ENV100Y5 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Cation-Exchange Capacity, Soil Horizon, Soil Texture
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ENV100Y5 Full Course Notes
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Document Summary
Peat soils formed over 8000 years; up to 6m thick. Carbon balance in peat: primary production stores carbon, decomposition releases carbon. Interdisciplinary research project studying the influence of climate on carbon balance. Parent material = base geologic material of soil. Bedrock = continuous mass of solid rock (the earth"s crust) Physical (mechanical) = no chemical changes in parent material. Chemical = substances that chemically interact with parent material. Biological = organisms that break down parent material. Factors that affect soil formation: parent material composition (mineral content, climate (temperature, precipitation, topography (steepness of slope, vegetation (root activity; protective cover, biological activity (soil microbes and fauna; decomposition and accumulation of organic matter. Soil profile = the cross-section of soil as a whole. Layers differ in colour, texture, nutrient content/chemical composition. Contributes significantly to soil structure; influences water retention, nutrient content, cation exchange capacity. Black or dark brown = organic matter.
