Conference Report: Soil organic matter dynamics: beyond carbon: a report of the 4th International Symposium on Soil Organic Matter Dynamics

4th International Symposium on Soil Organic Matter Dynamics6?10 May 2013, Nanjing, ChinaThis conference, attended by 220 international scientists, covered a wide range of studies from nanoparticle characterization of soil organic matter (SOM) molecules to ecosystem functions governed by the structure and activity of SOM, and from plot monitoring of soil?air fluxes to simulation and modeling of continental/global dynamics in the context of carbon stocks and emissions. New SOM dynamics studies were directed to understanding processes and mechanisms of, and developing new options and approaches for, enhancing soil carbon sequestration and the multiple co-benefits in soils under different human activities at various scales from field plots to continent. As a global trend, new tools and techniques are increasingly being employed for exploring SOM dynamics, including molecular characterizing, biomarkers and isotopic labeling, as well as in situ observation of complex interactions.