Soil in the Environment - Crucible of Terrestrial Life

Hardcover  320 pp  ISBN 9780123485366      £45.00

• Unites soil science and the environment beyond what is traditionally taught
• Incorporates current knowledge of such hot topics as climate change, pollution control, human expropriation of natural resources, and the prospects for harmonious and sustainable development
• Organized in a student-friendly format with examples, discussion boxes, and key definitions in every chapter
• Full color throughout Companion Website includes: 1. Suggested field trips 2. Exercises and figures per chapter 3. Cross references to articles with links from Hillel's Encyclopedia of Soils in the Environment 4-vol set

Aimed at students of soil science, earth science, and environmental disciplines, this textbook engages students to critically look at soil as the central link in the function and creation of the terrestrial environment.

It discusses soils as a natural body in dynamic interaction with the atmosphere above and the strata below that influences the planet's climate and hydrological cycle, and serves as the primary habitat for a versatile community of living organisms. Soil in the Environment offers a larger perspective of soil's impact on the environment by organizing chapters among three main processes: Physical, Chemical and Biology.

It provides students of geology, physical science, and environmental studies with fundamental information and tools for meeting the natural resource challenges of the 21st Century, while providing students of soil science and ecology with the understanding of physical and biological interactions necessary for sustainability.

Of relevance to courses in Soil Physics, Soil Geography, Soil Ecology, Soil Chemistry, Geophysics, Environmental Geography, Environmental Science, Earth Science, Physical Geography, etc.

Contents

• Soil as a Living Body: Its Dynamic Role in the Environment
• Soil in the History of Civilization
• Soil Formation
• Soil Classification
• Soil Physical Attributes
• Soil-Water Statics
• Soil-Water Dynamics
• Soil-Water Cycle
• Soil-Water and Soil-Energy Balances in the Field
• Soil Chemical Attributes and Processes
• Soil Fertility and Plant Nutrition
• Soil Biodiversity
• Soil and Water Management
• Soil Erosion and Conservation
• Soil Pollution and Remediation
• Concluding Overview

APPENDIX A: The Role of Soil inthe Mitigation of Global Warming
APPENDIX B: The Role of Soil in the Global Food Supply