Soil-permanent observation areas on agricultural sites

It has long been known that soils change more or less quickly. Some of these changes have natural causes. Others, on the other hand, are due to soil pollution caused by humans directly or indirectly. These include, for example, the substance entries about precipitation and dust (acids, nutrients, heavy metals, radionuclides, organic pollutants, etc.). But also the farmer or forestry farmer has changed the soil ever since through cultivation and use. The vast majority of these processes are very slow and difficult to perceive by the human senses. In order to document possible changes, the LBEG implements the Lower Saxony soil-permanent observation program. For this purpose, a network of 90 so-called Soil Permanent Observation Areas (BDF) has been established in cooperation with other landing services. Seventy are used for local farming (BDF-L) and twenty in forest-used (BDF-F) sites. The selection of representative BDF was based on geoscientific criteria such as soil and rock conditions, climate and morphology. In addition, the LBEG took into account typical land uses such as agriculture and forestry or nature conservation areas as well as stress factors (immissions, usage-related loads, etc.). Almost half of the BDF (43) were selected as representative for certain soil pollution situations, such as settlement areas, immission areas, floodplain areas with polluted river sediments and areas at risk of erosion. The remaining 47 BDFs reflect the diversity of Lower Saxony’s soils under local farming. They also serve as a reference for areas with specific loads. In order to obtain information about the causes and effects of possible soil changes, the LBEG also determines on all 70 agriculturally used BDF the substance input via fertilisers and plant treatment agents as well as the material discharge with the discontinued crop. The farmer logs all his processing measures. The aim is to detect possible soil changes based on these representatively selected measuring surfaces, to evaluate and predict the cause and effects. If this succeeds, the actors in politics, administration and land use are provided with a secure data base for their decision-making processes in good time. In other federal states there are similar programmes, the content of which is coordinated among the implementing institutions. A framework directive is under preparation within Europe.