Impact of Pollutants on Soil Health

Dear Colleagues,

Soil health degradation has been one of the world's most pressing environmental problems over the past few decades, and it will worsen unless we take immediate action. Soil health deterioration is caused by natural and anthropogenic processes that alter the ecosystem's inherent physical, chemical, and biological properties. Drought, flooding, water pollution, extensive use of chemicals and fertilizers, disposal of non-biodegradable waste, deforestation, intensive agriculture, unsustainable land management practices, mining, industry, and urbanization are believed to be the most significant causes of soil health degradation. The purpose of this Special Issue is to examine soil degradation caused by pollutants and to present innovative methods and techniques that could either reverse the phenomenon or make it more manageable.

We are especially interested in contributions that illustrate soil health deterioration, emphasize an in-depth understanding of the mechanisms that lead to this condition, and develop innovative scientific methods and applications to limit or reverse the phenomenon. We welcome submissions concerning any type of land (cultivated or not, forest, abandoned, etc.) that has been degraded or is threatened to be degraded by organic or inorganic pollutants, referring especially to highly polluted areas (i.e., industrial zones, mining sites, plant-processing areas, waste disposal areas), and provide sustainable land management practices to meet the requirements of a growing population while attempting to minimize the risks for human health and the environment. This Special Issue also covers conventional and novel soil amendments that can be used to immobilize contaminants and improve soil functions. Acceptable types of articles include original research, opinions, and reviews.

Dr. Ioannis Zafeiriou
Dr. Dionisios Gasparatos
Dr. Nikolaos Monokrousos
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Land is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• land use/management
• soil contamination
• soil health
• soil amendments
• soil science