Author: Nico van Breemen
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 0585317887
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 376
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Book Description
Soils form a unique and irreplaceable essential resource for all terrestrial organisms, including man. Soils form not only the very thin outer skin of the earth's crust that is exploited by plant roots for anchorage and supply of water and nutrients. Soils are complex natural bodies formed under the influence of plants, microorganisms and soil animals, water and air from their parent material, i.e. solid rock or unconsolidated sediments. Physically, chemically and mineralogically they usually differ strongly from the parent material, and normally are far more suitable as a rooting medium for plants. In addition to serving as a substrate for plant growth, including crops and pasture, soils play a dominant role in the biogeochemical cycling of water, carbon, nitrogen and other elements, influencing the chemical composition and turnover rates of substances in the atmosphere and the hydrosphere. Soils take decades to millennia to form. We tread on them and do not usually see their interior, so we tend to take them for granted. But improper and abusive agricultural management, careless land- clearing and reclamation, man-induced erosion, salinisation and acidification, desertification, air- and water pollution, and withdrawal of land for housing, industry and transportation now destroy soils more rapidly than they can be formed.
Author: Allen Hunt
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1119563968
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 288
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Book Description
Explores soil as a nexus for water, chemicals, and biologically coupled nutrient cycling Soil is a narrow but critically important zone on Earth's surface. It is the interface for water and carbon recycling from above and part of the cycling of sediment and rock from below. Hydrogeology, Chemical Weathering, and Soil Formation places chemical weathering and soil formation in its geological, climatological, biological and hydrological perspective. Volume highlights include: The evolution of soils over 3.25 billion years Basic processes contributing to soil formation How chemical weathering and soil formation relate to water and energy fluxes The role of pedogenesis in geomorphology Relationships between climate soils and biota Soils, aeolian deposits, and crusts as geologic dating tools Impacts of land-use change on soils The American Geophysical Union promotes discovery in Earth and space science for the benefit of humanity. Its publications disseminate scientific knowledge and provide resources for researchers, students, and professionals. Find out more about this book from this Q&A with the Editors
Author: Hans Jenny
Publisher: Courier Corporation
ISBN: 0486681289
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 322
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Book Description
Masterpiece offers a detailed discussion of the nature of the earth's terrestrial environment, and a method of subdividing and studying it. 1941 edition.
Author: Simon Leake
Publisher: CSIRO PUBLISHING
ISBN: 064310965X
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 190
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Book Description
Provides a clear, practical template for specifying landscape soils based on scientific criteria.
Author: Jan Frouz
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 1466599332
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 315
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Book Description
This book focuses on soil development in restoration of post-mining sites. In particular, the authors address the role of biota, including plants, microorganisms, invertebrates, and their various interactions during the process of soil formation. The book largely deals with sites created by open-cast mining, as this method represents a very destruc
Author: Steven Earle
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781537068824
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 628
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Book Description
This is a discount Black and white version. Some images may be unclear, please see BCCampus website for the digital version.This book was born out of a 2014 meeting of earth science educators representing most of the universities and colleges in British Columbia, and nurtured by a widely shared frustration that many students are not thriving in courses because textbooks have become too expensive for them to buy. But the real inspiration comes from a fascination for the spectacular geology of western Canada and the many decades that the author spent exploring this region along with colleagues, students, family, and friends. My goal has been to provide an accessible and comprehensive guide to the important topics of geology, richly illustrated with examples from western Canada. Although this text is intended to complement a typical first-year course in physical geology, its contents could be applied to numerous other related courses.
Author:
Publisher: Elsevier
ISBN: 0080869785
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 319
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Book Description
Pedogenesis and Soil Taxonomy: Concepts and Interactions
Author: M. M. Kononova
Publisher: Elsevier
ISBN: 1483185680
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 545
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Book Description
Soil Organic Matter: Its Nature, Its Role in Soil Formation and in Soil Fertility focuses on the contributions of soil organic matter in soil formation and fertility, including weathering, decomposition, and synthesis of humus substances. The publication first elaborates on the main stages in the history of soil humus study and ideas on the composition of soil organic matter and nature of humus substances. Discussions focus on organic substances of individual nature, strictly humus substances in soil organic matter, and humus substances as a complex of high molecular- weight compounds. The text then examines the biochemistry of humus formation, including the role of physical, chemical, and biological factors, origin of humus substances, possible participation of lignin in the formation of humus substances, and the role of oxidizing enzymes in the synthesis of humus substances. The manuscript takes a look at the importance of organic matter in soil formation and soil fertility and the natural factors of humus formation. Topics include the role of organic matter in the weathering and decomposition of soil minerals; role of organic matter in the formation of soil structure; effect of organic matter on the growth and development of plants; and influence of chemical and physicochemical soil properties on humus formation. The publication is a dependable source material for readers interested in the influence of soil organic matter in soil formation and fertility.
Author: Yakov Pachepsky
Publisher: Elsevier
ISBN: 9780444517050
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 546
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Book Description
Environmental and agricultural modeling and assessment have a multitude of uses for soil parameters governing retention and transport of water and chemicals in soils. These parameters are notorious for the difficulties and high labor costs involved in measuring them. Good estimates instead of direct measurements may be accurate enough for many applications. Pedotransfer functions provide such estimates by utilizing available soil survey information to translate data we have into data we need. This book is the first book on the topic. It provides the unique compendium of pedotransfer functions, summarizes the vast international experience in this field, and shows how the value of soil data can be increased by using them in pedotransfer functions to predict soil hydrologic and related properties. The book is a rich source of information crucial for environmental research and applications.
Author: Bobby A. Stewart
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 9781566701730
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 452
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Book Description
Soil Structure offers a multidisciplinary approach to the study of soil structure and its relevance to wide ranging investigations in environmental sciences. Topics covered in Soil Structure include soil structure determination, soil fabric genesis and functions, strength and stress distribution, fabric changes in plastic clays, the effects of organic matter and earthworms, air slaking, and hydraulic conductivity changes. The book also discusses litter decomposition and matter transport, the characterization of pore organization, monitoring via a neutron activated tracer, various influences on growth and phosphorus supply of plants and on water uptake by plants, the effects of acidification, and much more. Improved procedures for measuring and calculating the unsaturated hydraulic conductivity of structured soils are also given.
