Soil is a fragile, finite resource. How societies manage their soils can directly impact their environments and may even be a determining factor in a society’s long-term success or failure. President Franklin D. Roosevelt eloquently stated the significance of soils to the global community when he said, “A nation that destroys its soils destroys itself”. Soils, Society and the Environment, produced in cooperation with the Soil Science Society of America, the USDA Natural Resources Service and the U.S. Geological Survey, focuses mainly on soil as society’s primary source of food and fiber (such as cotton and wood). Growing plants in soil is the only known way to produce large quantities of these necessities, and the implications of that fact are profound. To increase public understanding and appreciation of soils, the American Geological Institute has prepared this publication in conjunction with the 18th World Congress of Soil Science to be held July 9-15, 2006, in Philadelphia. Includes a full-color poster with an investigative activity for students on back.

Soil, Society and the Environment

David B. SMith

John M. Kimble

Thomas E. Loynachan

Kirk W. Brown

Terence H. Cooper

Murray H. Milford

American Geological Institute

Soil Degradation in the United States

RATTAN LAL

Thomas Iivari

Taylor&Francis

This report assesses the potential of U.S. cropland to sequester carbon, concluding that properly applied soil restorative processes and best management practices can help mitigate the greenhouse effect by decreasing the emissions of greenhouse gases from U.S. agricultural activities and by making U.S. cropland a major sink for carbon sequestration. Topics include: 
<li>Describe the greenhouse processes and global tends in emissions as well as the three principal components of anthropogenic global warming potential 
</li>
<li>Present data on U.S. emissions and agriculture's related role 
</li>
<li>Examines the soil organic carbon (SOC) pool in soils of the U.S. and its loss due to cultivation 
</li>
<li>Provides a reference for the magnitude of carbon sequestration potential 
</li>
<li>Analyzes the primary processes governing greenhouse gas emission from the pedosphere 
</li>
<li>Establishes a link between SOC content and soil quality 
</li>
<li>Outlines strategies for mitigating emissions from U.S. cropland 
</li>
<li>Discusses soil erosion management 
</li>
<li>Assesses the potential of using cropland to create biomass for direct fuel to produce power 
</li>
<li>Details the potential for sequestering carbon by intensifying prime agricultural land The Potential of U.S. Cropland to Sequester Carbon and Mitigate the Greenhouse Effect provides an exceptional framework for the adoption of science-based management methods on U.S. cropland, encouraging appropriate agricultural practices for the sustainable use of our natural resources and the improvement of our nation's environment.</li>

The Potential of U.S. Cropland to Sequester Carbon and Mitigate the Greenhouse Effect

Crafts, Hobbies & Home

Ronald F. Follett

C. Vernon Cole

Gardening & Landscape Design

CRC-Press

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Books by John M. Kimble