New Trends in Soil Micromorphology
New Trends in Soil Micromorphology

Author: Selim Kapur

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2008-08-17

Total Pages: 285

ISBN-13: 3540791345

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The soil water retention curve, the saturated hydraulic conductivity and the unsaturated hydraulic conductivity function are basic soil hydraulic functions and parameters. Ample apprehension of the soil hydraulic functions and parameters is required for a successful formulation of the principles leading to sustainable soil management, agricultural production and environmental protection. From these, all the other parameters, required in the solution of the practical tasks, are derived. The basic soil hydraulic functions are strongly dependent upon the soil porous system. The development of models is characteristic by the gradual transition from the simplest concepts up to the sophisticated approaches, which should correspond to the visual reality studied by soil micromorphology. 2 Soil Porous System and Soil Micromorphometry 2.1 An Overview on the Quantification of the Soil Porous System Quanti? cation of the soil porous system consists of classi? cation of soil pores, ch- acterization of the soil pores shapes and the estimation of the pore size distribution function. When the hydraulic functions of the soil pores are considered, the following laws of hydrostatics and hydrodynamics are applied as best ? tting to the classi? cation criteria of the size of the pores (Kutilek and Nielsen 1994, p. 20, Kutilek 2004): A. Submicroscopic pores that are so small that they preclude clusters of water molecules from forming ? uid particles or continuous water ? ow paths.

Interpretation of Micromorphological Features of Soils and Regoliths
Interpretation of Micromorphological Features of Soils and Regoliths

Author: Georges Stoops

Publisher: Elsevier

Published: 2018-09-17

Total Pages: 1002

ISBN-13: 0444635424

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Interpretation of Micromorphological Features of Soils and Regoliths, Second Edition, provides researchers and students with a tool for interpreting features observed in soil thin sections and through submicroscopic studies. After an introduction and general overview, micromorphological aspects of regoliths (e.g., saprolites, transported materials) are highlighted, followed by a systematic and coherent discussion of the micromorphological expression of various pedogenic processes. The book is written by an international team of experts in the field, using a uniform set of concepts and terminology, making it a valuable interdisciplinary reference work. The following topics are treated: freeze-thaw features, redoximorphic features, calcareous and gypsiferous formations, textural features, spodic and oxic horizons, volcanic materials, organic matter, surface horizons, laterites, surface crusts, salt minerals, biogenic and pedogenic siliceous materials, other authigenic silicates, phosphates, sulphidic and sulphuric materials, and features related to faunal activity. The last chapters address anthropogenic features,archaeological materials and palaeosoils. - Updates the first exhaustive publication on interpretation of micromorphological features, with some new chapters and with a larger number of additional references - Covers related topics, making micromorphology more attractive and accessible for geomorphologists, archaeologists and quaternary geologists Includes thematic treatment of a range of soil micromorphology fields and broadens its applications - Features input from a multi-disciplinary team, ensuring thorough coverage of topics related to soil science, archaeology and geomorphology

Soils as a Key Component of the Critical Zone 1
Soils as a Key Component of the Critical Zone 1

Author: Jacques Berthelin

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2018-08-01

Total Pages: 310

ISBN-13: 1119544009

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This introductory book to the six volume series includes an introduction defining the critical zone for mankind that extends from tree canopy and the lower atmosphere to water table and unweathered rock. Soils play a crucial role through the functions and the services that they provide to mankind. The spatial and temporal variability of soils is represented by information systems whose importance, recent evolutions and increasingly performing applications in France and in the world must be underlined. The soil functions, discussed in this book, focus on the regulation of the water cycle, biophysicochemical cycles and the habitat role of biodiversity. The main services presented are those related to the provision of agricultural, fodder and forest products, energy, as well as materials and the role of soil as infrastructure support. They also include the different cultural dimensions of soils, their representations being often linked to myths and rites, as well as their values of environmental and archaeological records. Finally, the issue is raised of an off-ground world.

Developments in Soil Classification, Land Use Planning and Policy Implications
Developments in Soil Classification, Land Use Planning and Policy Implications

Author: Shabbir A. Shahid

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2013-02-15

Total Pages: 875

ISBN-13: 9400753322

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As the world’s population continues to expand, maintaining and indeed increasing agricultural productivity is more important than ever, though it is also more difficult than ever in the face of changing weather patterns that in some cases are leading to aridity and desertification. The absence of scientific soil inventories, especially in arid areas, leads to mistaken decisions about soil use that, in the end, reduce a region’s capacity to feed its population, or to guarantee a clean water supply. Greater efficiency in soil use is possible when these resources are properly classified using international standards. Focusing on arid regions, this volume details soil classification from many countries. It is only once this information is properly assimilated by policymakers it becomes a foundation for informed decisions in land use planning for rational and sustainable uses.

Encyclopedia of Environmental Change
Encyclopedia of Environmental Change

Author: John A Matthews

Publisher: SAGE

Published: 2013-12-13

Total Pages: 3225

ISBN-13: 1473928192

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Accessibly written by a team of international authors, the Encyclopedia of Environmental Change provides a gateway to the complex facts, concepts, techniques, methodology and philosophy of environmental change. This three-volume set illustrates and examines topics within this dynamic and rapidly changing interdisciplinary field. The encyclopedia includes all of the following aspects of environmental change: Diverse evidence of environmental change, including climate change and changes on land and in the oceans Underlying natural and anthropogenic causes and mechanisms Wide-ranging local, regional and global impacts from the polar regions to the tropics Responses of geo-ecosystems and human-environmental systems in the face of past, present and future environmental change Approaches, methodologies and techniques used for reconstructing, dating, monitoring, modelling, projecting and predicting change Social, economic and political dimensions of environmental issues, environmental conservation and management and environmental policy Over 4,000 entries explore the following key themes and more: Conservation Demographic change Environmental management Environmental policy Environmental security Food security Glaciation Green Revolution Human impact on environment Industrialization Landuse change Military impacts on environment Mining and mining impacts Nuclear energy Pollution Renewable resources Solar energy Sustainability Tourism Trade Water resources Water security Wildlife conservation The comprehensive coverage of terminology includes layers of entries ranging from one-line definitions to short essays, making this an invaluable companion for any student of physical geography, environmental geography or environmental sciences.

Practical and Theoretical Geoarchaeology
Practical and Theoretical Geoarchaeology

Author: Paul Goldberg

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2022-09-13

Total Pages: 708

ISBN-13: 1119413192

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Practical and Theoretical Geoarchaeology, Second Edition, provides an invaluable and vastly updated overview of geoarchaeology and how it can be used effectively in the study of archaeological sites and contexts. Taking a pragmatic and functional approach, this book presents: a fundamental, broad-based perspective of the essentials of modern geoarchaeology in order to demonstrate the breadth of the approaches and the depth of the problems that it can tackle. the rapid advances made in the area in recent years, but also gives the reader a firm grasp of conventional approaches. covers traditional topics with the emphasis on landscapes, as well as anthropogenic deposits and site formation processes and their investigation. provides guidelines for the presentation of field and laboratory methods and the reporting of geoarchaeological results. essential reading for archaeology undergraduate and graduate students, practicing archaeologists and geoscientists who need to understand and apply geoarchaeological methodologies, and help foster the dialog among diverse researchers investigating archaeological sites. Practical and Theoretical Geoarchaeology, Second Edition, is an ideal resource for undergraduate and graduate students in archaeology, and a great practical reference for practicing archaeologists and geoscientists who need to understand and apply geoarchaeological methodologies internationally.

Micromorphology of Soils and Paleosols of India
Micromorphology of Soils and Paleosols of India

Author: Pankaj Srivastava

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2024-01-11

Total Pages: 106

ISBN-13: 9819965608

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This monograph covers uniqueness of micromorphology in resolving many important but enigmatic pedological issues such as clay illuviation, formation of pedogenic and non-pedogenic CaCO3, modification of plasmic fabric, contemporary and relict pedogenic processes, polygenesis of soils in Alfisols, Mollisols, Ultisols, Vertisols and Inceptisols of the tropical Indian environments. Chapters in this title also include identification of paleosols, diagenetic overprinting of the pedofeatures in lithified paleosols, and alluvial cyclicity of the fluvial successions. The techniques mentioned in this title are of tremendous value in pedological and geological research for precise and unambiguous definitions of soil taxa to build the national soil information and refine the stratigraphy of the terrestrial sediments. The information is for the benefit the students and researchers of pedology and geomorphology who often come across extreme difficulties in relating to examples applying the principles of soil formation from textbooks devoted almost exclusively to soils of the temperate climates. The format of this publication is arranged for a process-oriented text and figures on micromorphology of the tropical soils and paleosols as a reference for pedologists, earth scientists, M.Sc. and Ph.D. students, and also for land resource managers who are engaged in enhancing the productivity of such tropical soils in India and elsewhere.

Human Transformations of the Earth
Human Transformations of the Earth

Author: Charles French

Publisher: Oxbow Books

Published: 2022-10-06

Total Pages: 265

ISBN-13: 1789259223

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This book charts and explains how human activities have shaped and altered the development of soils in many parts of the world, taking advantage of five decades of soil analytical work in many archaeological landscapes from around the globe. The core of this volume describes and illustrates major transformations of soils and the processes involved in these that have occurred during the Holocene and how these relate to human activities as much as natural causes and trajectories of development, right up to the present day. This is done in two ways: first by examining a number of major processes and impacts on the landscape such as Holocene warming and the development of woodland, clearance and agricultural activities, and second by examining the trajectories of these changes in soil systems in different palaeo-environmental situations in several diverse parts of the world. The transformations identified are relevant to prevalent themes of today such as over-development and soil, land and environmental degradation and resilience. The studies articulated relate to Britain, southeastern Europe, the Mediterranean basin, East Africa, northern India and Peru in South America.

Soil Micromorphology: Studies in Management and Genesis
Soil Micromorphology: Studies in Management and Genesis

Author: A.J. Ringrose-Voase

Publisher: Elsevier

Published: 1994-08-01

Total Pages: 901

ISBN-13: 0080869904

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The papers in this volume cover micromorphological studies of a wide variety of topics, at various scales from ultramicro- to mesoscopic. Topics included are:soil management; soil structure; surface crusts; hardpans and cemented layers; soil biota; soil genesis; hydromorphic soils; paleosols; archeology; and general pedology. The range of papers reflects the growing use of soil micromorphology in understanding soil problems in land-use and the increasing use of quantitative techniques, together with more traditional applications in pedology. The book is well illustrated with micrographs and contains both author and keyword indices.

Fundamentals of Tropical Freshwater Wetlands
Fundamentals of Tropical Freshwater Wetlands

Author: Tatenda Dalu

Publisher: Elsevier

Published: 2021-11-25

Total Pages: 864

ISBN-13: 0128223634

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Fundamentals of Tropical Freshwater Wetlands: From Ecology to Conservation Management is a practical guide and important tool for practitioners and educators interested in the ecology, conservation and management of wetlands in tropical/subtropical regions. The book is written in such a way that, in addition to scientists and managers, it is accessible to non-specialist readers. Organized into three themed sections and twenty-three chapters, this volume covers a variety of topics, exposing the reader to a full range of scientific, conservation and management issues. Each chapter has been written by specialists in the topic being presented. The book recognizes that wetland conservation, science and management are interlinked disciplines, and so it attempts to combine several perspectives to highlight the interdependence between the various professions that deal with issues in these environments. Within each chapter extensive cross-referencing is included, so as to help the reader link related aspects of the issues being discussed. - Contributed to by global experts in the field of tropical wetlands - Includes case studies and worked examples, enabling the reader to recreate the work already done - Focuses on tropical systems not available in any other book