Kripal Singh, CSIR-Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Lucknow, India Description Fly ash, generated during coal combustion for thermal power generation, is dumped in man made ponds is a big problem to manage in several countries. In this picture, natural grasses are growing on a fly ash pond on National Thermal Power Plant, Unchahar, Uttar Pradesh, India. About Imaggeo Imaggeo is ...[Read More]
Sure can smell the rain
Fly, thought, on golden wings, go alight on the cliffs, on the hills, where the sweet airs of our native soil smell soft and mild! Chorus of the Hebrew slaves, Nabucco Giuseppe Verdi Have you ever noticed the smell of rain? Why does wet soil smell so good? The smell of wet soil plants oils released into the soil during dry periods is due. These substances accumulate in the soil and mix with ...[Read More]
Monday paper: Bayesian calibration of a soil organic carbon model using Δ14C measurements of soil organic carbon and heterotrophic respiration as joint constraints
Ahrens, B., Reichstein, M., Borken, W., Muhr, J., Trumbore, S. E., and Wutzler, T.: Bayesian calibration of a soil organic carbon model using Δ14C measurements of soil organic carbon and heterotrophic respiration as joint constraints, Biogeosciences, 11, 2147-2168, doi:10.5194/bg-11-2147-2014, 2014. Abstract Soils of temperate forests store significant amounts of organic matter and are cons ...[Read More]
Monday paper: Impacts of climate variability on wetland salinization in the North American prairies
Nachshon U, Ireson A, van der Kamp G, Davies SR, Wheater HS. 2014. Impacts of climate variability on wetland salinization in the North American prairies. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 18, 1251-1263. DOI: 10.5194/hess-18-1251-2014. Abstract The glaciated plains of the North American continent, also known as the “prairies”, are a complex hydrological system characterized by hummock ...[Read More]
Soils at Imaggeo: Gypsum concretions in a soil horizon
Antonio Jordán, University of Seville, Sevilla, Spain Most Gypsisols are formed when gypsum (calcium sulfate) from gypsiferous parent materials is dissolved and moves through soil water, precipitating in an accumulation soil horizons. Triassic rock outcrops in almost all Andalusia consist mainly of red and variegated clays and in some cases by clays of different colors are known as the iridescent ...[Read More]
Monday paper: Short-term changes in soil Munsell colour value, organic matter content and soil water repellency after a spring grassland fire in Lithuania
Pereira P, Úbeda X, Mataix-Solera J, Oliva M, Novara A: Short-term changes in soil Munsell colour value, organic matter content and soil water repellency after a spring grassland fire in Lithuania. Solid Earth, 5, 209-225. DOI: 10.5194/se-5-209-2014. Abstract Fire is a natural phenomenon with important implications on soil properties. The degree of this impact depends upon fire severity, the ecosy ...[Read More]
Monday paper: Thermal shock and splash effects on burned gypseous soils from the Ebro Basin (NE Spain)
León J, Seeger M, Badía D, Peters P, Echevarría T: Thermal shock and splash effects on burned gypseous soils from the Ebro Basin (NE Spain). Solid Earth, 5, 131-140. DOI: 10.5194/se-5-131-2014. Abstract Fire is a natural factor of landscape evolution in Mediterranean ecosystems. The middle Ebro Valley has extreme aridity, which results in a low plant cover and high soil erodibility, especially on ...[Read More]
Connectivity: an emerging issue
Antonio Jordán (University of Seville, Spain) Paulo Pereira (Mykolas Romeris University, Lithuania) Saskia Keesstra (Wageningen University, The Netherlands) Artemi Cerdà (University of Valencia, Spain) What is connectivity? Over the recent decades, a growing number of studies have highlighted the role of hydrological and sediment connectivity processes in relation to watershed management, t ...[Read More]
Soil wind erosion is influenced by soil inherent properties
Carlos M. Asensio Grima casensio@ual.es Department of Agronomy University of Almería, Spain Soil wind erosion is influenced by soil inherent properties, different wind characteristics and surface vegetation cover. For a better understanding of this process is necessary to explain the effect and consequences of wind erosion on the ground and especially in agricultural areas of southern, eastern and ...[Read More]
Images of soil erosion
Frans Kwaad, physical geographer Soil erosion is the removal of soil from cultivated land at a rate that is (much) higher than the rate that would occur under the natural vegetation at the considered site. Besides the loss of fertile topsoil, soil erosion entails the dissection of cultivated land by rills and gullies and the deposition of eroded soil material on roads, in residential areas, rivers ...[Read More]