This special section of Geophysical Research Letters presents the results of interdisciplinary research related to two emerging and related disciplines that are focused on better understanding the interactions of soil, water and biological systems at the near-surface: hydropedology and ecohydrology.  The results highlight the important linkages and feedback mechanisms between soil development, water movement, and the response of ecosystems at different spatio-temporal scales, through the use of field investigations and innovative methods of analyses.  A deeper understanding of these linkages will inevitably improve our ability to address the complex environmental challenges of the 21st century.

A Catena special issue on Hydropedology is being published based on selected papers from the Hydropedology Symposium held at the 18th World Congress of Soil Science in July 9-15, 2006 in Philadelphia, PA, USA. This symposium, entitled “Hydropedology: Fundamental Issues and Practical Applications,” recognized growing professional interests and publication activities related to hydropedology.

This special issue of Geoderma on hydropedology contains 10 papers selected from the 2003 SSSA symposium on “Hydropedology: Bridging Disciplines, Scales, and Data” held in Denver, Colorado. 

A special session of Vadose Zone Journal on From Field to Landscape Vadose Zone Processes was published in 2006 based on selected papers from a Landscape Processes Symposium organized at the 2004 ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting (31 Oct.– 4 Nov. 2004, Seattle, WA) and the 2003 EGS-AGU-EUG Joint Assembly session  (Nice, France, April 2003), plus other invited papers specifically solicited.