Latest Soil Stories
The June GSA TODAY science article is now online and open access at http://www.geosociety.org/gsatoday/. In this issue, Gregory Retallack and Joshua Roering of the University of Oregon enter the long-standing debate as to whether rock platforms along coasts and rivers are the product of physical erosion or chemical weathering above the water table. Although the notion of wave-cut or stream-cut platforms is firmly entrenched in the literature, Retallack and Roering present the case that a...
The trend of below-average rainfall across Europe has continued into the first months of 2012. ESA’s SMOS water mission has revealed the negative consequences of this recent bout of ‘good’ weather. Western Europe is experiencing a severe lack of water because of this trend. Concern about the deficit of water is rising across European countries and their respective water agencies, in particular in Spain, France, Germany and the UK. The absence of sufficient water resources...
Water restoration often extends to the grounds surrounding a home or business. Cleveland OH (PRWEB) May 25, 2012 Restoration Local, one of the leading providers of water restoration services in the United States, is offering tips to homeowners on how to properly care for their yard following a flood or other major water damage event. Yards and landscaping may be severely damaged by flood waters, and will take special care in order to be preserved. Yard damage occurs anytime there is too...
PHILADELPHIA, May 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- FMC Corporation (NYSE: FMC) announced today that its soil and groundwater remediation technologies will be featured in more than 50 professional papers and poster sessions being presented at the upcoming International Conference on Remediation of Chlorinated and Recalcitrant Compounds. The signature conference, organized by Battelle, attracts more than 1,600 scientists, engineers, regulators, and other environmental professionals. The...
Underground soil cracks persist Deep cracks in soil can remain open underground even after they have visibly sealed on the surface, a new study has found. The results could have important implications for agricultural management around the timing and intensity of water and pesticide applications. "These soils are very fertile and provide the most productive agricultural land in Australia," said lead author Dr Anna-Katrin Greve, a postdoctoral fellow with UNSW's Connected Waters...
It was all too evident during the Dust Bowl what a disastrous impact wind can have on dry, unprotected topsoil. Now a new study has uncovered a less obvious, but still troubling, effect of wind: Not only can it carry away soil particles, but also the beneficial microbes that help build soil, detoxify contaminants, and recycle nutrients. Using a powerful DNA sequencing technique, called pyrosequencing, a team led by USDA-ARS scientists Terrence Gardner and Veronica Acosta-Martínez analyzed...
UD's long-term monitoring shows 60 percent reduction in acidity of Delaware rain Several decades ago, precipitation in Delaware was among the most acidic in the country. Pollutants in the air reacted with rainwater to sprinkle sulfuric, nitric and carbonic acids onto the ground below, affecting crops and ecosystems statewide. The scientific consensus is that pollution controls enacted through the Clean Air Act Amendments in the 1990s and other measures have helped decrease the acidity...
FRESNO, Calif., May 3, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- PureSense announced today that it will present the research results of a joint field study conducted with the Russell Ranch Sustainable Agriculture Facility at UC Davis at the Russell Ranch Field Day May 31, 2012. The industry-impacting research results will reveal a novel method for determining local, cropspecific water demand levels in real-time to improve irrigation scheduling. The results will also demonstrate how soil-moisture...
MARYSVILLE, Ohio, May 3, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Every gardener in Albuquerque, Colorado Springs and Denver knows not all native soils are created equal. This spring, Miracle-Gro leveled the growing field, launching Expand 'n Gro Organic Planting Mix, for organic gardening. This extraordinary, 100 percent natural and organic planting mix can be used anywhere-in ground and in-pots. When used in-ground, Expand 'n Gro works as a soil amendment, improving soil structure; it also helps...
CHARLOTTE, N.C., April 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Organic Plant Health, Inc. (OTCQB: OPHI), a manufacturer and distributor of organic-based, hybrid and environmentally responsible fertilizers, soil conditioners and pest controls, is pleased to provide an update on industry growth and the company's activities. According to a study conducted by marketresearch.com, organic-based fertilizer products presently represent a small share of the $9 billion consumer packaged lawn and garden...
Latest Soil Reference Libraries
Desertification is a form of land degradation in which a comparatively dry land area becomes more and more arid, normally losing its bodies of water along with its wildlife and vegetation. This is a result of a variety of factors, such as climate change and human activities. Desertification is an important global, ecological, and environmental issue. There is substantial controversy over the proper definition of the term “desertification”. The most broadly accepted of these is that of...
Land degradation is a process in which the value of the biophysical environment is affected by one or more combination of human-induced processes acting on the land. It is also the gradual destruction or reduction of the quality and quantity of human activities, animal activities or natural means. It is viewed as any change or disturbance to the land perceived to be deleterious or unwanted. Natural hazards are not included in the causes; however, human activities can indirectly affect...
Erosion is the process by which rock and soil are taken from the surface of the Earth by exogenetic processes like wind or the flow of water, and then transported and deposited in another location. While erosion is a natural process, human activities have increased by 10 to 40 times the rate at which erosion is happening globally. Excessive erosion results in problems such as desertification, decreases in agricultural productivity because of land degradation, sedimentation of waterways,...
Soil salinity is the salt content within the soil; the process of increasing the content of salt is known as salination. Salt is a natural element of water and soils. Salination can be a result of natural processes such as the gradual withdrawal of an ocean or mineral weathering. It can be caused by artificial processes such as irrigation as well. Soils that are affected by salt are a result of excess accumulation of salts, normally most obvious at the surface of the soil. Salts can be...
Vermicompost is composting with the use of special earthworms. Red wigglers and white worms are the more common worms used, although European night crawlers can be used as well. Red wigglers can be found living in manure piles and in rotting vegetation and adapt the best in covered worm bins. Common earthworms burrow deeply and are not recommended for use in compost bins. Blue worms are commonly used in the tropics. Worms are used to decompose vegetable and food waste along with bedding...
