Impact of ENSO events and climate change on soil drying

Abstract

Soil drying can result from both anthropogenic activities and natural phenomena, leading to significant environmental and socio-economic impacts. This editorial highlights how agricultural practices, deforestation, and overgrazing contribute to soil moisture reduction and increased susceptibility to erosion. ENSO (El Niño-Southern Oscillation), characterized by periodic fluctuations in ocean temperatures and atmospheric circulation in the equatorial Pacific, plays a crucial role in altering global weather patterns, thereby influencing soil moisture levels. Furthermore, the study explains how climate change exacerbates soil drying by altering soil mineralogical and geotechnical properties, and through feedback mechanisms involving soil moisture and atmospheric aerosols. The increased atmospheric loading of dust aerosols from disturbed soils can affect radiative forcing and climate dynamics, accelerating global warming. The work emphasizes the need for global mitigation efforts to address the complex interactions between soil drying, climate variability, and anthropogenic influences to ensure food security, structural stability, and air quality.