Agriculture is strongly affected by changes in soil hydrology as well as changes in land use and management practices and the complex interactions between them. This book develops an understanding of these interactions on a watershed scale, using soil hydrology models and addresses the consequences of land use and management changes on agriculture from a research perspective. Case studies illustrate the impact of land use and management on various soil hydrological parameters under different climates and ecosystems.

Agriculture is strongly affected by changes in soil hydrology as well as changes in land use and management practices and the complex interactions between them. This book aims to develop an understanding of these interactions on a watershed scale, using soil hydrology models and addresses the consequences of land use and management changes on agriculture from a research perspective. It includes case studies that illustrate the impact of land use and management on various soil hydrological parameters under different climates and ecosystems. It is suitable for researchers and students in soil sc

This collection of 11 papers introduces broad topics covering various professional disciplines related to the research arena of land use and water quality. The papers exemplify the important links between agriculture and water quality in surface and ground waters as well as the pollution problems around urban areas. Advancement of new technologies for analyzing links between land use and water quality problems as well as insights into new tools for analyzing large monitoring datasets are highlighted in this collection of papers.

This open access book synthesizes leading-edge science and management information about forest and rangeland soils of the United States. It offers ways to better understand changing conditions and their impacts on soils, and explores directions that positively affect the future of forest and rangeland soil health. This book outlines soil processes and identifies the research needed to manage forest and rangeland soils in the United States. Chapters give an overview of the state of forest and rangeland soils research in the Nation, including multi-decadal programs (chapter 1), then summarizes various human-caused and natural impacts and their effects on soil carbon, hydrology, biogeochemistry, and biological diversity (chapters 2–5). Other chapters look at the effects of changing conditions on forest soils in wetland and urban settings (chapters 6–7). Impacts include: climate change, severe wildfires, invasive species, pests and diseases, pollution, and land use change. Chapter 8 considers approaches to maintaining or regaining forest and rangeland soil health in the face of these varied impacts. Mapping, monitoring, and data sharing are discussed in chapter 9 as ways to leverage scientific and human resources to address soil health at scales from the landscape to the individual parcel (monitoring networks, data sharing Web sites, and educational soils-centered programs are tabulated in appendix B). Chapter 10 highlights opportunities for deepening our understanding of soils and for sustaining long-term ecosystem health and appendix C summarizes research needs. Nine regional summaries (appendix A) offer a more detailed look at forest and rangeland soils in the United States and its Affiliates.

Soil hydrology determines the water–soil–plant interactions in the Earth’s system because porous medium acts as an interface within the atmosphere and lithosphere; regulates main processes such as runoff discharge, aquifer recharge, movement of water, and solutes into the soil; and ultimately the amount of water retained and available for plants growth. Soil hydrology can be strongly affected by land management. Therefore, investigations aimed at assessing the impact of land management changes on soil hydrology are necessary, especially to optimize water resources. This Special Issue collects 12 original contributions addressing the state-of-the-art advances in soil hydrology for sustainable land management. These contributions cover a wide range of topics including (i) the effects of land use change, (ii) water use efficiency, (iii) erosion risk, (iv) solute transport, and (v) new methods and devices for improved characterization of soil physical and hydraulic properties. They include both field and laboratory experiments as well as modelling studies. Different spatial scales, i.e., from field to regional scales, and a wide range of geographic regions are also covered. The collection of these manuscripts presented in this Special Issue provides a relevant knowledge contribution for effective saving water resources and sustainable land management.

Chapter 1: Rice and its environment. Chapter 2: The geography of rice (oryza sativa L.). Chapter 3: The hidrology of rice-lands. Chapter 4: Classification of soils on which rice is Grown. Chapter 5: Soil-forming process in aquatic rice lands. Chapter 6: Soil and land properties that affect the growth of rice. Chapter 7: Elements for evaluation of land for rice growing.

A practical, bipartisan call to action from the world’s leading thinkers on the environment and sustainability Sustainability has emerged as a global priority over the past several years. The 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change and the adoption of the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals through the United Nations have highlighted the need to address critical challenges such as the buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, water shortages, and air pollution. But in the United States, partisan divides, regional disputes, and deep disagreements over core principles have made it nearly impossible to chart a course toward a sustainable future. This timely new book, edited by celebrated scholar Daniel C. Esty, offers fresh thinking and forward-looking solutions from environmental thought leaders across the political spectrum. The book’s forty essays cover such subjects as ecology, environmental justice, Big Data, public health, and climate change, all with an emphasis on sustainability. The book focuses on moving toward sustainability through actionable, bipartisan approaches based on rigorous analytical research.

Explores soil as a nexus for water, chemicals, and biologically coupled nutrient cycling Soil is a narrow but critically important zone on Earth's surface. It is the interface for water and carbon recycling from above and part of the cycling of sediment and rock from below. Hydrogeology, Chemical Weathering, and Soil Formation places chemical weathering and soil formation in its geological, climatological, biological and hydrological perspective. Volume highlights include: The evolution of soils over 3.25 billion years Basic processes contributing to soil formation How chemical weathering and soil formation relate to water and energy fluxes The role of pedogenesis in geomorphology Relationships between climate soils and biota Soils, aeolian deposits, and crusts as geologic dating tools Impacts of land-use change on soils The American Geophysical Union promotes discovery in Earth and space science for the benefit of humanity. Its publications disseminate scientific knowledge and provide resources for researchers, students, and professionals. Find out more about this book from this Q&A with the Editors

This publication comes with computer software and presents a comprehensive simulation model designed to predict the hydrologic response, including potential for surface and groundwater contamination, of alternative crop-management systems. It simulates crop development and the movement of water, nutrients and pesticides over and through the root zone for a representative unit area of an agricultural field over multiple years. The model allows simulation of a wide spectrum of management practices and scenarios with special features such as the rapid transport of surface-applied chemicals through macropores to deeper depths and the preferential transport of chemicals within the soil matrix via mobile-immobile zones. The transfer of surface-applied chemicals (pesticides in particular) to runoff water is also an important component.