Soil degradation in the United States : extent, severity, and trends / Rattan Lal ... [and others].

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Lal, R.

Rosengarten Family Fund.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Soil degradation--United States.

Soil degradation.

United States.

Physical Description:

204 pages : illustrations, maps ; 25 cm

Place of Publication:

Boca Raton, Fla. : Lewis Publishers, [2004]

Summary:

Soil degradation, a decline in soil quality due to anthropogenic perturbations, is a serious threat with negative impacts on agriculture and the environment. The assessment and monitoring of all forms of degradation is essential to the evaluation of negative trends and implementation of mitigating technologies. Soil Degradation in the United States: Extent, Severity, and Trends is an assessment of current trends and geographic hot spots. It not only describes the types of soil degradation, but also evaluates the processes and triggers that cause the damage. Written by world-renowned leaders in the field of soil science, the book is thematically divided into three sections. Section I addresses basic processes and discusses concepts and definitions, land use change, and global trends. Section II provides the data on soil degradation by various processes such as water and wind erosion, salt build-up, and soil contamination. Section III summarizes the magnitude and severity of degradation and addresses policy issues in relation to economic and environmental impact. Several appendices provide much needed information on past trends and future projections. This book is a state-of-the-art compendium that provides a ready reference and data source for soil scientists, agronomists, environmentalists, land managers, and policy makers.

Contents:

Section I Basic Processes

Chapter 1 Soil Degradation

1.2.1 Soil Physical Degradation 5

1.2.2 Soil Chemical Degradation 8

1.2.3 Soil Biological Degradation 9

1.3 Factors of Soil Degradation 10

1.4 Causes of Soil Degradation 11

1.5 Land vs. Soil Degradation 14

1.6 Soil Degradation vs. Soil Formation 18

1.7 Soil Quality 18

1.8 Soil Exhaustion vs. Soil Degradation 18

1.9 Soil Resilience 19

1.10 Soil Degradation and Desertification 19

Chapter 2 Global Extent of Soil Degradation and Desertification

2.2 Database, Methodology, and Extrapolation 23

2.3 GLASOD Methodology 25

2.4 Desertification Assessment 26

2.5 The Need for a Strong and Credible Database 28

Chapter 3 Land Use in the U.S.

3.2 Land Use Classes 32

3.2.1 Forestland 32

3.2.2 Grazing Land 32

3.2.3 Cropland 32

3.2.4 CRP Land 33

3.2.5 Other Lands 34

3.3 Database 34

3.4 Land Use in the U.S. 34

3.5 Trends in Cropland 37

3.6 Trends in Grazing Land 40

Chapter 4 Soil Degradation Category Indicators Methodology

4.1 Soil Degradation 45

4.1.1 Land Degradation Severity Classes

Definitions 46

4.1.2 Class Criteria 46

4.2 Water Erosion, Sheet and Rill (E)

Degradation of Land through the Process of Sheet and Rill Soil Erosion by Water 47

4.3 Water Erosion, Concentrated Flow (E)

Degradation of Land Through the Process of Concentrated Flow Erosion (i.e., Gullying, Streambank Erosion, etc.) (Applied Only to the Broad Land Cover and Use Categories of Rangeland) 47

4.4 Wind Erosion (E)

Degradation of Land through Soil Erosion by Wind 47

4.5 Salinization (S)

Degradation of Land through Salt Accumulation 48

4.6 Mining or Other Soil Removal/Destruction (M)

Degradation of Land through Soil Destruction 49

4.7 Vegetative Condition/Status (V)

Degradation of Land through Degradation of the Quantity, Quality, or Ecological Status of Vegetative Land Cover (Applied Only to the Broad Land Cover/Use Category of Rangeland) 49

Section II Water and Wind Erosion

Chapter 5 Soil Erosion by Water from Croplands

5.1 Cropland Area Affected by Water Erosion 53

5.2 Severity of Sheet and Rill Erosion on U.S. Cropland 57

5.3 Magnitude of Soil Erosion on U.S. Cropland 61

5.4 Rate of Soil Erosion on U.S. Cropland 61

5.5 Prime Cropland and Severity of Sheet and Rill Erosion 64

5.6 Erosion Rate on Highly Erodible Cropland 67

5.7 Distribution of Eroded Cropland in the U.S. 69

Chapter 6 Soil Erosion by Water from Grazing, CRP, and Minor Lands

6.1 Pastureland Area Affected by Water Erosion 85

6.2 Severity of Soil Erosion on Pastureland 85

6.3 Magnitude and Rate of Soil Erosion on Pastureland 88

6.4 Soil Erosion on CRP Land 88

6.5 Minor Land Affected by Water Erosion 89

6.6 Total Land Area Affected by Water Erosion on Private U.S. Land 91

Chapter 7 Wind Erosion on Private Lands in the U.S.

7.1 Cropland Area Affected by Wind Erosion 95

7.2 Wind Erosion on Irrigated and Nonirrigated Cropland 98

7.3 Severity of Wind Erosion on U.S. Cropland 99

7.4 Wind Erosion on U.S. Cropland for Different Severity Classes 101

7.5 Wind Erosion on Grazing Land 101

7.6 Wind Erosion on CRP Land 103

7.7 Wind Erosion on Minor Miscellaneous Land 103

7.8 Comparison of Wind Erosion Hazard among Predominant Land Uses 103

7.9 Total Land Area on U.S. Private Land Affected by Wind Erosion 103

Chapter 8 Water and Wind Erosion on U.S. Cropland

8.1 The Extent of Sheet, Rill, and Wind Erosion on Cropland 110

8.1.1 Total Cropland 110

8.1.2 Total Cultivated Land 110

8.1.3 Prime Land 110

8.2 The Magnitude of Sheet, Rill, and Wind Erosion 115

8.2.1 Total Cropland 116

8.2.2 Cultivated Cropland 116

8.2.3 Prime Land 119

8.3 The Rate of Sheet, Rill, and Wind Erosion 123

8.3.1 Total Cropland 125

8.3.2 Cultivated Cropland 126

8.3.3 Prime Land 126

Chapter 9 Total Erosion, Wind Erosion, and Erosion on Pasture and CRP Lands

9.1 Total Erosion on Pastureland 131

9.2 Total Erosion on CRP Land 133

9.3 Wind Erosion in the U.S. 138

9.4 Total Wind and Water Erosion in the U.S. 139

9.5 Sediment Load in U.S. Rivers 143

Section III Other Forms of Degradation

Chapter 10 Desertification

10.1 Arid Lands in the U.S. 150

10.2 The Extent and Severity of Desertification 150

10.3 Degradation of Rangeland Vegetation 151

10.4 Rangeland Degradation by Concentrated Flow and Wind Erosion 153

10.5 Desertification Control 153

Chapter 11 Salinization

11.1 Irrigated Land Area in the U.S. 156

11.2 Cropland Affected by Salinization 158

11.3 Grazing Land Affected by Salinization 158

11.4 Other Lands Affected by Salinization 158

Chapter 12 Soil Degradation by Mining and Other Disturbance

12.1 Historic Records of Soil Disturbance by Mining 163

12.2 Soil Degradation by Mining 165

12.3 Soil Disturbance by Mining on Cropland 167

12.4 Soil Disturbance by Mining on Grazing Land 169

12.5 Total Soil Disturbance by Mining 169

Chapter 13 Wetland Degradation

13.1 Types of Wetlands 173

13.2 Wetland Soils 175

13.3 Historic Loss of Wetlands 176

13.4 Consequences of Wetland Loss 177

Section IV Policy and Conservation Programs

Chapter 14 Policy Options

14.1 History of Soil Conservation Programs in the U.S. 185

14.1.1 Food Security Act of 1985 186

14.1.2 Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) 186

14.1.3 Federal Agricultural Improvement and Reform (FAIR) Act of 1996 186

14.1.4 The Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQUIP) 186

14.1.5 Environmental Conservation Acreage Reserve Program (ECARP) 187

14.2 Impact of Conservation Policies in the U.S. 187

14.3 Future Policy Options 188

14.3.1 Emphasis on Water Quality and Soil C Sequestration 188

14.3.2 Private Sector Involvement 189

14.3.3 Recycling Biosolids 189

14.3.4 Holistic Planning 189

14.3.5 Protecting HEL and Restoring Degraded Soils 189

14.3.6 Long-Term Perspective 190.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Rosengarten Family Fund.

ISBN:

1566705347

OCLC:

52341493