Soil is a product of its natural environment and the ways in which humans use it" Discuss

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“Soil is a product of its natural environment and the ways in which humans use it”

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        In this essay, I will be looking at soil and will be discussing the different factors which influence the soil, the different types of soil found as a result in the UK and the ways in which humans can affect the soil.

Soil is a thin surface layer of the earths crust and provides the foundation for plant and animal life on land. Soil is a large, dynamic ecosystem and is made up of many different components such as; water, mineral matter, air and organic matter. The residual layer of weathered material that has accumulated over a long period of time is known as regolith.

        There are many different factors that can affect and influence the soil, these include; the parent material, the climate, topography, organisms and time. The parent material is the underlying rock which is eroded at different rates and supplies the minerals to the soil, and this can make a large impact on the soil. The minerals that are provided by the parent material erode at different rates and use different processes of weathering. Other impacts that the parent material has on the soil type is the soils depth, texture, permeability and the soils nutrient content, as well as this, the parent material also has an impact on the soils colour.

Another large factor that can affect soil is the climate. The climate of the area, determines the soil type on a larger global scale then other factors. Climate also determines vegetation cover which in turn influences soil development. The climate can affect the rate of the parents rock erosion, in a hot humid environment, the parent rock would have a rapid breakdown, resulting in soil being formed in a considerably shorter timescale. Rainfall intensity are also very important to the soil, in heavy rainfall areas there is increased leaching, and the soil transports nutrients out of the soil by water, when leaching is high, it can result in the soil becoming slightly acidic. In areas where the rainfall is lower, water and minerals may be drawn up out of the soil, by the process known as capillary action. Climate probably has the largest impact on soil formation and soil type.

Organisms are also another large impact on soil formation. The particular animals that make a large impact on the soil are micro-organisms such as bacteria and fungi, and simply any other animal that contributes to the nutrient cycle. Plants take up the nutrients which can be found in the soil and return them once they die and decay. This is recycling of the plants nutrients and is encouraged by the activity of these micro-organisms that help the decomposition of the dead vegetation. Whilst this process is going on, there are macro-organisms which are helping to aerate and mix the soil up.

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Topography has a significant impact on soil formation as it determines runoff of water, and its orientation affects microclimate which in turn affects vegetation. As the height of the land increases, the amount of precipitation, cloud cover and the strength of the wind also increase. Water erosion is more effective on steeper, un-vegetated slopes. The steeper the slope, there is a greater amount of water on these steep slopes, and the minerals are washed to the base of the slope, this can result in a very thin soil. This can encourage mass movement and land slides. The more gentle the ...

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