Authors: Ali Sakhaee, Laura Sofie Harbo, Florian Schneider

High-resolution spatio-temporal predictions of various soil health indices, such as soil organic carbon density (SOCD), for the period 2000 to 2023 have recently been published at a pan-European scale by the AI4SoilHealth project. These data offer new opportunities to deepen our understanding of changes in soil health indices and address challenges in sustainable land management by identifying areas at risk of degradation as well as those areas with potential for improvement of soil health, for example by increasing SOCD. Such insights are essential for both policymakers and farmers to make informed, data-driven decisions to protect and improve soil health in Europe.
In this study, we applied linear regression models to assess spatial predictions of soil health indices at 30-meter resolution and to analyze trends over time. Our findings reveal patterns of both increase and decrease of soil health indices across European regions. The largest decrease in SOCD of the top 10 cm of the soil is observed in the eastern and southern parts of Europe, while the largest increase in SOCD for the same layer is found in northern and central regions of Europe. These insights provide a clearer picture of soil health dynamics in Europe and highlight areas where targeted interventions are crucial for effective soil management for improved soil health.