Novel soil profile sensing to monitor organic C stocks and condition

Soil information is needed for environmental monitoring to address current concerns over food, water and energy securities, land degradation and climate change. To address that need, we developed the Soil Condition ANalyses System (SCANS). It integrates an automated rapid soil core sensing systems with statistically sound mathematics and statistics to enable the characterisation of soil organic carbon stocks and a range of other important soil properties that define soil condition across the landscape and to depth. SCANS provides quantitative soil information with a level of detail that is difficult to obtain with other approaches. Measurements are rapid, precise, inexpensive and spatially explicit, thus enabling the monitoring of soil and environmental condition, function and productivity. The SCANS provides much needed scientific and technological advance to soil analyses and characterisation. The information gained will effectively deepen our understanding of soil and call attention to the central role soil plays in our environment.