GEOG 106 Lecture Notes - Lecture 26: Loam, Gully, Overgrazing
Document Summary
Composition: mineral & organic classification, most soil contains 3- 5% organic matter within 10- 50cm of surface, organic energy system (soil provides & retains nutrients/chemicals, absorbs moisture) Soil water: water central to every facet of soil. Infiltration capacity = rate of penetration: three pathways = capillary water, gravity water, evapotranspiration, moisture budget = moisture received from & lost to atmosphere (positive, negative intermediate) Soil formation regimes: wet tropical, desert & grassland, midlatitude forest, permafrost tundra, wetland, floodplain, cropland. Soil erosion: process of soil particles picked up and carried away by water or wind, occurs when soil is bared and exposed to elements, types of soil erosion (% of total degraded land. Agricultural capacity declines, leaving people stranded on damaged land. Desertification: transformation of vegetated landscapes into deserts as a result of environmental degradation by humans and stress by drought. Slow steady deterioration of dry land areas.
