Abstract. The exchange of carbonyl sulfide (COS) between soil and the atmosphere was investigated for three arable soils from Germany, China and Finland and one forest soil from Siberia for parameterization in the relation to ambient carbonyl sulfide (COS) concentration, soil water content (WC) and air temperature. All investigated soils acted as sinks for COS. A clear and distinct uptake optimum was found for the German, Chinese, Finnish and Siberian soils at 11.5%, 9%, 11.5%, and 9% soil WC, respectively, indicating that the soil WC acts as an important biological and physical parameter for characterizing the exchange of COS between soils and the atmosphere. Different optima of deposition velocities (V_d) as observed for the Chinese, Finnish and Siberian boreal soil types in relation to their soil WC, aligned at 19% in relation to the water-filled pore space (WFPS), indicating the dominating role of gas diffusion. This interpretation was supported by the linear correlation between V_d and bulk density. We suggest that the uptake of COS depends on the diffusivity dominated by WFPS, a parameter depending on soil WC, soil structure and porosity of the soil.