Soil building processes are complex and can influence the environment in many ways. They are influenced by climate, organic matter, and the time available to decompose it. Soil formation largely depends on the climate, vegetation, and parent material. The climatic conditions and slope of the surface of the earth also play a significant role in soil building processes. Agricultural practices and climate can alter soil composition and ultimately impact the environments of regions.
Agricultural practices
Since the Industrial Revolution, agricultural practices have intensified. During the "green revolution" of the mid-20th century, agricultural practices increased crop yields per unit area of arable land. Food production has risen to support a quadrupling of the world's population in a century. Despite this rise in production, the human population continues to grow and eat more food than the planet has available. Today, about 1.7 billion acres are devoted to staple cereal grains, accounting for more than half of all arable land in the world.
The global population is continually rising, and continuing agricultural growth is putting pressure on the Earth's ecosystem. As the population increases, the resulting tension between human needs and the health of the planet's ecosystem will only increase. Agricultural growth will become more challenging in the future as global climate change destabilizes the natural processes that make modern agriculture possible. In addition, many techniques that boost output also have negative effects on the environment. For example, irrigation is a major method of rerouting water to cropland.
Climate
How do soil building processes work? Soils are formed by a combination of weathering and further deposition, increasing the depth of the soils by up to one tenth of a millimeter per year. Soils gradually support higher forms of life by developing layers of organic matter called humus, which is derived from dead higher plants. Soils become deeper with the incorporation of weathered minerals and organic matter, developing soil horizons.
Soil development is facilitated by water, which moves downward and enables the weathering of rocks. Soil forms most readily under conditions of moderate precipitation. Soil material decays faster and more easily when warm. If the temperature is too hot, it may lead to leaching of important chemical nutrients and create acidic soils. When too dry, soils may be damaged by over-watering or flooding, so reducing rainfall is essential for soil development.
Organic matter
Soils are formed from their parent material, which can be rock, ash, river sediments, shale, or even old seabed sediments. Some types of soil are more fertile and have higher organic matter content than others. Limestone soils, for example, resist acidification and maintain a neutral pH, allowing plants to grow more efficiently. The Great Valley of Pennsylvania is an example of such soil.
Soils deepen as they accumulate humus from dead higher plants. Merced River sediment, the original river sediment, has a bulk density of 1.4 g cm-3. This density drives small volumetric expansion early in soil development. Thus, it is possible to imagine how soils in dry regions would look like if they were rich in organic matter, such as sand. Moreover, soils in arid regions lack organic matter.
Chemical weathering
Soil is made up of various minerals, including silt, sand, and clay, and it contains approximately 50 percent empty space. The chemical weathering process, meanwhile, takes place through the downslope percolation of water. Depending on climate and topography, different types of weathering can contribute to the different composition of soil. In temperate regions, the amount of water in the soil increases. However, too much water in a soil can cause it to become acidic, and in poorly drained regions, swampy conditions can dominate.
The processes of soil building and erosion are interrelated. Chemical weathering interacts with climate and tectonics, forms clays, and supplies nutrients for soil microorganisms. However, the interaction between hydrology and transport of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) has received less attention. This paper explores the interaction of the two processes using an analytical model based on chemical molar balance equations and subsurface water. It also considers how climate and soil building processes affect the chemistry of soils under climate change.
Wind erosion
Soil building processes are fundamental to agricultural systems. They protect farmland from erosion, improve water quality, and reduce the effects of other climate and environmental conditions. However, there are some negative impacts of this process that should be addressed. For example, sediment can cause increased flooding and pollution in watercourses. Additionally, sediment can pollute downstream water sources, and agricultural runoff and pollution can increase as a result of excessive fertilizer use. Non-point pollution from agricultural land is also a problem. In areas of the world that are especially vulnerable to wind erosion, such as Ontario, wind erosion can cause significant losses of soil. Wind erosion can be particularly severe on long and unsheltered soil surfaces.
In areas with little vegetation, wind erosion can cause extensive erosion. This is especially true in areas with little or no permanent vegetative cover. Wind erosion is especially problematic in areas with low vegetation and soil residue. In such conditions, the most effective protective vegetative cover is cover crops with living windbreaks. Wind erosion and windblown soil can also lead to decreased yields and quality. Soil erosion and windblown debris can also cause adverse operating conditions and prevent timely field activities.
Also Read - Five Easy Ways to Manage the Soil for Gardening
Comments
Post a Comment