Soils as a Key Component of the Critical Zone 4

Description

This book provides the most up-to-date knowledge on water in soils and applications for the best use of our water resources.

It first addresses the influence of soils on water quality, which is linked to rock weathering, soil formation, acidity and waterlogging. Here, the constituents of soils – such as clay minerals and iron oxides – play a major role. These modifications also have an impact on biogeochemical processes at the global scale, including the carbon cycle and the composition of the atmosphere.

Secondly, this book discusses soil salinity, alkalinity and sodification in climates spanning from Mediterranean to arid. Here, water quality results from the concentration of solutes by evaporation and the transpiration of plants. The proper management of irrigation both protects soils against acidification and ensures sustainable agroecological development, while improper management leads to soil degradation and groundwater overexploitation.

Lastly, the book describes how excess transfer of phosphorus in lakes results from a cascade of liberation and immobilization in the structure of the surrounding landscape. This leads to a general integrative method to limit eutrophication and restore the quality of water bodies.

Contents

1. Water Quality in Soils, Guilhem Bourrié, Fabienne Trolard.
2. Irrigation, Water and Soil Quality,
Guilhem Bourrié, Nassira Salhi, Rabia Slimani, Abdelkader Douaoui, Belhadj Hamdi-Aïssa, Gihan Mohammed, Fabienne Trolard.
3. The Regulation of Phosphorus Transfer,Jean-Marcel Dorioz.

About the authors/editors

Guilhem Bourrié, a member of the Académie d’Agriculture de France, is a pedologist and geochemist.

Downloads

Table of Contents
PDF File 186 Kb

Related subjects

• Geosciences
• Environmental Sciences