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  1. Soil | Definition, Importance, Types, Erosion, Composition, & Facts ...

    • Soil is the biologically active, porous medium that has developed in the uppermost layer of Earth’s crust. It serves as a reservoir of water and nutrients, a medium for the filtration and breakdown of waste… See more

    Overview

    Soil is the biologically active and porous medium that has developed in the … See more

    Britannica
    Soil horizons

    Soils differ widely in their properties because of geologic and climatic variation over distance and time. Even a simple property, such as the soil thickness, can range from … See more

    Britannica
    Pedons and polypedons

    Soils are natural elements of weathered landscapes whose properties may vary spatially. For scientific study, however, it is useful to think of soils as unions of modules known as p… See more

    Britannica
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  1. Soil serves several important functions12345:
    • It is a reservoir of water and nutrients.
    • It filters and breaks down injurious wastes.
    • It cycles carbon and other elements through the global ecosystem.
    • It sustains plant and animal life.
    • It regulates water flow.
    • It filters and buffers pollutants.
    • It provides physical stability and support.
    Learn more:
    Soil is one of the principal substrata of life on Earth, serving as a reservoir of water and nutrients, as a medium for the filtration and breakdown of injurious wastes, and as a participant in the cycling of carbon and other elements through the global ecosystem.
    www.britannica.com/science/soil
    Soils perform vital functions to sustain plant and animal life, regulate water flow, filter and buffer pollutants, cycle nutrients, and provide physical stability and sort.
    www.nrcs.usda.gov/resources/education-and-teach…
    Soil acts as an engineering medium, a habitat for soil organisms, a recycling system for nutrients and organic wastes, a regulator of water quality, a modifier of atmospheric composition, and a medium for plant growth, making it a critically important provider of ecosystem services.
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil

    There are seven general roles that soils play:

    • Soils serve as media for growth of all kinds of plants.
    • Soils modify the atmosphere by emitting and absorbing gases (carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, and the like) and dust.
    www.soils4kids.org/about
    Soil is our life support system. Soils anchor roots, hold water and store nutrients. Soils are home to earthworms, termites and a myriad of micro-organisms that fix nitrogen and decompose organic matter. We build on soil as well as with it. Soil plays a vital role in the Earth’s ecosystem and without soil, human life would be very difficult.
    www.isric.org/discover/about-soils/why-are-soils-im…
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  9. What is soil? | Soil | Farm management - Agriculture …

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    Nov 1, 2023 · Soil is a living and life-giving natural resource. As world population and food production demands rise, keeping our soil healthy and productive is of paramount importance. So much so that we believe improving …

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