Soils as a Key Component of the Critical Zone 5: Degradation and Rehabilitation (Geosciences Series: Soils Set)

by Christian Valentin (Author)

• New

  Hardcover
  2019

  $167.94

  A third of the global soils have already been degraded while pressure on land has never been so intense, not only because of population growth, urbanization, mines, but also changes in diets, and increased demand for bioenergy and raw materials from agriculture (fiber, molecules of interest). This book presents the main processes of soil degradation, the various ways of preventing them and methods of rehabilitation. Water erosion starts with the destruction of aggregates on the soil surface, the formation of very impervious crusts that cause runoff, and continues at other scales by gullying and landslides. Most soil conservation practices are also advocated for increasing carbon levels in soils. Like water erosion, wind erosion corresponds to nonlinear threshold processes and occurs at different scales, ex. sandblasting and dust emission from the Sahara to deposit on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. Salinization of soils affects vast areas, not only in arid and semi-arid areas, often irrigated, but also in most coastal areas due to marine intrusion processes in groundwater, and sea-level rise. Soils also undergo acidification due to the fallout of sulfur emissions into the atmosphere and nitrogen fertilization. This book also focuses on the origin and processes of metallic and organic soil pollution as well as methods of phytoremediation and restoration. It also addresses the issue of soil sealing through urban sprawl and more broadly that of urban soils and anthroposols. Finally, it presents how agricultural (crop and livestock) and urban residues can be used to improve and fertilize cultivated soils.