This introductory book to the six volume series includes an introduction defining the critical zone for mankind that extends from tree canopy and the lower atmosphere to water table and unweathered rock. Soils play a crucial role through the functions and the services that they provide to mankind. The spatial and temporal variability of soils is represented by information systems whose importance, recent evolutions and increasingly performing applications in France and in the world must be...
One third of the world's soils have already been degraded. The burden on the land continues to grow under the combined pressures of demography, urbanization, artificialization and mining, and there are increased demands on agricultural land: changing dietary preferences, land speculation, as well as new demands for agroenergy, fiber, green chemistry, and more. Resulting issues such as soil crusting, water and wind erosion, soil salinization and soil acidity therefore constitute a major threat....
