Soil Pollution

What are the Issues?

Thursday, October 29, 2009

 Soil Pollution
I. People use land in 3 ways
A. Agriculture (farming)
1. Plants
2. Animals (livestock)

Thursday, October 29, 2009

 Soil Pollution
I. People use land in 3 ways
B. Land Development
- Building (houses, schools,
roads, stores, factories, etc.)

Thursday, October 29, 2009

 Soil Pollution
I. People use land in 3 ways
C. Mining (to remove resources)
1. Strip mining
2. Underground mining

Thursday, October 29, 2009

 Soil Pollution

II. Soil Management

A. Topsoil is the
most important soil
layer
B. Three concerns
with Topsoil

Thursday, October 29, 2009

 Soil Pollution
B. Three concerns with Topsoil
1. Erosion (loss of topsoil)
a. cutting down trees
i. plant roots grow in
the topsoil
ii. no roots, means
nothing holds the
topsoil in place
b. wind
c. water (rain / flooding)

Thursday, October 29, 2009

 Soil Pollution
B. Three concerns with Topsoil (cont’d)
2. Nutrient loss
a. from planting the same crop year
after year
CORN CORN
b. this requires farmers toCORN
use fertilizers

CORN CORN CORN

i. more money $$$
ii. more water pollution

CORN CORN CORN

Thursday, October 29, 2009
 Soil Pollution
B. Three concerns with
Topsoil (cont’d)
3. Desertification
a. agricultural depletion
(nutrient loss) of the soil,
so no plants can grow
b. removal of ground
water too quickly

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Thursday, October 29, 2009
 Soil Pollution
III. Sources of Soil Pollution
A. Household waste (garbage)
- How much garbage does each person in the world make
per day?
- 2 Kilograms!
B. Agricultural waste
C. Industry
D. Contamination
1. Oil spills
2. Chemical spills
3. Nuclear waste

Thursday, October 29, 2009

 Soil Pollution

How do we get rid of our trash?

- 56% landfills
- 27% recycle
- 17% burn
= energy use & air pollution!

Thursday, October 29, 2009