In this work, we modelled the response of soil water repellency (SWR) persistence to the decrease in moisture in drying soils, and we explored the implication of soil particle size distribution and specific surface area on the SWR severity and persistence. A new equation for the relationship between SWR persistence and soil moisture $(\mathsf{\theta })$ is described in this paper. The persistence of SWR was measured on ten different hydrophobic soils using water drop penetration time (WDPT) at decreasing levels of gravimetric water content. The actual repellency persistence showed a sigmoidal response to soil moisture decrease, where ${\mathrm{R}}_{\mathrm{a}}(\mathsf{\theta })={\mathrm{R}}_{\mathrm{p}}/1+{\mathrm{e}}^{\mathsf{\delta }(\mathsf{\theta }-{\mathsf{\theta }}_{\mathrm{c}})}$. The suggested equation enables one to model the actual SWR persistence $({\mathrm{R}}_{\mathrm{a}})$ using $\mathsf{\theta }$, the potential repellency $({\mathrm{R}}_{\mathrm{p}})$ and two characteristic parameters related to the shape of the response curve. The two parameters are the critical soil moisture ${\mathsf{\theta }}_{\mathrm{c}}$, where the ${\mathrm{R}}_{\mathrm{a}}$ increase rate reaches its maximum, and the parameter $\mathsf{\delta }$ affecting the steepness of the curve at the inflexion point of the sigmoidal curve. Data shows that both soil carbon and texture are controlling the potential SWR in New Zealand pastures.

In this commentary, we argue that the soil profile represents an indispensable window into the soil system. The soil profile is a vertical section of the soil body that represents a pattern in the landscape. The description and interpretation of the layers and horizons from the surface to the parent material or bedrock is the language of soil scientists to record and communicate the story of the soil. The story tells the evolution (genesis) of the soil and explains the resulting physical, chemical, and biological properties. The exposed profile can therefore help in determining the soil's potential to provide ecosystem services as well as its suitability for different land‐use applications. Efforts to classify soils globally across different climates and land management by soil profiling have contributed extensively to soil mapping and have enabled stakeholders to make informed decisions for sustainable land management. Despite its utility and significance, the soil profile has almost become a “lost language” within soil science. Pedology, as a subject within which soil profiling was once vehemently instructed and practiced, has notably declined in the past decade. The number of fully trained pedologists has dwindled, and investment in training the next generation in the art of profiling has declined. The trained pedologist may represent something of an endangered profession, yet soil profiling has allowed and continues to allow vital discoveries to be made about the soil system. This commentary traces the progress and trends on the study of soils over the century, considering their genesis, functions, and degradation captured by a profile. We chart the transformative contributions of remote and proximal sensing to advance soil science in the past decades, and how these findings have been used to ensure more sustainable and resilient land management practices. Furthermore, in chronicling the evolution of soil profiling, we aim to set out an inspiring roadmap for the next generation of pedologists to motivate them to “pick up the shovel” and engage with profiling without fear. Profile characterization is not only science but also literacy. Now that soil degradation has become a priority concern, careful observation and description of the profile are more important than ever, not only for diagnostic purposes but also as a historical record of the current, unique state of the soil.

Soil profiles are the primary field evidence from which pedogenesis, soil classification and land‐use effects are interpreted, yet their availability remains uneven across climates and land‐cover contexts. Here, we analyse the World Soil Information Service (WoSIS) 2023 snapshot together with Copernicus Global Land Cover 2015 and the global biome delineations to assess the distribution, classification status and temporal coverage of legacy soil‐profile observations. Cropland is the most represented land‐cover class, with 67,370 profiles (29.5%), followed by herbaceous vegetation with 40,277 profiles (17.7%), whereas wetlands, mangroves, tundra and several forested or arid systems remain rather underrepresented. The temporal distribution of profiles with recorded sampling dates increases markedly from the mid‐twentieth century to the 1980s and declines after 1990, suggesting a possible shift away from field‐based profile description and towards mapping, modelling and remotely sensed approaches. The review of forest, volcanic, cold‐region, arid, wetland, cropland, grassland, urban and Mediterranean soils further shows that profile description remains essential for interpreting soil functions, diagnostic horizons, degradation processes and land‐management constraints. This work provides a repeatable workflow for future WoSIS releases and other harmonised soil databases, and highlights the need to recover, standardize and publish legacy soil‐profile information while training a new generation of pedologists able to combine field description with digital soil science.