Fundamentals of Soil provides a comprehensive and engaging introduction to soils and the workings of soil systems. This text is the only one of its kind to provide an attractive, lively and accessible introduction to this topic. Featuring learning tools within each chapter, such as summaries, essay questions and guides for further reading, the text is also highly illustrated with useful tables, boxes and figures. Covering all key areas of study at an introductory level, subjects covered include: · Soil properties · Soil processes · Controls on soil formation · Soil classification · World soils · Soil patterns · Soil degradation.
Soils are an essential and dynamic part of the environmental system. Fundamentals of soils presents a comprehensive and engaging introduction to soils and the workings of soil systems, including soil properties, patterns, and degradation.
This fully revised and expanded edition of Fundamentals of Soil Ecology continues its holistic approach to soil biology and ecosystem function. Students and ecosystem researchers will gain a greater understanding of the central roles that soils play in ecosystem development and function. The authors emphasize the increasing importance of soils as the organizing center for all terrestrial ecosystems and provide an overview of theory and practice of soil ecology, both from an ecosystem and evolutionary biology point of view. This volume contains updated and greatly expanded coverage of all belowground biota (roots, microbes and fauna) and methods to identify and determine its distribution and abundance. New chapters are provided on soil biodiversity and its relationship to ecosystem processes, suggested laboratory and field methods to measure biota and their activities in ecosystems.. Contains over 60% new material and 150 more pages Includes new chapters on soil biodiversity and its relationship to ecosystem function Outlines suggested laboratory and field methods Incorporates new pedagogical features Combines theoretical and practical approaches
Explains the factors which determine and control the engineering properties of soils--particularly volume change, deformation, strength and permeability. New to this edition: expanded coverage of residual and tropical soils, environmental aspects of soil behavior, material on partly saturated soils, revised treatment of direct or coupled hydraulic, chemical, thermal and electrical flows through soil.
Soil as a medium for plant growth;soil as a natural body;soil physicalproperties;tillage and traffic;soil water; soil water management;soil erosion;soil ecology;soil organic matter;soil mineralogy;soil chemistry;plant-soil macronutrient relations;micronutrients and toxic elements;fertilizers;soil fertility evaluation and fertilizer use;soil genesis;soil taxonomy;soil geography and land use;soil surveys and land-use interpretations;land and the world food supply;texture by the field method;types and classes of soil structure;prefixes and their connotations for great group names.
Introducing the first integrated coverage of sedimentary and residual soil engineering Despite its prevalence in under-developed parts of the United States and most tropical and sub-tropical countries, residual soil is often characterized as a mere extension of conventional soil mechanics in many textbooks. Now, with the rapid growth of construction in these regions, it is essential to gain a fuller understanding of residual soils and their properties—one that's based on an integrated approach to the study of residual and sedimentary soils. One text puts this understanding well within reach: Fundamentals of Soil Mechanics for Sedimentary and Residual Soils. The first resource to provide equal treatment of both residual and sedimentary soils and their unique engineering properties, this skill-building guide offers: A concise introduction to basic soil mechanics, stress-strain behavior, testing, and design In-depth coverage that spans the full scope of soil engineering, from bearing capacity and foundation design to the stability of slopes A focus on concepts and principles rather than methods, helping you avoid idealized versions of soil behavior and maintain a design approach that is consistent with real soils of the natural world An abundance of worked problems throughout, demonstrating in some cases that conventional design techniques applicable to sedimentary soils are not valid for residual soils Numerous end-of-chapter exercises supported by an online solutions manual Full chapter-ending references Taken together, Fundamentals of Soil Mechanics for Sedimentary and Residual Soils is a comprehensive, balanced soil engineering sourcebook that will prove indispensable for practitioners and students in civil engineering, geotechnical engineering, structural engineering, and geology.
Growing awareness of the importance of soil health means that microbes are on the minds of even the most casual gardeners. After all, anyone who has ever attempted to plant a thriving patch of flowers or vegetables knows that what you grow is only as good as the soil you grow it in. It is possible to create and maintain rich, dark, crumbly soil that’s teeming with life, using very few inputs and a no-till, no-fertilizer approach. Certified permaculture designer and lifelong gardener Diane Miessler presents the science of soil health in an engaging, entertaining voice geared for the backyard grower. She shares the techniques she has used — including cover crops, constant mulching, and a simple-but-supercharged recipe for compost tea — to transform her own landscape from a roadside dump for broken asphalt to a garden that stops traffic, starting from the ground up.
An Introduction to Soils for Environmental Professionals assembles and presents the basic principles of each of the major soil science fields. It introduces fundamental concepts and shows the interrelationships between the various branches of soil science - from mineralogy to soil physics. Each chapter was reviewed by a professional in the particul
This study looks at the fundamentals of soil science and soil biology, encompassing topics such as the building blocks of the soil system and bioremediation of contaminated soils.
This book is intended to serve as a one-stop reference on fibre-reinforced soils. Over the past 30-35 years, the engineering behaviour of randomly distributed/oriented fibre-reinforced soil, also called simply fibre-reinforced soil, has been investigated in detail by researchers and engineers worldwide. Waste fibres (plastic waste fibres, old tyre fibres, etc.) create disposal and environmental problems. Utilization of such fibres in construction can help resolve these concerns. Research studies and some field applications have shown that the fibres can be utilized in large quantities in geotechnical and civil engineering applications in a cost-effective and environmentally friendly manner. This book covers a complete description of fibres, their effects when included within a soil or other similar materials such as the fly ash, and their field applications. It gives a detailed view of fibre-reinforced soil engineering. The book will be useful to students, professional, and researchers alike, and can also serve as a text for graduate coursework and professional development programs
