Articles | Volume 23, issue 17
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-6287-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-6287-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| Highlight paper
| 
11 Sep 2026
Research article | Highlight paper |
| 11 Sep 2026
| 11 Sep 2026
Imaging deep carbon stocks with complex electrical conductivity
Adrián Flores Orozco
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Geodesy and Geoinformation, TU Wien, Vienna, 1040, Austria
Jakob Gallistl
Department of Geodesy and Geoinformation, TU Wien, Vienna, 1040, Austria
Near Surface Geophysics, GeoSphere Austria, Vienna, 1190, Austria
Benjamin S. Gilfedder
Chair of Hydrology, Faculty of Regional and Environmental Sciences, University of Trier, Trier, Germany
Timea Katona
Department of Geodesy and Geoinformation, TU Wien, Vienna, 1040, Austria
Sven Frei
Department of Environmental Science, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, 9101, the Netherlands
Peter Strauss
Institute for Land and Water Management Research, Federal Agency for Water Management, Scharfling, 5310, Austria
Gunter Blöschl
Institute of Hydraulic Engineering and Water Resources Management, TU Wien, Vienna, 1040, Austria
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Wouter Dorigo, Irene Himmelbauer, Daniel Aberer, Lukas Schremmer, Ivana Petrakovic, Luca Zappa, Wolfgang Preimesberger, Angelika Xaver, Frank Annor, Jonas Ardö, Dennis Baldocchi, Marco Bitelli, Günter Blöschl, Heye Bogena, Luca Brocca, Jean-Christophe Calvet, J. Julio Camarero, Giorgio Capello, Minha Choi, Michael C. Cosh, Nick van de Giesen, Istvan Hajdu, Jaakko Ikonen, Karsten H. Jensen, Kasturi Devi Kanniah, Ileen de Kat, Gottfried Kirchengast, Pankaj Kumar Rai, Jenni Kyrouac, Kristine Larson, Suxia Liu, Alexander Loew, Mahta Moghaddam, José Martínez Fernández, Cristian Mattar Bader, Renato Morbidelli, Jan P. Musial, Elise Osenga, Michael A. Palecki, Thierry Pellarin, George P. Petropoulos, Isabella Pfeil, Jarrett Powers, Alan Robock, Christoph Rüdiger, Udo Rummel, Michael Strobel, Zhongbo Su, Ryan Sullivan, Torbern Tagesson, Andrej Varlagin, Mariette Vreugdenhil, Jeffrey Walker, Jun Wen, Fred Wenger, Jean Pierre Wigneron, Mel Woods, Kun Yang, Yijian Zeng, Xiang Zhang, Marek Zreda, Stephan Dietrich, Alexander Gruber, Peter van Oevelen, Wolfgang Wagner, Klaus Scipal, Matthias Drusch, and Roberto Sabia
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The International Soil Moisture Network (ISMN) is a community-based open-access data portal for soil water measurements taken at the ground and is accessible at https://ismn.earth. Over 1000 scientific publications and thousands of users have made use of the ISMN. The scope of this paper is to inform readers about the data and functionality of the ISMN and to provide a review of the scientific progress facilitated through the ISMN with the scope to shape future research and operations.
David Lun, Alberto Viglione, Miriam Bertola, Jürgen Komma, Juraj Parajka, Peter Valent, and Günter Blöschl
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We investigate statistical properties of observed flood series on a European scale. There are pronounced regional patterns, for instance: regions with strong Atlantic influence show less year-to-year variability in the magnitude of observed floods when compared with more arid regions of Europe. The hydrological controls on the patterns are quantified and discussed. On the European scale, climate seems to be the dominant driver for the observed patterns.
Katharina Blaurock, Burkhard Beudert, Benjamin S. Gilfedder, Jan H. Fleckenstein, Stefan Peiffer, and Luisa Hopp
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Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) is an important part of the global carbon cycle with regards to carbon storage, greenhouse gas emissions and drinking water treatment. In this study, we compared DOC export of a small, forested catchment during precipitation events after dry and wet preconditions. We found that the DOC export from areas that are usually important for DOC export was inhibited after long drought periods.
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Editorial statement
Soil organic carbon stocks at depth are poorly known despite their central importance to the global carbon cycle. Florez Orosco and others demonstrate a novel method for estimating these carbon stocks using complex electrical conductivity. Increases in low frequency polarization are linearly related to soil organic carbon, which was used to discover soil organic carbon at 4-6 m depth in a catchment dominated by silty loam soils. Their findings present a path forward for quantifying deep soil organic carbon stocks across different terrestrial ecosystems.
Soil organic carbon stocks at depth are poorly known despite their central importance to the...
Short summary
Understanding the role of soil in the storage of organic carbon is critical for a large number of environmental processes. Current practices rely on the drilling and analysis of samples, which is expensive, time consuming and destructive. Here we present a technique able to map soil organic carbon variability using measurements of the electrical properties of the subsurface without drilling. Our results advance soil management strategies to enhance carbon sequestration and storage.
Understanding the role of soil in the storage of organic carbon is critical for a large number...
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