Announcements

ISMC travel awards for the 5th ISMC Conference in Rio de Janeiro

We are happy to provide travel support for the 5^th International Soil Modelling Conference held from 15 to 19 of September in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to Dominik Bittner PhD student at University of Aberdeen, UK and Mojtaba Zeraatpisheh Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Vermont (UVM). 

Submission deadline for the Vadose Zone Journal special issue “Honoring the Scientific Legacy of Yakov A. Pachepsky” has been extended to January 31, 2027

This extension will provide additional time for colleagues who may be interested in contributing to this special issue celebrating Dr. Pachepsky’s remarkable contributions to vadose zone science, soil physics, hydrology, and environmental quality.

We welcome original research articles, review and mini-review papers, and perspective contributions addressing topics inspired by his work, including:

• Fractals and multiscale processes
• Pedotransfer functions
• Transport in unsaturated media
• Water quality and environmental fate
• Spatiotemporal variability, scaling, and uncertainty

Please see the updated flyer attached for additional information. Full details on the scope and submission process are available here:

When submitting, please indicate that your manuscript is intended for the special issue “Honoring the Scientific Legacy of Yakov A. Pachepsky.”

We would be delighted to receive your contribution, and we would greatly appreciate it if you could also share this announcement with colleagues and students who may be interested.

New submission deadline: January 31, 2027

With warmest regards, Behzad Ghanbarian, Andrey Guber, Timothy Green, and Attila Nemes

Featured Paper

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Advancing the EPIC model for glyphosate and AMPA fate prediction across different agroecosystems

Biogeochemical models are valuable tools for simulating agroecosystems, yet reproducing the dynamics of plant protection products (PPPs) under varying environmental conditions remains challenging. This study sought to improve predictions of the environmental fate of glyphosate (GLY) and its metabolite aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) with a newly implemented version of the EPIC model, compared with the original, using data from lysimeter and field-scale experiments conducted at three sites in the Veneto region, northeastern Italy. Key model modifications incorporated degradation and wash-off rates based on weather conditions, a simplified preferential flow representation, the Freundlich coefficient, and AMPA-derived fate from GLY dynamics. Experimental observations were reproduced in terms of magnitude of pore-water concentrations and their temporal dynamics in soil profile. Results indicated that the implementation enhanced the prediction potential of the fate of GLY and AMPA, with dissipation dynamics that were well aligned with experimental data across sites (RMSE = 0.12–0.98 mg kg^-1 for GLY and 0.11–1.23 mg kg^-1 for AMPA) despite the model calibration being minimal. The new preferential flow component provided reliable prediction of the rapid GLY movement to deep layers, overcoming the limitation of traditional biogeochemical models in describing the vertical movement of highly adsorptive compounds. Notably, GLY levels in groundwater remained below 1% of applied mass, consistent with observed data. Despite the simplified representation of PPP fate, results support model transferability across agroecosystems with minimal parameter requirements and provide a valuable tool for farmers and decision makers to apply targeted and evidence-based mitigation strategies. More information can be found here.