SOIL, the newest interactive and open access journal of the EGU, is dedicated to the publication and discussion of high-quality research in the field of soil system sciences. It will open for submissions in May 2014, following the journal’s official launch at the EGU 2014 General Assembly.

SOIL is at the interface between the atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere. It publishes scientific research that contributes to understanding the soil system and its interaction with humans and the entire Earth system. The scope of the journal includes all topics that fall within the study of soil science as a discipline, with emphasis on studies that integrate soil science with other sciences (such as hydrology, agronomy, socio-economics, health sciences and atmospheric sciences).

“We’re really looking forward to launching SOIL because it will provide a unique platform for the publication of soil work within a broad and multi-disciplinary context. We are also particularly excited about EGU’s two-stage open access and discussion process, which allows for a dynamic and interactive peer-review and publication process,” says Managing Editor Johan Six. “We are grateful for the support provided by Copernicus Publications and the EGU Publications Committee.”

With SOIL, the EGU now publishes a suite of 16 peer-reviewed open access journals through Copernicus Publications. Like the majority of these journals, SOIL is an interactive two-stage journal with public peer-review and interactive public discussion. The discussion and peer-review of submitted papers are handled in an open access discussion forum (SOIL Discussions, SOILD), while final papers, upon acceptance, will appear in SOIL.

The journal will be officially launched at the EGU General Assembly, taking place in Vienna, Austria from 27 April to 2 May 2014.

• SOIL journal website