On 22 December 2009, the EU Soil Portal published the two new soil maps of the EU territory.
The saline and sodic soil map demonstrates the distribution of natural saline or sodic soils as well as salt affected areas within the EU. Salinisation is the accumulation of soluble salts of sodium, magnesium and calcium in soil which are poisonous for the plants and leads towards reduced fertility. It is considered as one of the greatest environmental threats.
The soil compaction map provides a global picture of the European compaction soils which occurs when the weight of livestock or heavy machinery compresses the soil. Compaction is the reduction of soil pore space which leads to the reduced ability of rain absorption and causes various problems for growing the plants.