Cryosols – permafrost – occupy a unique part of the earth and have properties greatly different from other soils. They also occur where the greatest impact of global warming is predicted. This is the first book bring together the leading researchers in the area of permafrost soils to produce a review of the geography, cryogenic soil forming processes, ecological processes, classification and use of soils that are affected by permafrost.
This report summarizes the main findings of a Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP) implemented by the FAO Office for the Near East and North Africa (NENA) and its Global Soil Partnership (GSP), focusing on the political, financial and infrastructural constraints that are common to the soil laboratories surveyed. Through this project, FAO opened the discussion on data quality and harmonization in the NENA region. The availability of reliable and harmonized soil data remains a challenge that affects decision-making at the national and field level, and the implementation of coordinated actions on the practice of sustainable soil management in the region. Recognizing this challenge, FAO and its GSP assessed the capacities and needs of 34 soil laboratories belonging to the Ministry of Agriculture in ten countries of the NENA region from October 2020 to April 2023. By generating data, laboratories play a role that influences the entire decision-making chain on soil management. The provision of support to soil laboratories indirectly supports farmers, extension services and policymakers, and strengthens national databases for country reporting on international agreements such as the Sustainable Development Goals.
The execution of detailed studies on the fate and levels of hazardous elements in the environment, foodstuffs and in human beings has become a major task in environmental research and especially in analytical chemistry. This has led to a demand to develop new methodology and optimize that already in use. The book offers the reader a general introduction to the problem areas that are currently being tackled, followed by chapters on sampling and sample preservation, strategies and applications of the archiving of selected representative specimens for long-term storage in environmental specimen banks. This is supplemented by the example of wine as a preserved - frequently, already historical - specimen which clearly reflects technological changes over time. The following chapters review sample treatment, present an overview on the most frequently and successfully applied trace analytical methods for metals and metal compounds, and introduce the increasingly important methods for identifying and quantifying metal species in sediments and soils (speciation). The chapters in the second part of the book provide data on analytical methods for determining the levels of toxicologically, ecotoxicologically and ecologically important elements in environmental and biological materials, including information on the separation and quantification of chemical and organomatallic species. The elements treated are aluminium, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, lead, mercury, nickel, selenium and thallium. The final chapter treats quality assurance and the importance of the continuous use of appropriate reference materials to avoid erroneous results.
The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre and FAO's Global Soil Partnership collaborated with experts from across Asia and other regions to produce the first-ever Soil Atlas of Asia. The aim of the Atlas is to raise awareness about the significance of soil to life in Asia among a wide range of audiences, including the general public, decision makers, politicians, teachers, and scientists from other disciplines. The Atlas comprises a series of annotated maps that demonstrate the diversity of soil characteristics across Asia in an easy-to-understand manner. It also explains how soils are formed, the key factors that shape soil characteristics, and why these vary across the continent. Moreover, the Atlas emphasizes the role of soils in shaping our daily lives and highlights the growing pressures on soils resulting from urban expansion, inappropriate land management, pollution, increased demand for food, and climate change. The Atlas encourages people to understand how their actions can help protect and restore soils while reducing degradation processes.
The purpose of the workshop was to promote Land Resources Information Systems (LRIS) and their application in the assessment, mapping and monitoring of land in relation to food security in the South African Development Community (SADC) countries. The workshop reviewed advances made both within and outside SADC. Experiences were discussed and a plan of action prepared to promote future reporting and exchange of information, data expertise and experiences in land information using technical cooperation among developing countries
This book describes the ecoregions of Saskatchewan, following a hierarchical framework for terrestrial ecosystems in Canada. The introduction reviews ecological land classification and the various interrelated factors that are involved in the development of ecosystems: geology, water, climate, vegetation, soils, wildlife, and human impacts. The main section describes the province within the context of the four ecozones and 11 ecoregions that were identified in the framework. For each ecoregion, the book provides a description of the physical setting, such as geology & climate, as well as the biological features that have developed in response to this physical environment. The impact of human activities on the ecology of the area concludes each of these descriptions. Appendices include lists of animal & plant species found in Saskatchewan and a glossary.
