Martin Wiesmeier

Martin Wiesmeier is a Researcher at the Chair of Soil Science within the TUM School of Life Sciences at the Technical University of Munich. His work focuses on land use and climate change effects on soil organic matter, storage and distribution of soil organic matter at different spatial scales, digital soil mapping, carbon sequestration in soils, soil conservation, carbon input into agricultural soils, and semi-arid grassland ecosystems.

His research interests include:

• Soil Science and Soil Organic Matter dynamics
• Effects of climate change on soil properties
• Digital soil mapping techniques
• Carbon sequestration and storage in agricultural systems
• Soil conservation practices
• Semi-arid grassland ecosystems

Dr. Wiesmeier's research has examined the relationship between agricultural practices and soil carbon content, particularly comparing croplands with pasture systems. His work has shown that carbon losses from cropped soil extend far deeper than previously believed, challenging current IPCC accounting methods which only consider topsoil (top 30 cm) carbon content. He has found that at deeper soil levels, natural and grazing soils contain very similar amounts of carbon, suggesting that pasture systems may be more beneficial for soil carbon storage than previously recognized.

His scientific contributions include:

• Research on soil carbon dynamics across different land uses
• Studies on the impact of agricultural practices on soil health
• Work on the relationship between soil organic matter and greenhouse gas emissions