Accessibility navigation


The Soil: Nature, Sustainable Use, Management, and Protection - An Overview

Nortcliff, S. (2009) The Soil: Nature, Sustainable Use, Management, and Protection - An Overview. Gaia-Ecological Perspectives for Science and Society, 18 (1). pp. 58-68. ISSN 0940-5550

Full text not archived in this repository.

It is advisable to refer to the publisher's version if you intend to cite from this work. See Guidance on citing.

Official URL: http://www.oekom.de/etc/gaia

Abstract/Summary

Soil forms the outer skin of the earth's land surface. Often less than a metre in depth, it is essential to sustain natural terrestrial ecosystems and human life. Soils result from the interactions over time between climate, parent material, topography, vegetation, and biota. They vary from place to place. Mineral soils are composed of mineral matter, organic matter, and gas- or liquid-filled pores in varying proportions. Soils perform a wide range of functions and provide many ecosystem or environmental services; with the climate problem, the soil is increasingly being recognised as a potential sink for carbon from the atmosphere. In part because of humankind's (over)use of soils and in part because of natural and human-induced environmental change, there is a widespread decline in soil quality and an increasing number of threats to soil, which jeopardise both the soil's natural functions and its use by humans. As a limited resource, soils must be used sustainably. Soil protection strategies have been indirectly embodied in a number of United Nations conventions, and there are now national and supranational developments towards specific regulations and legislation to protect soils and their functions.

Item Type:Article
Divisions:Science > School of Archaeology, Geography and Environmental Science > Department of Geography and Environmental Science
Science > School of Archaeology, Geography and Environmental Science > Earth Systems Science
Interdisciplinary centres and themes > Soil Research Centre
ID Code:3933
Uncontrolled Keywords:carbon sequestration; ecosystem services; soil composition; soil formation; soil functions; soil protection; soil quality; threats to soil
Additional Information:

University Staff: Request a correction | Centaur Editors: Update this record

Page navigation