Soil science research in Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences: Review and outlook

Soil science research involves the composition, properties, processes, and functions of soil under natural conditions and anthropogenic utilization, and provides scientific basis for the utilization, protection, and sustainable management of soil resources. This review summarizes the significant contributions of Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences (RCEES), Chinese Academy of Sciences, to the advances of soil science. Over past decades, RCEES has conducted innovative research in areas such as soil pollution and remediation, biogeochemical cycling of macro and trace elements and soil microbial ecology. Groundbreaking discoveries have been achieved in research directions such as metal transformation and translocation in the soil-plant continuum, soil microbial diversity and biogeography, and the environmental and health risk of soil contamination. In recent years, on-going projects also involves cutting-edge hotspots, including the environmental behavior of emerging pollutants, and soil organic matter dynamics. The soil lab in RCEES has undertaken important research projects and trained a group of dynamic young scientists, and has also been instrumental in establishing international collaborations, enhancing its global impact through participation in global soil research initiatives and conferences. Concurrently, soil science at RCEES is moving forward to the resilience of soil ecosystems to global changes, integrating soil health into the One Health framework, and sustainable soil management practices. RCEES remains a key player in shaping the future of soil science, contributing to both scientific advances and the sustainable management of soil resources in China.