Soil

Analyse your own
Associations/Organizations
BioChar Orgs & Info
BioChar News & Reports
Carbon Sequestration
Data
Education
Grassland
News
Peat
Reports
Research/Resources
Standards


Analyse your own Soil:
www.rain.org	Global Garden Project. Easy to understand site explains some simple ways to analyze your soil.

“The soil is the great connector of our lives, the source and destination of all.” Wendell Berry, The Unsettling of America , 1977

Associations/ Organizations:
www.soils.org	Soil Science Society of America is a progressive international scientific society that fosters the transfer of knowledge and practices to sustain global soils. SSSA is the professional home for 6,000+ members dedicated to advancing the field of soil science. It provides information about soils in relation to crop production, environmental quality, ecosystem sustainability, bioremediation, waste management, recycling, and wise land use.
www.nrcs.usda.gov	US Dept of Agriculture-Natural Resources Conservation Service's Soil Survey Program- The National Cooperative Soil Survey Program is a partnership led by NRCS of Federal land management agencies, state agricultural experiment stations and state and local units of government that provide soil survey information necessary for understanding, managing, conserving and sustaining the nation's limited soil resources.
www.rodaleinstitute.org	Rodale Institute. Understanding how to create healthy soil to make healthy food to foster healthy people has been the goal of The Rodale Institute's research since it's inception in 1947. **

BioChar Orgs & Info:
www.biochar-international.org	International Biochar Initiative is a registered non-profit organization supporting researchers, commercial entities, policy makers, development agents, farmers and gardeners, and others committed to supporting sustainable biochar production and utilization systems that remove carbon from the atmosphere and enhance the earth’s soils. ***
terrapreta.bioenergylists.org	BioEnergy Lists: Terra Preta (Biochar) Information on the intentional use of Biochar (charcoal) to improve soils. Blog about projects. ***
www.biorefinery.uga.edu	Biorefining and Carbon Cycling Program- Driftmier Engineering Center at the University of Georgia, Athens. Lots of info here. ***
www.biochar.org	BioChar.org Site of Christoph Steiner, an expert on Biochar- teaches at the University of Georgia.
www.css.cornell.edu	Soil Biogeochemistry & Soil Fertility Management Program at Cornell. Research- investigation of nutrient and carbon dynamics as affected by black carbon (such as in Terra Preta de Indio in the Amazon), new insights into sulfur and carbon biogeochemistry in soil, nutrient and carbon dynamics in tropical forest and agricultural watersheds, and the development of biochar soil management.

BioChar News & Reports:
www.newscientist.com	New Scientist Magazine. Article-"One last chance to save mankind" James Lovelock cites biochar as the last chance we have to save humankind from catastrophic climate change. 23 January 2009.
www.ehponline.org	"Biochar: Carbon Mitigation from the Ground Up" Environmental Health Perspectives. Environmental Health Perspectives.
opencrs.com	"Biochar: Examination of an Emerging Concept to Mitigate Climate Change" CRS Report for Congress by Kelsi S. Bracmort, February 3, 2009.

Carbon Sequestration: `see Reports below as well...`
www.fao.org	Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Carbon Sequestration in Dryland Soils.
csite.esd.ornl.gov	Consortium for research on Enhancing Carbon Sequestration in Terrestrial Ecosystems (CSiTE) is a multi- institutional research effort involving Argonne, Oak Ridge, and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratories and partnered Universities. CSiTE’s goal is to identify potential approaches for enhancing terrestrial carbon sequestration as a partial mitigation of CO2-induced climate change.
www.climateandfarming.org	Soil Carbon Sequestration and Nitrogen Management for Greenhouse Gas Mitigation" Paper- John M. Duxbury. Department of Crop and Soil Science, Cornell University. PDF.
soilcarboncenter.k-state.edu	Soil Carbon Center, Kansas State University. News, Research, and Information on Policy Industry, Scientists, the Public and Agriculture. Up to date news...
cff.wsu.edu	Climate Friendly Farming Research & Demonstration Project seeks to understand the interconnections between climate change, greenhouse gas emissions and agriculture in an effort to reduce agricultural emissions of greenhouse gases, improve soil carbon sequestration of carbon dioxide, and develop bioenergy, biofuels and bioproducts from agriculture that offset the combustion of fossil fuel carbon. Washington State University. Not updated since 2006, but some good info here.
www.pewclimate.org	Climate Factsheet-Biosequestration. PEW Center on Global Climate Change. A new fact sheet on biosequestration highlights the technology and its impact on climate change. Plants, soils, and organic matter contain nearly three times the amount of carbon currently stored in the atmosphere. Biosequestration has the potential to make a significant impact by absorbing annual human-caused carbon emissions through changes in land management practices. Increasing rates of biosequestration can support other environmental outcomes such as improved wildlife habitat, water quality, reduced run-off, and better recreational opportunities. Biosequestration may someday be profitable for private landowners who adopt certain land management practices and participate in a carbon market. Biosequestration decreases atmospheric CO2 until the carbon that is in the plant, soil, or end product is released back to the atmosphere.
ohioline.osu.edu	Soil Carbon Sequestration Fundamentals Ohio State University Extension Fact Sheet.

Data:
globalsoilmap.net	Global Soil Map- accurate, up-to-date and spatially referenced soil information. An initiative of the Digital Soil Mapping Working Group of the International Union of Soil Sciences .
cfpub.epa.gov	US EPA's National Center for Environmental Assessment. Data; Publications. Soil reports, papers, etc...

Education:
www.soils.org	Soil Science Society of America has developed a variety of materials to teach and educate all age groups about the importance of soils in everyday life. Soils Lessons Page, Smithsonian Soils Exhibit Page, Young Scientists' Soil Glossary, K-12 Educational Resources, and excerpts from SSSA's book, "SOIL! Get the Inside Scoop".
www.soil-net.com	Soil-Net is a free and compelling environmental Internet resource for Key Stages 1-4 providing teachers and students extensive curriculum-based information about soil. Developed by Cranfield University's National Soil Resources Institute, Soil-Net offers extensive information, advice and activities for students, teachers, parents and carers alike to assist in education of this vital subject.
soil.gsfc.nasa.gov	NASA's Soil Science Education site lists information in a number of basic categories.
forces.si.edu/soils	Smithsonian. Discover the amazing world of soils with images and information from the Dig It! The Secrets of Soil exhibit from the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. Information on soil, videos and interactive features.
school.discoveryeducation.com	Discovery Education The Dirt on Soil. Explore, field guide and soil safari.
urbanext.illinois.edu	University of Illinois The great plant escape. Find out what soil is and why it is so important.

Grassland:
www.grasslandfoundation.org	Grassland's Foundation's mission is to create a system of protected grassland natural areas based on principles of conservation biology; to integrate grassland biodiversity protection and planning into local, state, and federal public policy; and to increase the amount of public and private funding to create and manage protected grassland natural areas.
www.nrcs.usda.gov	USDA- Natural Resources Conservation Service- Grassland Reserve Program is a voluntary program offering landowners the opportunity to protect, restore, and enhance grasslands on their property.

News:
soil-science.info	Soil-Science posts soil related articles focused on Agriculture; Climate Change, Environmental Microbiology; Geographic Information; Nutrient Management; On-Site Wastewater; Organic Farming; Science Education; Soil Forensics; Water Quality; and Wetlands.
doctordirt.com	DoctorDirt -- Sydney Harper's (Masters in Environmental Science and a PhD in Soils, where he looked at the fate of pesticides and other organic chemicals in soil) soil blog.

Peat:
peatsociety.org	International Peat Society is an international, non-governmental and non-profit organization with approx. 1,300 members from 38 countries dedicated to fostering the advancement, exchange and communication of scientific, technical and social knowledge and understanding for the wise use of peatlands and peat.

Reports:
cfpub.epa.gov	US EPA's National Center for Environmental Assessment. Data; Publications. Soil reports, papers, etc...
www.soil-net.com	'Down to Earth’ was written for the general reader who wishes to discover more about our most precious natural resource. By Stephen Nortcliff, Department of Soil Science, Reading University. Written to accompany a presentation. So lots of great graphs, photos, illustrations.
www.climateandfarming.org	Soil Carbon Sequestration and Nitrogen Management for Greenhouse Gas Mitigation" Paper- John M. Duxbury. Department of Crop and Soil Science, Cornell University, PDF.
www.ucsusa.org	Agricultural Practices and Carbon Sequestration.Union of Concerned Scientists. Study shows how different crop and soil practices enhance or degrade soil quality and affect storage of carbon in soil. A long-term study conducted in the Great Plains region of the United States has shown that the choice of crops and preparation of the soil can strongly influence soil health. The study compared cultivation practices over 33 years and found that not tilling the soil (not turning it over before planting), growing wheat, and leaving crop residues on the land after harvest built the most stable and carbon-rich soil. PDF-Fact Sheet. 2009.
www.sciencedaily.com	Global Warming Is Changing Organic Matter In Soil. Space Daily. United Press International. 2008. New research shows that we should be looking to the ground, not the sky, to see where climate change could have its most perilous impact on life on Earth. Scientists at the University of Toronto Scarborough have published research findings in the journal, Nature Geoscience, that show global warming actually changes the molecular structure of organic matter in soil.
www.highbeam.com	Saving the life of farmland soils: aware of a remorseless decline in the vital organic matter of Australian farmland soils because of land clearing and agricultural production, researchers, land managers and now, commercial players, are seeking ways to reverse the trend. It's an important quest:without organic matter, soil is essentially sterile, reducing the viability of both agricultural and surrounding natural systems. Article from: Ecos Dec, 2006 Author: Porteous, James; Davidson, Steve.

Research/Resources:
www.nrcs.usda.gov	US Dept of Agriculture-Natural Resources Conservation Service's Soil Survey Program- The National Cooperative Soil Survey Program is a partnership led by NRCS of Federal land management agencies, state agricultural experiment stations and state and local units of government that provide soil survey information necessary for understanding, managing, conserving and sustaining the nation's limited soil resources.
soilcarboncenter.k-state.edu	Soil Carbon Center, Kansas State University. News, Research, and Information on Policy Industry, Scientists, the Public and Agriculture. Up to date news. Lots of helpful info here. No-till info.***
www.climateandfarming.org	Climate and Farming site provides a unique and comprehensive set of resource materials to help farmers make practical and profitable responses to climate changes.
www.css.cornell.edu	Soil Biogeochemistry; Soil Fertility Management Program at Cornell. Research- investigation of nutrient and carbon dynamics as affected by black carbon (such as in Terra Preta de Indio in the Amazon), new insights into sulfur and carbon biogeochemistry in soil, nutrient and carbon dynamics in tropical forest and agricultural watersheds, and the development of biochar soil management.
ag.arizona.edu	Soil, Water and Environmental Science Dept of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at the University of Arizona in Tucson. Soil research interests.
www.rodaleinstitute.org	Rodale Institute; research comparing organic and non-organic farming in the United States, welcomes farmers to use their free online tools. Understanding how to create healthy soil to make healthy food to foster healthy people has been the goal of The Rodale Institute's research since it's inception in 1947. **
www.soilcrust.org	Biological soil crusts (USGS) are the community of organisms commonly found in semiarid and arid environments. Major components are cyanobacteria, green algae, microfungi, mosses, liverworts and lichens. Biological soil crusts are formed by living organisms and their by-products, creating a crust of soil particles bound together by organic materials. USGS Canyonlands Research Station -- gallery and info. Plus, a link to a 90-page report that summarizes our current state of knowledge about biological soil crusts.
www.doctordirt.com	Dirt Doctor's internet resources for further information about soils. The resources range from professional societies and associations to education material to databases.

Standards:
www.iso.org	International Organization for Standardization. International Standards for Business, Government and Society. Soil quality- Pedology Standards.

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