Careers: Digging for answers

Abstract

AND WHAT DO SOIL SCIENTISTS DO? Soil science is the study of the physical, chemical and biological properties of soil. Among others, it involves the management of soils to promote crop growth and protect the environment. We focus on the role of soil as a medium for plant growth, water flow regulation and purification, a habitat for organisms, a recycling system for nutrients and organic wastes and an engineering medium. Knowledge about the properties of the soil tells us, for example, whether the soil has the potential to store enough water to keep plants growing through a drought, to withstand a flood, and provide the right combinations of chemicals to plants so that they will grow properly, for example. Soil scientists are regularly consulted on a wide array of environmental issues, particularly related to the relationship of soil and water. Soil scientists work in fields such as the conservation of wetlands, non-point source pollution and erosion control; or assessment, environmental monitoring and sample analysis, land use, and waste management.

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