Soil Processes and Current Trends in Quality Assessment

Soil Processes and Current Trends in Quality Assessment
Author: Maria C. Hernandez Soriano
Publisher: BoD – Books on Demand
Total Pages: 448
Release: 2013-02-27
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 9535110292

Natural processes and human activities alter the properties and quality of soils over time. Nowadays, the growing interest in soil protection prompts abundant research to estimate soil quality in wide-ranging environmental scenarios. The assessment of soil quality entails the evaluation of the capability of a soil to perform its functions in present scenarios but also how those functions can be preserved for future land use. Currently, soil processes, physical, chemical, and biological properties are recognized as indicators to estimate soil quality. Soil processes and current trends in quality assessment provides a wide depiction of current research conducted in soil quality assessment, encompassing general studies on soil processes, evaluation of significant indicators of soil quality such as soil organic matter dynamic and soil-plant interaction, while presenting diverse strategies for soil fitness amelioration.

Environmental Degradation in Asia

Environmental Degradation in Asia
Author: Ayad M. Fadhil Al-Quraishi
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 640
Release: 2022-11-01
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 3031121120

This unique book focuses on environmental degradation in Asian countries including land degradation and soil erosion. The land degradation covers assessing environmental degradation using geospatial technology, land use land cover mapping, environmental and anthropogenic degradation, assessment of land degradation vulnerability, evaluation of the impact of earthquake and the environmental control of the sand dunes. It also addresses the soil degradation and environmental pollution and presents several case studies such as tectonic activity and erosion, assessment of aircraft sound, soil degradation assessment for the arid territories, soil pollution, waste engine oil contamination, soil degradation, soil erosion modelling, land use and land cover change and its effect on soil erosion changes. Additionally, the book discusses the impact of climate change, and human activities including urban environmental quality, air pollution and the impact of armed conflict on the environment. Moreover, topics such as vegetation degradation including forest changes, hydrological and agricultural drought are presented. The book includes authors and scientists from Egypt, Iraq, Iran, India, Mongolia, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Republic of Kazakhstan, USA, Turkey, South Africa, Italy, China, Malaysia, Poland and Russia. Graduate students, researchers, engineers, policy planners, policymakers and stockholders could benefit from the information and the knowledge in this book.

Sustainable Management of Land Resources

Sustainable Management of Land Resources
Author: G.P. Obi Reddy
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 823
Release: 2017-09-07
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1771885181

The depletion of land resources is one of the greatest challenges for mankind in this millennium. Shrinking land resources, weather aberrations, deterioration of land quality, and the globalization and liberalization of market economies have become intertwined to influence the sustainable management of land resources and land use plans. This important volume, Sustainable Management of Land Resources: An Indian Perspective, addresses these challenges. This comprehensive volume, covering important research, much of it gathered with the use of new technology, tools, and applications, is organized into four sections: (add bullets) land resource inventory and characterization geospatial technologies in land resource mapping and management soil nutrient status and management land use planning and livelihood security The volume looks at how scientists translate their knowledge and experience in sustainable land resources and management into implementable policy decisions, with a particular focus on India. Since India is an agrarian economy, the land resources assume a very critical role affecting the livelihood of a vast majority of populace in the country. The information gathered—and the methods by which it is gathered—is applicable globally. This comprehensive publication will be highly useful for the researchers, academicians, extension workers, policymakers, planners, officials of land resources survey, planning and management institutions/agencies/departments, and others.

Spoil to Soil: Mine Site Rehabilitation and Revegetation

Spoil to Soil: Mine Site Rehabilitation and Revegetation
Author: N.S. Bolan
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 480
Release: 2017-09-06
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 135124728X

Spoil to Soil: Mine Site Rehabilitation and Revegetation presents both fundamental and practical aspects of remediation and revegetation of mine sites. Through three major themes, it examines characterization of mine site spoils; remediation of chemical, physical and biological constraints of mine site spoils, including post mine-site land-use practices; and revegetation of remediated mine site spoils. Each theme includes chapters featuring case studies involving mine sites around the world. The final section focuses specifically on case studies with successful mine site rehabilitation. The book provides a narrative of how inert spoil can be converted to live soil. Instructive illustrations show mine sites before and after rehabilitation. The purpose of this book is to provide students, scientists, and professional personnel in the mining industry sensible, science-based information needed to rehabilitate sustainably areas disturbed by mining activities. This book is suitable for undergraduate and graduate students majoring in environmental, earth, and soil sciences; environmental and soil scientists; and mine site environmental engineers and regulators.

Legumes for Soil Health and Sustainable Management

Legumes for Soil Health and Sustainable Management
Author: Ram Swaroop Meena
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 541
Release: 2018-07-06
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 9811302537

Sustainable management of soils is an important global issue of the 21st century. Feeding roughly 8 billion people with an environmentally sustainable production system is a major challenge, especially considering the fact that 10% of the world’s population at risk of hunger and 25% at risk of malnutrition. Accordingly, the 68th United Nations (UN) general assembly declared 2016 the “International Year of Pulses” to raise awareness and to celebrate the role of pulses in human nutrition and welfare. Likewise, the assembly declared the year 2015 as the “International Year of Soils” to promote awareness of the role of “healthy soils for a healthy life” and the International Union of Soil Science (IUSS) has declared 2015-2024 as the International Decade of Soils. Including legumes in cropping systems is an important toward advancing soil sustainability, food and nutritional security without compromising soil quality or its production potential. Several textbooks and edited volumes are currently available on general soil fertility or on legumes but‚ to date‚ none have been dedicated to the study of “Legumes for Soil Health and Sustainable Management”. This is important aspect, as the soil, the epidermis of the Earth (geoderma)‚ is the major component of the terrestrial biosphere. This book explores the impacts of legumes on soil health and sustainability, structure and functioning of agro-ecosystems, agronomic productivity and food security, BNF, microbial transformation of soil N and P, plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria, biofertilizers, etc. With the advent of fertilizers, legumes have been sidelined since World War II, which has produced serious consequences for soils and the environment alike. Therefore, legume-based rational cropping/soil management practices must support environmentally and economically sustainable agroecosystems based on (sequential) rotation and intercropping considerations to restore soil health and sustainability. All chapters are amply illustrated with appropriately placed data, tables, figures, and photographs, and supported with extensive and cutting-edge references. The editors have provided a roadmap for the sustainable development of legumes for food and nutritional security and soil sustainability in agricultural systems, offering a unique resource for teachers, researchers, and policymakers, as well as undergraduate and graduate students of soil science, agronomy, ecology, and the environmental sciences.

Landscape Architecture Framed from an Environmental and Ecological Perspective

Landscape Architecture Framed from an Environmental and Ecological Perspective
Author: Mustafa Ergen
Publisher: BoD – Books on Demand
Total Pages: 118
Release: 2022-04-28
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1839696982

Landscape architecture involves designing, planning, and managing natural and built environments. Its goal is to balance natural spaces with the human element. As such, new methods and analysis techniques are necessary for creating healthy and user-friendly spaces in both urban developments and natural environments. This book discusses these approaches to planning and designing natural spaces with a focus on sustainability.

Badlands Dynamics in a Context of Global Change

Badlands Dynamics in a Context of Global Change
Author: Estela Nadal-Romero
Publisher: Elsevier
Total Pages: 338
Release: 2018-08-06
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0128130555

Badlands Dynamics in the Context of Global Change presents the newest ideas concerning badland formation and relates them to the larger context of global change. The book provides an overview of badland landforms and covers a variety of interdisciplinary topics, such as runoff generation, erosion processes and rates, the potential for modeling badland systems, and emerging technologies in research. It is an ideal resource for geomorphologists, physical geographers and soil scientists interested in this terrain and how it relates to land degradation in other environments. - Provides a global understanding of the complex dynamics of badlands through geology, geomorphology and soil science - Covers critical material properties for badlands development based on current knowledge and new data - Includes vegetation dynamics in different badlands systems and their relationship with geomorphology dynamics

Bioremediation in Latin America

Bioremediation in Latin America
Author: Analía Alvarez
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 311
Release: 2014-10-06
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3319057383

The book compiles an update information about the state of bioremediation in emerging Latin American countries. Some of the studied regions are sites that suffered decades of pollution by agrochemicals, heavy metals and industrial waste due to the lack of control by government regulations. Such is the case of Northern Argentina, where were illegally deposited over 30 tn of obsolete organochlorine pesticides in 1994. The content has focused in the use of native organisms (from bacteria to plants) as a viable solution to the problem of pollution, using low-cost and powerful techniques, socially well accepted and appropriate from the environmental point of view. In this context, levels of pesticide found in the Latin American population are informed. It was also displayed as a multidisciplinary approach based on concerns of a diverse group of researchers (biochemists, biologists, chemical engineers and geneticists) about a global problem, dealing with specific cases of study, with a view to project their findings to worldwide. In this regard, researchers provide their findings to regulatory sectors, whom could make appropriate decisions.

Proceedings of the Global Symposium on Soil Erosion

Proceedings of the Global Symposium on Soil Erosion
Author: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.
Total Pages: 682
Release: 2019-10-15
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 9251316848

The proceedings book of the Global Symposium on Soil Erosion (GSER19) contains all papers presented both orally and in poster format during the symposium (15-17 May 2019, FAO HQ). The papers presented have provided sufficient scientific evidence to show that soil erosion is a global threat to food production systems, available land for future demand, rural livelihoods, human health and biodiversity, and that coordinated effective action needs to be fostered and accelerated to address this issue. Studies presented provided scientific evidence that soil erosion is accelerated by anthropogenic action. In the current context of population increase and climate change, urgent action is needed from governments to support farmers and land-users in the transition to sustainable production systems, and crucial action is needed at global level to raise awareness of the importance of healthy and productive soils, to ensure a sustainable future and the achievement of many of the SDGs targeting hunger, water quality, and life on land, amongst others.