. Over the course of six years, Richter's team will be able to investigate fundamental questions regarding the biological activity of soils, thereby establishing a new scientific basis for assessing their health.

What drives Andreas Richter is a sense of responsibility. "We are not dealing with a slow-moving form of climate change. There are tipping points and once we pass them, there is no turning back. "The tiny microorganisms in the soil play a very significant role in what lies ahead for us. That is why we must learn to understand them, says Richter. "If we do not manage to do that, we will be flying blind into the future without any navigation system at all. And that will not end well."