GEOG 3108 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Soil Organic Matter, Soil Horizon, Biogeochemical Cycle
26 Sep 2016
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Document Summary
What soil is and why it"s important to the ecosystem and to society. Some fundamental physical, chemical, and biological properties of soils and soil components. Some of the ways these factors, processes, and properties interact to influence the ability of the soil to fulfill its functions, especially in the context of issues where soil influences society. Such issues covered in this course include (but are not limited to) compaction, erosion, landslides, soil fertility, biogeochemical cycling, and climate change. Soil is a natural body comprised of solids (minerals and organic matter), liquid, and gases that occurs on the land surface, occupies space, and is characterized by one or both of the following: The ability to support rooted plants in a natural environment. Horizons, or layers, that are distinguishable from the initial material as a result of additions, losses, transfers, and transformations of energy and matter (for example, leaves breaking down through decomposition)
