01730nas a2200217   4500008004100000245006800041210006700109490000700176520108000183100002001263700001301283700001801296700002101314700002301335700002701358700002001385700001901405700001601424700001801440856005401458       2020                        eng d00aSoil structure is an important omission in Earth System Models0 aSoil structure is an important omission in Earth System Models0 v113 a<p>Most soil hydraulic information used in Earth System Models (ESMs) is derived from pedo-transfer functions that use easy-to-measure soil attributes to estimate hydraulic parameters. This parameterization relies heavily on soil texture, but overlooks the critical role of soil structure originated by soil biophysical activity. Soil structure omission is pervasive also in sampling and measurement methods used to train pedotransfer functions. Here we show how systematic inclusion of salient soil structural features of biophysical origin affect local and global hydrologic and climatic responses. Locally, including soil structure in models significantly alters infiltration-runoff partitioning and recharge in wet and vegetated regions. Globally, the coarse spatial resolution of ESMs and their inability to simulate intense and short rainfall events mask effects of soil structure on surface fluxes and climate. Results suggest that although soil structure affects local hydrologic response, its implications on global-scale climate remains elusive in current ESMs.</p>1 aFatichi, Simone1 aOr, Dani1 aWalko, Robert1 aVereecken, Harry1 aYoung, Michael, H.1 aGhezzehei, Teamrat, A.1 aHengl, Tomislav1 aKollet, Stefan1 aAgam, Nurit1 aAvissar, Roni  uhttp://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-14411-z