Drylands cover more than 40% of Earth's terrestrial surface providing vital ecosystem services, while maintaining enormous carbon stocks and exhibiting the largest variability in carbon fluxes among terrestrial biomes. They have gained increasing attention in resolving the mechanisms governing atmosphere–soil–plant interactions, including the role of precipitation timing, the expansion of woody and invasive species, and the benefits of biological soil crusts.

However, significant challenges remain in linking aboveground processes to belowground soil organic matter (SOM) formation, root distribution and plant nutrient acquisition, a gap that is crucial for bridging effective management strategies with increasing interest in nature-based climate solutions for dryland systems.

We invite contributions linking aboveground and belowground dynamics to identify the processes governing SOM formation and stability and the associated carbon fluxes. We also welcome studies focused on improving representation, developing remote-sensing proxies, or applying machine learning to advance mechanistic understanding of dryland ecosystems for climate mitigation.