Soil Science Essay ⋆ Environment Essay Examples ⋆ EssayEmpire

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Soil scence is an interdisciplinary science with both pure and applied aspects. Soil science focuses on soil as a natural resource, in particular its use and management. V.V. Dokuchaev is considered the father of modern soil science. Previously, soils had been equated with bedrock. Dokuchaev suggested that soil was very different from bedrock because a range of soil forming factors (climate, topography, biota, parent material, time) influence its genesis.

Soil science is broad in scope, encompassing a range of subdisciplines working on topics including soil formation and classification and mapping, as well as soil fertility and soil’s physical, chemical, and biological properties. Pedology is the branch of soil science that researches the nature, properties, formation, distribution (i.e., soil geography), and function of soils and is, therefore, involved in classification and mapping of soils. Soil physics studies the physical characteristics of soils, focusing in particular on water movement in soils, soil moisture and plant-available water, soil structure, aeration, drainage, irrigation, and methods of measuring soil’s physical parameters.

Soil chemistry focuses on the organic and inorganic chemical reactions associated with soil, with major areas of study including soil acidity, nutrient cycling and availability, water and soil pollution, and methods for soil chemical analysis. Soil biology is the study of macro and micro-flora and fauna in soils and how they affect soil systems. Soil biology research addresses topics including soil organic matter, nitrogen fixation, organism populations and habitat, pesticides, and waste disposal. Soil fertility research, focused on the interaction of plant and soil systems, examines topics including plant responses to various soil systems and amendments, ion uptake, plant and soil testing, soil moisture stress and nutrient availability, as well as the influence of organic matter on soil fertility.

Soil science has a long history of benefit to society, as much of its research has aimed to enhance agricultural and forest production. An important historic contribution of soil science is its role in the Green Revolution, wherein agricultural productivity increased rapidly due in part to insights from soil science. Advances in soil science over the past 40 years have come from both basic and applied research. Soil science advances, which have benefited both the environment and society, include: (1) the use of geospatial technologies such as geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing in soil resource assessment, (2) soil management efforts that include conservation tillage and precision agriculture, (3) bioremediation, and (4) promotion of carbon sequestration.

Remote sensing, primarily aerial photography, aids the process of soil survey by allowing soil scientists to delineate soil types based on factors including landform, topography, and vegetative cover; these delineations can later be field checked. GIS facilitates spatial analyses of soil survey data as well as improving the presentation and use of soil information. In addition, electronic access to soils data has increased its use by the public. Conservation tillage stems soil erosion and increases soil quality by leaving vegetative cover on the soil surface. Precision agriculture, a method of site-specific management, engages geographic information systems, the Global Positioning System (GPS), and remote sensing, and improves our ability to track the application of fertilizer, crop growth throughout the season, or productivity at harvest. Bioremediation uses plants and soil microbes to aid in degrading contaminants. Carbon sequestration by soils aids efforts to decrease greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Though soil science has clearly made advances, challenges remain. Future challenges to soil science include: (1) interdisciplinary research involving soil science subdisciplines, particularly soil chemistry, soil physics, soil biology, soil mineralogy, and pedology, brought about by the need to understand land transformations, their impact on the environment, and associated policy issues; (2) linking more effectively with other earth science disciplines in an effort to contribute additional data and knowledge to questions of environmental change; (3) communicating better with the public in an effort to increase understanding of soils, particularly among decision makers; and (4) increasing efforts to integrate indigenous soil knowledge with formal scientific investigations.

Bibliography:

T.A. Anderson, E.A. Guthrie, and T. Walton, “Bioremediation in the Rhizosphere,” Environmental Science and Technology (v.27/13, 1993);
L. Blevins, M.S. Smith, G.W. Thomas, and W.W. Frye, “Influence of Conservation Tillage on Soil Properties,” Journal of Soil and Water Conservation (v.38/3, 1983);
Dent, A. Hartemink, and J. Kimble, Soil-Earth’s Living Skin (Earth Sciences for Society Foundation, 2005);
F. Follett, “Soil Management Concepts and Carbon Sequestration in Crop Soils,” Soil and Tillage Research (v.61/1-2, 2001);
B. McBratney, M.L.M. Santos, and B. Minasny, “On Digital Soil Mapping,” Geoderma (v.117/1-2, 2003);
National Academies of Science, “Frontiers in Soil Science Research Workshop,” The National Academies, Washington, C., December 12-14, 2005, www7.nationalacademies.org/soilfrontiers (cited April 2006);
Q. Zhang, M.H. Wang, and N. Wang, “Precision Agriculture-A Worldwide Overview,” Computers and Electronics in Agriculture (v.36/2-3, 2002).