Translating information about soil characteristics and qualities acros
s different spatial and temporal scales has emerged as a major theme i
n soil science. The interest in scale has developed as our understandi
ng of processes operating at scales larger (e.g. landscape, regional)
or smaller (molecular, aggregate) than the field plot has increased. A
s next steps are considered in this area, an examination of the ecolog
ical literature presents some valuable philosophical and practical con
cepts pertaining to the translation of information across scales. The
concepts of hierarchy and the holon are particularly relevant to the s
tudy of soil as a component of an ecosystem. The experience of the eco
logists over the last 30 years suggests both opportunities and constra
ints for the study of soil systems at different spatial and temporal s
cales. As an example, our ability to predict soil processes at the sma
ll scale given large scale information (''down'' scaling) is much wors
e than our ability to scale ''up''. Moreover, while there have been se
veral successful efforts to scale up certain types of information, we
have been unable to predict large-scale phenomena given small scale in
formation in several important instances. Ecological studies provide r
elevant insight. Different approaches to scale translation, and the su
ccesses and failures of these different approaches, have important imp
lications for soil characterization and identification of land qualiti
es as we address contemporary environmental problems at different scal
es. It is suggested that current scale translation efforts of all type
s fail for one of two main reasons; (1) either a key controlling proce
ss or characteristic has been overlooked, or (2) when multiple factors
interact to create unique phenomena.