Jordkvalitet. Pedologi

This part of ISO 23611 provides guidance for the design of field studies with soil invertebrates (e.g. for the monitoring of the quality of a soil as a habitat for organisms). Detailed information on the sampling of the most important soil organisms is provided in the other parts of this International Standard (ISO 23611-1 to ISO 23611-5).

This part of ISO 23611 is used for all terrestrial biotopes in which soil invertebrates occur. Basic information on the design of field studies in general is already laid down in ISO 10381-1. This information can vary according to the national requirements or the climatic/regional conditions of the site to be sampled.

NOTE While this part of ISO 23611 aims to be applicable globally for all terrestrial sites that are inhabited by soil invertebrates, the existing information refers mostly to temperate regions. However, the (few) studies from other (tropical and boreal) regions, as well as theoretical considerations, allow the conclusion that the principles laid down in this part of ISO 23611 are generally valid, References [4], [6], [40], [21].

This part of ISO 23611 gives information on site-specific risk assessment of contaminated land, study of potential side effects of anthropogenic impacts (e.g. the application of chemicals or the building of roads), the biological classification and assessment of soils in order to determine the biological quality of soils, and longterm biogeographical monitoring in the context of nature protection or restoration, including global change (e.g. as in long-term ecological research projects).

This European Standard specifies a method to determine the macroscopic impurities > 2 mm and stones > 5 mm in compost and digestate. Macroscopic impurities are contaminants not naturally occurring in soil such as pieces of glass, metal, plastics, rubber, cigarette buds etc.) This method is not able to make a distinction between compostable and non-compostable plastics. Fragments of wood or bark are acceptable constituents of the sample and not classified as macroscopic impurities.

This document specifies the identification of radionuclides and the measurement of their activity in soil using in situ gamma spectrometry with portable systems equipped with germanium or scintillation detectors.

This document is suitable to rapidly assess the activity of artificial and natural radionuclides deposited on or present in soil layers of large areas of a site under investigation.

This document can be used in connection with radionuclide measurements of soil samples in the laboratory (see ISO 18589-3) in the following cases:

— routine surveillance of the impact of radioactivity released from nuclear installations or of the evolution of radioactivity in the region;

— investigations of accident and incident situations;

— planning and surveillance of remedial action;

— decommissioning of installations or the clearance of materials.

It can also be used for the identification of airborne artificial radionuclides, when assessing the exposure levels inside buildings or during waste disposal operations.

Following a nuclear accident, in situ gamma spectrometry is a powerful method for rapid evaluation of the gamma activity deposited onto the soil surface as well as the surficial contamination of flat objects.

NOTE The method described in this document is not suitable when the spatial distribution of the radionuclides in the environment is not precisely known (influence quantities, unknown distribution in soil) or in situations with very high photon flux. However, the use of small volume detectors with suitable electronics allows measurements to be performed under high photon flux.

This document provides standard procedures for the collection, handling and storage of soil for subsequent biological testing under aerobic conditions in the laboratory. It applies to the collection, handling and storage for assessing the effects of soil on microorganisms, invertebrates (e.g. survival, reproduction, growth, behaviour) and plants (e.g. development, growth). This document is not applicable to the handling of soil where anaerobic conditions need to be maintained throughout.

This document describes how to minimize the effects of differences in temperature, water content, and availability of oxygen on aerobic processes as well as the fractionation of soil particles to facilitate reproducible laboratory determinations[1][2].

This document is mainly applicable to temperate soils. Soils collected from extreme climates (e.g. permafrost, tropical soils) can require special handling.

NOTE This document does not provide standard procedures on the collection, handling and storage of soil organisms when assessing the structure and function of soil organism communities in the field. Such standard procedures are provided in ISO 23611‑1 to ISO 23611‑6.