Soil science and Soil Ressources

Institute of Geography » Soil science

Welcome to Soil Science at RUB!

AG Soil Science and Soil Resources

Examine soil in the nature

To find out what lies beneath, one must dig, like our soil enthusiast Stefanie Heinze. With a folding spade, they searched for coal in the field. (Chris Kaiser)

Examine soil in the nature

To find out what lies beneath, one must dig, like our soil enthusiast Stefanie Heinze. With a folding spade, they searched for coal in the field. (Chris Kaiser)

Examine soil in the nature .
To find out what lies beneath, one must dig, like our soil enthusiast Stefanie Heinze. With a folding spade, they searched for coal in the field. (Chris Kaiser)

Field Work with Brilliant Blue

With the help of irrigation and the Tracer Brilliant Blue, you can see prefered pathflows in the soil. (Theresa Reinersmann)

Field Work with Brilliant Blue

With the help of irrigation and the Tracer Brilliant Blue, you can see prefered pathflows in the soil. (Theresa Reinersmann)

Field Work with Brilliant Blue.
With the help of irrigation and the Tracer Brilliant Blue, you can see prefered pathflows in the soil. (Theresa Reinersmann)

Field work using HCl

To determine whether a soil or rock is calcareous, the HCl test can be applied in the field. A few drops of the solution are placed on the sample, and if foaming occurs, it indicates the presence of calcium carbonate. (Laura Wallböhmer )

Field work using HCl

Field work using HCl .
To determine whether a soil or rock is calcareous, the HCl test can be applied in the field. A few drops of the solution are placed on the sample, and if foaming occurs, it indicates the presence of calcium carbonate. (Laura Wallböhmer )

Masters students while laboratory work

During the masters course "Measure and Moddeling I" the students work with soils they took from the RUB (Ines Mulder)

Masters students while laboratory work

During the masters course "Measure and Moddeling I" the students work with soils they took from the RUB (Ines Mulder)

Masters students while laboratory work .
During the masters course "Measure and Moddeling I" the students work with soils they took from the RUB (Ines Mulder)

Tongariri National Park

This image shows how colorful soils can be. (Dr. Birgit Elvers)

Tongariri National Park

This image shows how colorful soils can be. (Dr. Birgit Elvers)

Tongariri National Park.
This image shows how colorful soils can be. (Dr. Birgit Elvers)

Guest scientist from Marocco

Laboratory worker Tobias Quaas helps guest scientist Tarik Sahlaoui testing his self-brought soil samples from Marocco (Ines Mulder)

Guest scientist from Marocco

Laboratory worker Tobias Quaas helps guest scientist Tarik Sahlaoui testing his self-brought soil samples from Marocco (Ines Mulder)

Guest scientist from Marocco.
Laboratory worker Tobias Quaas helps guest scientist Tarik Sahlaoui testing his self-brought soil samples from Marocco (Ines Mulder)

Profile pit Grinderwald

In a soil pit, the soil profile in the field can be precisely examined and described. (Theresa Reinersmann)

Profile pit Grinderwald

In a soil pit, the soil profile in the field can be precisely examined and described. (Theresa Reinersmann)

Profile pit Grinderwald.
In a soil pit, the soil profile in the field can be precisely examined and described. (Theresa Reinersmann)

Laboratory Work in master courses

In this master course, students not only learn advanced laboratory techniques but also have the opportunity to get hands-on experience themselves. (Prof. Dr. Ines Mulder)

Laboratory Work in master courses

In this master course, students not only learn advanced laboratory techniques but also have the opportunity to get hands-on experience themselves. (Prof. Dr. Ines Mulder)

Laboratory Work in master courses.
In this master course, students not only learn advanced laboratory techniques but also have the opportunity to get hands-on experience themselves. (Prof. Dr. Ines Mulder)

Mining region in transition

Two M.Sc. students are dedicated to studying the soil development on former sedimentation ponds of the Hessian ore mining in the Front Vogelsberg, supported by soil scientists from the soil survey departments in Gießen and Frankfurt. (Prof. Dr. Ines Mulder)

Mining region in transition

Mining region in transition.
Two M.Sc. students are dedicated to studying the soil development on former sedimentation ponds of the Hessian ore mining in the Front Vogelsberg, supported by soil scientists from the soil survey departments in Gießen and Frankfurt. (Prof. Dr. Ines Mulder)

Our Mission

In the Soil Science and Soil Resources Group, we dedicate ourselves to understanding soils as an important natural resource. We study soils in their role as regulators of carbon and nutrient cycles, as well as filters and buffering agents for pollutants.

Soils are natural bodies at the interface between the lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere, and they hold a key position in ecosystems through their functions. Important functions and processes in and with soils include biomass production, nutrient and carbon circulation and storage, water storage and regulation, and pollutant filtration. Additionally, more organisms live in the soil than on it, making soils a cornerstone for biodiversity. Soils also have significant impacts on human health and well-being (food, recreation, location), which can be both positive and negative (pathogens, toxic substances) depending on the condition of the soils.

On a global scale, the growing population and the expansion of urban, industrial, and infrastructure-related land use are steadily reducing the amount of agricultural land available per capita. This trend is further exacerbated by ongoing degradation, such as soil erosion, salinization, and acidification.

Given the increasing expansion of urban areas, it will be crucial for sustainable development to preserve agricultural soils in peri-urban regions.

In this context, soils are closely linked to the demand for "Food, Fiber, and Fuel" through urban consumption and resulting (waste) material flows, which also affect peri-urban and rural areas, thereby becoming anthropogenically shaped.

The team of the Soil Science and Soil Resources Group aims to contribute to knowledge-driven fundamental scientific research while also facilitating the transfer of knowledge into practical applications. We work with process-oriented soil scientific analyses, primarily in the Physical Geography Laboratory, which closely integrates research and teaching with current issues in soil science. We consider soils, along with water and air, as vital, protectable resources.

AG Soil Science and Soil Resources

Our Mission

More from the wonderful world of the soils

A movie decicated to the importance of soils

Soil Description using WRB-Klassifikation