Geology, soils and landscape

There are fundamental links between climate and the dynamic landform processes that continue to shape our mountains, rivers and coasts and help to maintain Scotland's habitats, ecosystems and landscapes.

• Climate directly influences the formation of soils and the extent to which they support ecosystem services, for example food production, water regulation and greenhouse gas emissions. Soils in Scotland are also a rich repository of carbon, containing more than 65 times the total carbon held in all Scotland's vegetation (including trees).
• Changes in climate will have significant implication for the conservation management of dynamic environments, where natural geomorphological processes , for example floods, erosion and deposition, help to in maintain habitat quality, diversity and ecological functions.
• Changes in dynamic processes and soil properties, together with  changes due to different land use practices will have impacts on the character of Scotland's landscapes.