Janzen Henry
J Environ Qual. 2019 Mar;48(2):205-206. doi: 10.2134/jeq2019.01.0001c.
For centuries, scientists have been probing the nature and dynamics of organic matter in soil and sediment. A prominent approach in this research has been to extract using a strong alkaline solution. The continuing merits of this time-honored approach, however, has prompted some recent debate. Does the study of humic substances, as defined by alkaline extraction, still promise further advances in our understanding of organic matter dynamics in terrestrial and aquatic systems? The two articles in this special section offer divergent responses to this question, providing a framework for enlightening discourse that will help direct future research. Receptive reading of these views will not only lead to clarity on a crucial issue but also offer insight into how best to learn from potentially divisive questions that will inevitably arise in the study of soil, a still mysterious medium.
几个世纪以来，科学家们一直在探究土壤和沉积物中有机物的性质和动态。这项研究中一种突出的方法是使用强碱性溶液进行提取。然而，这种历史悠久的方法的持续优势引发了近期的一些争论。按照碱性提取法所定义的腐殖质研究，对于我们理解陆地和水生系统中的有机物动态是否仍有望取得进一步进展？本专题中的两篇文章对这个问题给出了不同的回答，为富有启发性的讨论提供了一个框架，这将有助于指导未来的研究。欣然接受这些观点不仅会使一个关键问题变得清晰，还能洞察如何最好地从土壤研究中不可避免会出现的潜在分歧问题中学习，土壤仍是一种神秘的介质。
