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Soil – a Precious Natural Resource Contents Publication Details Soil – A Precious Natural Resource Contents Publication details The fascination of soil 2 Published by Photos National Research Programme p. 2: Doris Seebacher, A-Pitten; “Sustainable Use of Soil as a Resource” p. 4: Gregor Klaus, Rothenfluh; (NRP 68) p. 5: Achim Ott, Rhäzüns; The world beneath our feet 6 Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) p. 6: Eye of science, D–Reutlingen; Federal Office for Agriculture (FOAG) p. 9: top Jan Jansa/ Federal Office for Spatial Development centre Eckard Voelcker, www.penard.de/; (ARE) bottom Christoph Keel, Zurich; The functions of soil 10 p. 11: Julie Phipps, Shutterstock; Project managers p. 13, 17: Agroscope–Gabriela Brändle, Urs Steiger, Ruedi Stähli No harvest without fertile soil 12 Urs Zihlmann, LANAT–Andreas Chervet; Concept p. 15: G. Barron, European Atlas Efficient recycling in the soil 14 Gregor Klaus, Urs Steiger of Soil Biodiversity ; S. 19: IWB, Christian Flierl, Basel; Text p. 21: top Saibo, Wikimedia Commons; Gregor Klaus Soil protection is climate protection 16 bottom Keystone/Alexandra Wey; Project assistance p. 23: Archäologie und Museum Baselland; The soil provides clean drinking water 18 Emmanuel Frossard, p. 27: Sabine Wunderlin president of the NRP 68 Steering Committee Ordering address for the print version Roland von Arx, head of the Soil Section and link to PDF file The soil protects against flooding 20 of the FOEN FOBL, Distribution of Publications, Pascal Walther, NRP 68 programme coordi- CH-3003 Bern nator, Swiss National Science Foundation The archival record in the soil 22 Tel. +41 (0)58 465 50 50 Translation [email protected] Ellen Russon, East Sandwich, USA Order number: 810.400.104eng Kaya Strehler, Zurich www.bafu.admin.ch/ud-1090-e Conserving the basis of life 24 Proofreading Printed using a carbon-neutral Anna Dätwyler, Die Leserei, Lucerne process on recycled paper with a low-VOC content Layout Kurt Brunner This publication is also available in German, French and Italian. Illustration/Imagery Nils Nova, Lucerne Published in the International Year and the Swiss Federal Office for the of Soils 2015 with support from the Environment (FOEN) Swiss National Science Foundation Foreword Soil is more than construction land ‘in a prime location’ or pasture- and farm land. The soil is a habitat. Our view of the soil, however, is often just a surface view – quite literally. But a look beneath the surface is well worth it. The importance of the soil for life on Earth is greatly underestimated. Without intact soils, we would be lacking the most important essential basis of life. The cosmos of soil between the plant cover and bedrock is the indispensable connecting element between atmos- phere and groundwater. This central hub for all important material and energy fl ows on Earth performs numer- ous economic and ecological functions: Soil is the basis of food production, a habitat for innumerable organ- isms, a water fi lter and a natural store for carbon and water. Billions of living organisms in each handful of soil decompose old plant material into their basic building blocks and make these nutrients available to new plants. Soil therefore deserves our attention. Particularly in Switzerland, where soil is scarce, a better understanding is needed. For this reason we welcome that with this brochure, researchers and the Federal Administration (Fed- eral Offi ce for the Environment, Federal Offi ce for Agriculture, and Federal Offi ce for Spatial Development) bring home the importance of soil and its essential functions. How many of us are aware that each shovelful of earth has a formation history reaching back hundreds of years? Or are conscious of the fact that the soil secures the living and economic environment of Switzerland? So let us be concerned about the soil, this basis of all life. Let us take care of our soil. Let us preserve our cul- tivated land. For our quality of life is directly dependent upon the quality and quantity of the soil. Let’s keep our feet on the ground! Federal Councillor Doris Leuthard Federal Councillor Johann N. Schneider-Ammann ⋅ 2 ⋅ The fascination of soil We seldom have a clear view of the fascinating world beneath our Many types of soil feet. It comes to light primarily when excavators tear open the ground in the creation of construction pits, thus offering a visible Depending on the parent rock material, local topography, climate perception of the three-dimensional cosmos of soil. It is worth and water availability, differing soil types developed after the fi nal climbing down into one of these pits and taking the time to study the stages of the last ice age. There are shallow or deep, acidic or alka- intricate walls. On offer in these hidden worlds can be a colour- line, nutrient-poor or nutrient-rich, wet or dry, sandy or clayey ful layered story sequencing years and years of mankind. The hol- soils – as well as every conceivable variation between these ex- low cavities of burrowing fauna transverse the earth like veins, tremes. The astonishing number of variations is represented within each with a story of their own. Only when you are surrounded by a large range of the colour spectrum, from red to yellow to blue and are witnessing this world fi rst hand, can the complete impres- and all the shades in between. sion that you are standing within not just a self-contained ecosys- tem, but an ancient ecosystem, come to life. Moist and warm conditions are optimal for soil formation as it is under these conditions that soil organisms who are responsible for Soils are formed from rock the rock-weathering processes are most active. For this reason, the soils in the Central Plateau of Switzerland, which are 1 to 2 metres Approximately 10,000 years ago, towards the end of the last ice deep, are clearly much thicker than the soils in the Alps, which are age, there was no intact soil in the larger areas of Switzerland. often only a few centimetres deep. Glaciers had ground it down and left behind nothing but bare rocks or moraine materials as they retreated. Sun, rain, frost and soil As long as weather and water are continuously interacting with organisms then worked symbiotically together in weathering the soil populated by organisms, the development of the soil is never rock material, chemically and mechanically, ultimately breaking it completely at an end. In a seemingly motionless earth there is down into smaller particles. As a result, soil was continuously tak- always something in a state of fl ux: humus constantly forms and ing form and plants could begin to thrive. decomposes, seepage water dissolves soluble materials and washes them into lower layers of soil, clay and soil particles shift into Minerals were transformed and, through the method of leaching, deeper layers and iron oxidizes, giving many soils a typical brown- were washed further into deeper layers as the rock broke up progres- ish red colour. sively into loose soil. Over thousands of years the typical sequence of successive layering of soil developed: typically a layer of topsoil rich in humus over a layer of subsoil consisting of strongly weathered parent rock and washed out material from above. Below that lies the only slightly weathered parent material and fi nally the bedrock. ⋅ 3 ⋅ The long lasting life of soil Physical and chemical weathering Soil organisms Rock Time progressive development Soil The habitat “soil” has been formed over thousands material of the glaciers. As a rule of thumb, it takes of years from inanimate rock. Sun radiation, rain, 100 years for one centimetre of soil to form. frost and soil organisms weather the rock or moraine ⋅ 4 ⋅ On the surfaces that result from the rapid retreat of the glaciers in the Alps, the various stages of soil formation can still be seen today. Land pits offer a great insight into the colour- ful sequential layering of the soil. Versatile ground Brown earth Gley Peat soil Rendzina Regardless of the location of a hole in the ground, climate and water availability, a specifi c combi- particular location and leaves behind soil profi les we will always come across different soils. nation of processes of soil formation acts at a with different characteristics. Depending on the type of rock, the slope, the local ⋅ 5 ⋅ ⋅ 6 ⋅ Tardigrades: the bi- zarre inhabitants between the layers of leaves, soil and moss beds. The world beneath our feet When we hike through the woods, we enjoy the calm serenity. gram of soil, close to 50,000 types of bacteria and up to 200 metres What we fail to notice is that beneath our feet the ground is teem- of fungus threads can be found. The weight of all living organisms ing with diverse life forms – the engine behind our own existence. in the soil layers of one hectare of land can be as much as 15 tons, It is accredited to these most tiny organisms in the soil that life on equivalent to the weight of 20 cows. In comparison, the grass on Earth’s surface exists at all. one hectare of land in the lowlands feeds only about two cows. Soil as a habitat For researchers, with all of its organisms, soil can be viewed as a gigantic yet minimally studied “pharmacy”. In 1928, Alexander Without seeming so, soil is a lively habitat fi lled with many liv- Fleming discovered the fi rst antibiotic, penicillin, and its antibac- ing organisms. Even though the ground appears to be simply a terial characteristics. Penicillin is a natural substance released by compact layer, between its components are countless minute Penicillium soil fungi. In light of this knowledge, researchers world- margins where an army of organisms are maintaining the under- wide have continued to collect a myriad of soil organisms and ground “factory of life”.
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