Download or read book Dirt written by David R. Montgomery and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2007-05-14 with total page 299 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Dirt, soil, call it what you want—it's everywhere we go. It is the root of our existence, supporting our feet, our farms, our cities. This fascinating yet disquieting book finds, however, that we are running out of dirt, and it's no laughing matter. An engaging natural and cultural history of soil that sweeps from ancient civilizations to modern times, Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations explores the compelling idea that we are—and have long been—using up Earth's soil. Once bare of protective vegetation and exposed to wind and rain, cultivated soils erode bit by bit, slowly enough to be ignored in a single lifetime but fast enough over centuries to limit the lifespan of civilizations. A rich mix of history, archaeology and geology, Dirt traces the role of soil use and abuse in the history of Mesopotamia, Ancient Greece, the Roman Empire, China, European colonialism, Central America, and the American push westward. We see how soil has shaped us and we have shaped soil—as society after society has risen, prospered, and plowed through a natural endowment of fertile dirt. David R. Montgomery sees in the recent rise of organic and no-till farming the hope for a new agricultural revolution that might help us avoid the fate of previous civilizations.
Download or read book Past and Present Soil Erosion written by Martin Bell and published by Oxbow Books Limited. This book was released on 1992 with total page 250 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: These twenty papers are based on a meeting at the Institute of Archaeology, London in May, 1991. They fall into four categories: Lowland Britain: Linking archaeology and geomorphology (John Boardman and Martin Bell), South Downs (John Boardman), Prehistory (Martin Bell), Prehistoric land-use of the Wessex Chalk (Michael J Allen), England and Wales (R Evans), Woburn Experimental Farm, Beds. (J A Catt), The floodplain edge (A G Brown), The Slapton catchment, Devon (Louise Heathwaite and Tim Burt); North West Europe: Western Europe from the last interglacial to the present (B Van Vliet-Lanoe, M Helluin, J Pellerin and B Valadas), Holocene colluvial deposits on the slopes of the Paris Basin (C Kuzucuoglu, L Lespez and J-F Pastre); Mediterranean Erosion: A reconsideration of pattern, process and methodology (John Bintliff), Greece, neolithic to present (Eberhard Zangger), Viotia, Greece (D A Davidson and S P Theocharopoulos), Vasilikos Valley, Cyprus (Malcolm Wagstaff), Montagnola Senese, Italy (C O Hunt, D D Gilburtson and R E Donahue); Analytical Techniques and Modelling: Dry valleys in Kent (R C Preece), Patterns and rates using caesium-137 (T A Quine and D E Walling), Soil micromorphological evidence (Richard Macphail), Soil deposition and its implications for environmental reconstruction (P J Farres, S J Wood and S Seeliger), Semi-arid archaeological sites (John Wainwright).
Download or read book Historical Agriculture and Soil Erosion in the Upper Mississippi Valley Hill Country written by Stanley W. Trimble and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2017-10-23 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This thought-provoking book demonstrates how processes of landscape transformation, usually illustrated only in simplified or idealized form, play out over time in real, complex landscapes. Trimble illustrates how a simple landscape disturbance, generated in this case by agriculture, can spread an astonishing variety of altered hydrologic and sedimentation processes throughout a drainage basin. The changes have spatial and temporal patterns forced on them by the distinctive topographic structure of drainage basins. "Through painstaking field surveys, comparative photographic records, careful dating, a skillful eye for subtle landscape features, and a geographer's interdisciplinary understanding of landscape processes, the author leads the reader through the arc of an instructive and encouraging story. Farmers--whose unfamiliarity with new environmental conditions led initially to landscape destruction, impoverishment, and instability--eventually adapted their land use and settlement practices and, supported by government institutions, recovered and enriched the same working landscape. "For the natural scientist, Historical Agriculture and Soil Erosion in the Upper Mississippi Valley Hill Country illustrates how an initially simple alteration of land cover can set off a train of unanticipated changes to runoff, erosion, and sedimentation processes that spread through a landscape over decades--impoverishing downstream landscapes and communities. Distinct zones of the landscape respond differently and in sequence. The effects take a surprisingly long time to spread through a landscape because sediment moves short distances during storms and can persist for decades or centuries in relatively stable forms where it resists further movement because of consolidation, plant reinforcement, and low gradients. "For the social scientist, the book raises questions of whether and how people can be alerted early to their potential for environmental disturbance, but also for learning and adopting restorative practices. Trimble's commitment to all aspects of this problem should energize both groups." --Professor Thomas Dunne, Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, UC Santa Barbara
Download or read book Soil Erosion Conservation and Rehabilitation written by Menachem Agassi and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2023-05-31 with total page 430 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Discusses the latest information regarding the processes and mechanisms responsible for runoff and erosion by water in arable lands--detailing state-of-the-art water and soil conservation methods. Elucidates the rehabilitation of agricultural lands depleted by human activity.
Download or read book Soil Erosion and Conservation written by Royston Philip Charles Morgan and published by Longman Scientific and Technical. This book was released on 1995 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Provides comprehensive treatment of soil erosion processes and their control and a practical approach of the design of soil conservation methods.
Download or read book Soil Erosion written by Terrence J. Toy and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2002-05-27 with total page 360 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: - Problem der Bodenerosion wird hier mit ganzheitlichem Ansatz besprochen - Ursachen und Auswirkungen der Erosion werden in sozialökonomischen Kontext gebracht - ausführliche Angaben über Methoden der Verfolgung von Bodenerosion (GPS, GIS, Erdfernerkundung) - mit einer gut verständlichen allgemeinen Einführung in Bodenkunde und Hydrologie
Download or read book A World Without Soil written by Jo Handelsman and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2021-01-01 with total page 281 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A celebrated biologist's manifesto addressing a soil loss crisis accelerated by poor conservation practices and climate change "Jo Handelsman is a national treasure, and her clarion call warning of a looming soil-loss catastrophe must be heard. Add her clearly written alarm to other future-shocks: climate change, pandemics, and mass extinctions."--Laurie Garrett, Pulitzer Prize winner and author of The Coming Plague: Newly Emerging Diseases in a World out of Balance "The ground beneath our feet is slipping away as we lose the precious soil that sustains us. Jo Handelsman's writing--as rich and life supporting as the soil itself--is a riveting warning."--Alan Alda, actor, writer, and host of the podcast Clear+Vivid with Alan Alda This book by celebrated biologist Jo Handelsman lays bare the complex connections among climate change, soil erosion, food and water security, and drug discovery. Humans depend on soil for 95 percent of global food production, yet let it erode at unsustainable rates. In the United States, China, and India, vast tracts of farmland will be barren of topsoil within this century. The combination of intensifying erosion caused by climate change and the increasing food needs of a growing world population is creating a desperate need for solutions to this crisis. Writing for a nonspecialist audience, Jo Handelsman celebrates the capacities of soil and explores the soil-related challenges of the near future. She begins by telling soil's origin story, explains how it erodes and the subsequent repercussions worldwide, and offers solutions. She considers lessons learned from indigenous people who have sustainably farmed the same land for thousands of years, practices developed for large-scale agriculture, and proposals using technology and policy initiatives.
Download or read book Soil Erosion in Europe written by John Boardman and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2007-01-11 with total page 878 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Provides a unique and comprehensive assessment of soil erosion throughout Europe, an important aspect to control and manage if landscapes are to be sustained for the future. Written in two parts, Soil Erosion in Europe primarily focuses on current issues, area specific soil erosion rates, on and off-site impacts, government responses, soil conservation measures, and soil erosion risk maps. The first part overviews the erosion processes and the problems encountered within each European country, whilst the second section takes a cross-cutting theme approach. Based on an EU-funded project that has been running for four years with erosion scientists from 19 countries Reviews contemporary erosion processes and rates on arable and rangeland in Europe Looks at current issues, such as socio-economic drivers, controlling factors specific to the country and changes in land use
Download or read book Soil erosion the greatest challenge for sustainable soil management written by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and published by Food & Agriculture Org.. This book was released on 2019-05-16 with total page 104 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Despite almost a century of research and extension efforts, soil erosion by water, wind and tillage continues to be the greatest threat to soil health and soil ecosystem services in many regions of the world. Our understanding of the physical processes of erosion and the controls on those processes has been firmly established. Nevertheless, some elements remain controversial. It is often these controversial questions that hamper efforts to implement sound erosion control measures in many areas of the world. This book, released in the framework of the Global Symposium on Soil Erosion (15-17 May 2019) reviews the state-of-the-art information related to all topics related to soil erosion.
Download or read book Soil Erosion written by António Vieira and published by BoD – Books on Demand. This book was released on 2021-05-12 with total page 153 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Soil erosion is a major environmental issue with a worldwide impact and direct and indirect effects on soil productivity and consequently on human survival. Although a natural process, soil erosion has increased significantly due to human intervention, especially in the last centuries, through diverse activities such as intensive agriculture, overgrazing, urban sprawl, deforestation, and industrial and mining activities. Presently, soil erosion and degradation promoted by human action have reached extreme levels, necessitating urgent measures to promote soil conservation and rehabilitation. This book presents perspectives on soil erosion occurring in different parts of the world as well as some successful initiatives and strategies for soil conservation and rehabilitation.
Download or read book Soil Quality and Soil Erosion written by Raj Ratta and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2018-12-18 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This work examines the issue of accelerated soil erosion, which has become an increasingly serious concern in the twentieth century. Aspects considered include on-site impact of erosion; application of soil science to problems of non-agricultural uses of soil, such as mineland restoration, urban uses and disposal of urban wastes; soil contamination and pollution by industrial activities; and athletic and recreational uses of soil. Soil Quality and Soil Erosion will be a useful text for soil scientists, agronomists, foresters, and environmental scientists as we enter the next century.
Download or read book The Political Economy of Soil Erosion in Developing Countries written by Piers Blaikie and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-05-20 with total page 201 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: First published in 1985. This book examines wide variety of ways in which environmental deterioration, in particular soil erosion, can be viewed and the implicit political judgements that often inform them. Using the context of developing countries, where the effects tend to be more acute due to underdevelopment and climatic factors, this work aims to examine this source of uncertainty and make explicit the underlying assumptions in the debate about soil erosion. It also rejects the notion that soil erosion is a politically neutral issue and argues that conservation requires fundamental social change. This title will be of interest to students of environmental and developmental studies.
Download or read book Growing a Revolution Bringing Our Soil Back to Life written by David R. Montgomery and published by W. W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 2017-05-09 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Finalist for the PEN/E. O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award "A call to action that underscores a common goal: to change the world from the ground up." —Dan Barber, author of The Third Plate For centuries, agricultural practices have eroded the soil that farming depends on, stripping it of the organic matter vital to its productivity. Now conventional agriculture is threatening disaster for the world’s growing population. In Growing a Revolution, geologist David R. Montgomery travels the world, meeting farmers at the forefront of an agricultural movement to restore soil health. From Kansas to Ghana, he sees why adopting the three tenets of conservation agriculture—ditching the plow, planting cover crops, and growing a diversity of crops—is the solution. When farmers restore fertility to the land, this helps feed the world, cool the planet, reduce pollution, and return profitability to family farms.
Download or read book Soil Remediation written by and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 428 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Soil remediation deals with the removal of pollution or contaminants from environmental media such as soil and groundwater. This book presents new research the contamination of building materials with chemicals, which occurs as a result of storage, spills, and also catastrophic floods and hurricanes. Included in this book is an analysis and comparison of three protocols for the removal of chemicals trapped within building materials. The substantial economic consequences of heavy metal contamination in ecosystems, which poses major environmental problems world-wide, are presented as well. This book discusses the use of plants to remove or immobilise contaminants as a potentially safe and low cost method for the remediation of metal contaminated soil. Membrane techniques applied in water treatment from soil remediation are also reviewed and discussed with the aim to remove and/or recover metals and recycle water.
Download or read book Imperial Gullies written by Kate Barger Showers and published by Ohio University Press. This book was released on 2005 with total page 377 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Once the grain basket for South Africa, much of Lesotho has become a scarred and treeless wasteland. The nation's spectacular gullying has concerned environmentalists and conservationists for more than half a century, In Imperial Gullies: Soil Erosion and Conservation in Lesotho, Kate B. Showers documents the truth behind this devastation. Showers reconstructs the history of the landscape, beginning with a history of the soil. She concludes that Lesotho's distinctive erosion chasms, called dongas, often cited as an example of destructive land-use practices by African farmers, actually were caused by colonial and postcolonial practices. The residents of Lesotho emerge as victims of a failed technology. Their efforts to mitigate or resist implementation of destructive soil conservation engineering works were thwarted, and they were blamed for the consequences of policies promoted by international soil conservationists since the 1930s. Imperial Gullies calls for an observational, experimental and, most importantly, a fully consultative and participatory approach to address Lesotho's serious contemporary problems of soil erosion. The first book to bring to center stage the historical practice of colonial soil science and a cautionary tale of western science in unfamiliar terrain it will interest a broad, interdisciplinary audience in African and environmental studies, social sciences, and history. "Showers shows how local people understood that colonial contour conservation methods and road building actually stimulated gully erosion, something colonial scientists failed to realize. Overall it is undoubtedly one of the most important books written to date on any part of the environmental history of Africa. Moreover it stands out in the discipline of environmental history in general as an unusually sophisticated work of great insight and explanatory power."---Richard H. Grove, author of Green Imperialism: Colonial Expansion, Tropical Island Edens and the Origins of Environmentalism, 1600-1860 Kate B. Showers is a visiting research fellow and senior research associate at the Centre for World Environmental History, University of Sussex, England. She has lived in rural Lesotho and has served as head of research, Institute of Southern African Studies, National University of Lesotho.
Download or read book Handbook of Erosion Modelling written by R. P. C. Morgan and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2016-04-13 with total page 608 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The movement of sediment and associated pollutants over thelandscape and into water bodies is of increasing concern withrespect to pollution control, prevention of muddy floods andenvironmental protection. In addition, the loss of soil on site hasimplications for declining agricultural productivity, loss ofbiodiversity and decreased amenity and landscape value. The fate ofsediment and the conservation of soil are important issues for landmanagers and decision-makers. In developing appropriate policiesand solutions, managers and researchers are making greater use oferosion models to characterise the processes of erosion and theirinteraction with the landscape. A study of erosion requires one to think in terms ofmicroseconds to understand the mechanics of impact of a singleraindrop on a soil surface, while landscapes form over periods ofthousands of years. These processes operate on scales ofmillimetres for single raindrops to mega-metres for continents.Erosion modelling thus covers quite a lot of ground. This bookintroduces the conceptual and mathematical frameworks used toformulate models of soil erosion and uses case studies to show howmodels are applied to a variety of purposes at a range of spatialand temporal scales. The aim is to provide land managers and otherswith the tools required to select a model appropriate to the typeand scale of erosion problem, to show what users can expect interms of accuracy of model predictions and to provide anappreciation of both the advantages and limitations of models.Problems covered include those arising from agriculture, theconstruction industry, pollution and climatic change and range inscale from farms to small and large catchments. The book will alsobe useful to students and research scientists as an up-to-datereview of the state-of-art of erosion modelling and, through aknowledge of how models are used in practice, in highlighting thegaps in knowledge that need to be filled in order to develop evenbetter models.
Download or read book Soil Erosion and Conservation written by R. P. Tripathi and published by New Age International. This book was released on 2001 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This Book Has Been Prepared To Serve As A Textbook For Undergraduate And Graduate Students, Teachers And A Book Of Reference For Researchers. The Unique Feature Of This Book Is That Theory And Practice Have Been Dealt Together. The Basic Principles Have Been Dealt Systematically In A Concise Form Considering The Need Of Average Student.First Four Chapters Deal With Principles Of Erosion, Causes, Effects, Mechanisms Involved In Erosion By Water And Wind. Various Aspects Of Soil Conservation Are Discussed In Five Subsequent Chapters. A Separate Chapter On Watershed Management And A Chapter On Overview Of Soil Conservation Work In India And A Glossary Of Selected Terms In Soil Erosion And Conservation Are Also Given. This Book Should Interest To Students And Professionals In The Fields Of Agriculture, Soil Science, Agronomy, Horticulture, Forestry, Agroforestry, Hydrology, Agricultural Engineering/Soil And Water Conservation Engineering, Economics And Environmental Sciences.
