ENV100Y5 Lecture 21: ENV100 - 21 - Soils
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ENV100Y5 Full Course Notes
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Document Summary
Central case: mer bleue bog: a 35 km2 protected wetland, peat soils formed over 8000 years; up to 6m thick. Central case: mer bleue bog: carbon balance in peat: Decomposition releases carbon: interdisciplinary research project studying the influence of climate on carbon balance (and vice versa) Soil is a complex material: mineral matter, organic matter, water, gases, dead/living microorganisms; decaying material, bacteria, algae, earthworms, insects, mammals, amphibians, reptiles, supports plant growth. Soil has a huge influence on what can grow where. Weathering = processes that break down rocks: physical (mechanical) = no chemical changes in parent material, chemical = substances chemically interact with parent material, biological = organisms break down parent material. Karst: dissolution of layers of salt weathering biological weathering. Soil formation is very slow: factors that affect soil formation: Biological activity (soil microbes and fauna; decomposition and accumulation of organic.
