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17 - Chemical degradation of soils

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 November 2009

Riccardo Scalenghe
Affiliation:
Università degli Studi, Palermo, Italy
Peter Blaser
Affiliation:
Swiss Federal Institute for Forest Snow and Landscape
Giacomo Certini
Affiliation:
Università degli Studi di Firenze, Italy
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Summary

Soils can be considered as a finite non-renewable resource. A resource is any material that is of benefit to human life. The formation of soils through weathering of the underlying parent rock, the formation of humus, and the development of a soil structure all require a long time. The time span for soil development depends on the intensity of the soil forming factors. On average, the formation of a soil layer a few centimetres thick in a humid climate takes several hundred years (Jenny, 1980; Tutzing Project, 1998). In relation to the time span of a human life, any loss of soil is to be considered permanent.

Soil degradation as defined for the Global Assessment of Soil Degradation (ISRIC, 1990) is ‘a process that describes human-induced phenomena which lower the current and/or future capacity of the soil to support human life’. In other words, soil degradation can be defined as human-induced deterioration of its quality, which means the partial or entire loss of one or more functions of soil (Blum, 1988). Soil quality then should be related to the potential socioeconomical and ecological soil functions. Important ecological soil functions include the ability to produce biomass, to store nutrients and water, to transform plant residues to soil humus (humification), and to release organically bound elements by mineralization (nutrient cycling). Furthermore, soils operate as a buffer against acidification and as a filter for pollutants protecting ground and surface waters. Soils are also the habitat for plant roots and countless soil organisms.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2006

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  • Chemical degradation of soils
    • By Peter Blaser, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest Snow and Landscape
  • Edited by Giacomo Certini, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Italy
  • Riccardo Scalenghe, Università degli Studi, Palermo, Italy
  • Book: Soils: Basic Concepts and Future Challenges
  • Online publication: 11 November 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511535802.018
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  • Chemical degradation of soils
    • By Peter Blaser, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest Snow and Landscape
  • Edited by Giacomo Certini, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Italy
  • Riccardo Scalenghe, Università degli Studi, Palermo, Italy
  • Book: Soils: Basic Concepts and Future Challenges
  • Online publication: 11 November 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511535802.018
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Chemical degradation of soils
    • By Peter Blaser, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest Snow and Landscape
  • Edited by Giacomo Certini, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Italy
  • Riccardo Scalenghe, Università degli Studi, Palermo, Italy
  • Book: Soils: Basic Concepts and Future Challenges
  • Online publication: 11 November 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511535802.018
Available formats
×