The Ground (2nd edition) | Raoul Calvet

This new edition is an updated and concise presentation of knowledge about the constitution, properties, and functions of soils.First part, the mineral and organic constituents, their main chemical and physical characteristics, and their arrangements. Second part, physicochemical, chemical, and physical phenomena: * phenomena at the interfaces between the solid, liquid, and gaseous phases of the soil-* water and chemical substance transport phenomena-* abiotic and biochemical chemical transformations.Third part, applications of knowledge to three sets of processes:* the dynamics of chemical elements in the soil in relation to their biogeochemical cycles-* the soil's function as a biological environment for the living organisms of the soil, especially regarding the availability of water, chemical elements, and fertilizing and polluting chemical substances-* the environmental function of soils resulting from their role as biogeochemical reactors, sites of retention, degradation, and transfer, but also sources of polluting substances. Their characteristics are applied to describe their consequences on air, water, and soil quality, from chemical, physical, and biological perspectives. This knowledge is placed in a context related to significant concerns such as food and fiber production within the framework of sustainable agriculture, soil conservation, and the protection of water and air quality. The responses to these concerns largely involve understanding the processes that take place in the continental biosphere and in soils in particular. Indeed, the presentations show how soils are a hub of the biogeochemistry of chemical elements, are environments that ensure the growth and development of many living organisms, both animals and plants, and play a significant role in determining the quality of natural environments.Raoul Calvet is an agronomist, a Ph.D. in physical sciences, and an honorary professor at the National Agronomic Institute Paris-Grignon.