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CH3041
THE SOIL
ENVIRONMENT
• The soil is a
central feature of the environment
as it is an open, dynamic system that is
linked to the atmosphere, hydrosphere,
geosphere and biosphere.
• The industry with the biggest impact on the soil is agriculture. (land
clearance, fertilizers,
pesticides, irrigation ...)
• Productive
soil is the most fundamental requirement of agriculture.
• Soil fertility relies primarily on the organic matter and clay minerals in the topsoil.
• Soil is a large dynamic
reservoir in global biogeochemical element cycles (C,P,N,S…).
