| Division 1. | Soil in Space and Time | ||||||||||||
| Lay Description
Division 1 is the "What." It looks at the soil as a body and how it was formed, the extent of it global coverage, and the many complex interactions and interactions with the biosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and lithosphere. This division focuses its attention on the "what" of the pedosphere and the extent of its current understanding. It is the medium and experimental material that is being investigated. It is why we are a Union of soil scientists in a common bond of interests. Technical Description Soils in time and space is a Division that deals with the "body" of soil in a landscape context. It quantifies pedogenic processes responsible for spatial diversity in soil cover with landscape, geomorphic and geographic patterns. It includes the scaling of soil morphology from micro to macro levels of generalization, calibration of morphology to pedogenic processes, and integration of this pedosphere knowledge with that of the biosphere, atmosphere, lithosphere, and hydrosphere. Only through the knowledge of morphogenesis is it possible to develop rational multiple working hypotheses of soil formation, soil chronology, soil morphology, and geographic distribution patterns. Without this linkage there is little opportunity to extrapolate our knowledge base on soil attributes beyond immediate locals where it was derived. Using a morphogenic bias, it is possible to catalogue and classify the population of soil attributes and generate multiple-use interpretations with spatial or tabular representations using GIS, and other state-of-the-science technologies. Officers:
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| Commission 1.1 - Soil Morphology | |||||||||||||
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Soil is a continuous natural body that has spatial and temporal dimensions (soil cover or pedosphere). Primary organic and inorganic constituents are organized into secondary polyhedral structural units that in turn are assembled into vertical and lateral horizons that comprise soils unique to the environment under which they are formed. The morphogenetic properties that comprise soils are the essential elements of soil classification, interpretation, and land quality. They result from current and paleohistory of soil environments and in turn record many of the environmental signatures that result. Morphogenetic properties are dynamic and anisotrophic in response to other state factor perturbations. The study of the soil cover structures develops knowledge about soil properties and dynamics; its permits the understanding of the genesis of the soil covers. Officers:
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| Commission 1.2 - Soil Geography | |||||||||||||
| Soil geography is a study of the soil cover and its many morphogenetic
attributes as a function of climate, geology, relief, vegetation, human
activities, and history (natural and anthropogenic). It is that component
of the division that serves as a vehicle to transfer soils knowledge gained
in C 1.1, especially as it impacts ecosystem sustainability, food security,
land carrying capacity, human health, and the global biosphere. Different
types of maps, at different scales, represent soil distribution covers
of significance to these utilitarian priorities and the field of soil science
as a whole.
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| Commission 1.3 - Soil Genesis | |||||||||||||
| This commission quantifies the fundamental physical, chemical, biological,
and mineralogical processes (pedogenic) of gains, losses, translocations,
and transformations occurring in soils from micro to macro scales to explain
and understand profile formation. Utilizes fundamental knowledge gained
from other disciplines to model dynamics and processes responsible for
soil behavior at the landscape or ecological scale. This information is
integrated with that of other scientific databases to quantify environmental
interactions under which soils formed in both modern and paleo times.
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| Commission 1.4 - Soil Classification | |||||||||||||
| Soil classification is that commission within the division that categorizes
the infinite number of morphogenetic attributes of the pedoshpere so the
attributes used to classify soils permits the greatest number, most precise,
and most significant statements about soil behavior and genesis. Classification
systems are hierarchical so the knowledge base and interpretational inferences
become more specific from the higher categories to lower ones. Taxonomic
names are given to the categories and constituent classes so the relationships
between soil attributes (horizons, pedon(s), cartographic units, generalized
soil associations, soil covers, etc.) can best be remembered for a specific
objective. Classification allows scientists to communicate and share knowledge
about the "body" that soil scientist's study.
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| Division 2. | Soil Properties and Processes | ||||||||||||
| Lay Description:
Division 2 is the "How" or the fundamental science behind our discipline, the understanding of fundamental processes. Technical Description: Division 2 is concerned with the integration of physics, chemistry, biology, mineralogy and pedogenesis to understand fundamental soil properties and processes that control transport, cycling, speciation and bioavailability of elements or molecules. These phenomena are studied at multiple scales ranging from global to atomic. Officers:
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| Commission 2.1 - Soil Physics | |||||||||||||
| Soil physics deals with the physical properties of the soil, with emphasis
on transport of matter and energy. Major research thrusts include modeling
transport of inorganic, organic and microbial contaminants, fractal mathematics,
spatial variability, geostatistics, computer-assisted tomography, and remote
sensing of soil physical properties.
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| Commission 2.2: Soil Chemistry | |||||||||||||
| Soil chemistry deals with the chemical composition, chemical properties,
and chemical reactions of soils. Major research thrusts include: application
of molecular scale in-situ techniques to elucidate aqueous and surface
chemical speciation and mechanisms, kinetics of soil chemical phenomena;
rhizosphere chemistry; organic matter structure; and soil chemical modeling.
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| Commission 2.3: Soil Biology | |||||||||||||
| Soil biology is concerned with soil inhabiting organisms, their functions,
reactions, and activities. Major research thrusts are carbon sequestration,
nutrient cycling, microbial ecology, bioremediation, and molecular soil
biology.
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| Commission 2.4 - Soil Mineralogy | |||||||||||||
| Soil Mineralogy deals with all kinds of minerals occurring in soil environments
especially rockborne and soilborne ones. Important soil processes like
weathering and mineral neo-formation are major tasks. The consequences
of transport and biological turnover on minerals and their relevance to
soil micro- and macro-structure is studied. The relevance of soil minerals
and mineral-organic interactions are taken into account in relations to
environmental and specifically soil fertility issues. Specific attention
is given to the use of advanced analytical techniques to analyze mineral
crystal structure, surface properties, and mineral-mineral as well as mineral-organic
components interactions from the molecular scale up to the consequence
for the landscape level.
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| Division 3. | Soil Use and Management | ||||||||||||
| Lay Description:
Division 3 is the "Why" it is important to society. It is the application of our fundamental knowledge to solve high priority social, economic, and environmental challenges of major societal and scientific interest. It can be considered the applied segment of science. Technical Description: "Soil Use and Management" is a Division which focuses on how we use the soil and how it links to the knowledge base of Divisions 1 and 2 in order to ensure that soils are used and managed in a sustainable manner. The Division is concerned with both soil use and management in terms of agricultural production, forestry, grazing lands, and the broader environmental context. Activities to remediate degraded soil, arising from the agricultural misuse of soil or contaminations resulting from non-agricultural activities are part of the scientific area of this Division. The aim of this Division is to ensure that through our knowledge and understanding of soil properties and processes and the distribution of soils within the landscape soils and soil quality are maintained and improved. Officers:
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| Commission 3.1 - Soil Evaluation and Land Use Planning | |||||||||||||
| As soil is increasingly acknowledged as a scarce and finite resource
it is essential that decisions related to soil(s) use(s) are optimized
taking account of the nature and pattern of the soil and the socio-economic
conditions at a variety of scales. Activities of this commission will encompass
the broad activities of soil evaluation and land use planning and will
include related activities of data gathering and management including remote
sensing and Geographical Information Systems.
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| Commission 3.2: Soil and Water Conservation | |||||||||||||
| This commission acknowledges that an essential element in many soil
management strategies is the need to maintain the quality of the soil resource
through appropriate soil and land management practices, including tillage.
Frequently, the conservation of soil is intimately coupled with the management
of surface waters through erosion control. In addition to the prevention
of erosion by water and wind, this commission would also concern itself
with the efficient management of soil water through irrigation, drainage
and the limitation of water loss from the soil surface.
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| Commission 3.3 - Soil Fertility and Plant Nutrition | |||||||||||||
| The management of soil fertility is a major activity of a substantial
proportion of the world's soil scientists. The inclusion of plant nutrition
in the title of this commission recognizes the often very close relationship
between those managing soil fertility and those concerned directly with
plant nutrition. This commission would concern itself with the identification
of technologies appropriate to the particular soil conditions and combinations
of soil conditions.
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| Commission 3.4 - Soil Engineering and Technology | |||||||||||||
| This commission is concerned with engineering uses of soils both in
the agriculture and non-agriculture context. Soil serve many purposes such
as road beds and fill material they are shaped and changed for many uses,
used for filter fields, sewage and waste storage etc.
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| Commission 3.5: Soil Degradation Control, Remediation, and Reclamation | |||||||||||||
| Many soils of the world are degraded, both because of agricultural activity
and through the pollution arising from urban, industrial activity, and
other human activities. The purpose of this commission is to use our knowledge
and understanding of soil properties and processes to ensure that damaged/degraded
soils may be remediated or reclaimed and returned to productive use.
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| Division 4. | The Role of Soils in Sustaining Society and the Environment | ||||||||||||
| Lay Description:
Division 4 is more generalized and entails the transfer and outreach of our knowledge base to segments of our society where soils and soil science are frequently misunderstood or sometimes under appreciated. It takes the soils information generated in the other three divisions along with developing new scientific information and addresses public literacy in soil science, education, international conventions, consequences of human activities on soil ecosystems, policy issues, food security, history of the discipline, etc. This division might be considered the "capstone" division because it must integrate our scientific body of knowledge so scientists, policy makers, and those specialists remote to soil science may become more informed about the utility of this most essential natural resource at the Earth's surface. It is the scientific entity that interacts well beyond traditional bounds. Technical Description: There is a need to provide soil science input in many policy-related topics addressing environmental and social concerns. This Division will provide the soil science input in the decision-making process and address special issues that will be brought to the attention of the IUSS especially in relation with the human and socio-economic use of the soils. Officers:
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| Commission 4.1 - Soils and the Environment | |||||||||||||
| This Commission will look at the soil as part of the ecosystem. Human
activities have a strong impact on the ecosystems and the soil and environment
interactions in relation to humans are particularly important. Soils, are
a major component of the biosphere at the interface between the lithosphere,
atmosphere and biosphere, are investigated through several international
programs such as IGBP; in the same way, the soil plays a considerable role
in the carbon sequestration (UN Convention on Climate Change) and is the
habitat for a number of species covered by the Biodiversity Convention.
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| Commission 4.2 - Soils, Food Security and Human Health | |||||||||||||
| Soils are the essential for food production in most countries. Considering
that one third of the land area is presently used for agriculture, and
the world population is increasing, creating additional pressure on agricultural
land, providing enough safe and nutritious food will be an ongoing challenge.
Among the concerns of this commission, there is the maintenance and conservation
of agriculture lands, the role of soils in a changing world in relationship
to human health.
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| Commission 4.3 - Soils and Land Use Change | |||||||||||||
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Soils play a large role as source and sinks of greenhouse gases. In a context of global sustainability, this Commission will investigate how the source/sink function of the soils can be managed and controlled to mitigate the impact of climate change. Land use change is of a major interest to all, what is the effect of urbanization, lost of productive land to other uses, forest conversion, and other changes are of major interest and these changes will fall under this Commission. Officers:
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| Commission 4.4 - Soil Education and Public Awareness | |||||||||||||
| This commission deals with how we present knowledge teaching and the
development of soil scientists a4s well as anyone interested in soils from
a learning standpoint and the information we give to create a general public
awareness of soils. A well informed public is needed so that the importance
of soils is understood by all.
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| C4.5. Commission 4.5: History, Philosophy, and Sociology of Soil Science | |||||||||||||
| This commission deals with our past; it links the study of what has
happened in history and how soils can be used to help explain the past
changes. This commission is not just a record of the history but the use
and understanding of soils information and it relationship to human development
and history.
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