Toward soil health assessment through process-based modeling of ecosystem service bundles

Globally, soil's contribution to ecosystem services is integral to achieving several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including food security (SDG 2), water quality (SDG 6), and climate action (SDG 13). At EU level, EU Mission “A Soil Deal for Europe” seeks to restore soil health by 2030. This study, in view of assessing soil health, introduces an integrated assessment of soil ecosystem services (SESs) using the ARMOSA process-based model. ARMOSA evaluates SESs, such as Food provisioning, Water regulation, Carbon Sequestration & Climate Regulation, and Nutrient cycling, through simulations that account for diverse pedoclimatic conditions and management practices. By emphasizing multiple integrated indicators over single-point measurements, this approach captures dynamic soil-plant-atmosphere interactions, offering a nuanced framework for soil health assessment. The results demonstrate the potential of comprehensive SES evaluations to support sustainable soil management and inform strategies to meet local and global soil health goals.