On Wednesday evening, I went to hear a great lecture on soil science. The lecturer started off by asking as what we think soil is. He later explained that soil is a complex bio-material that contain all the elements we can think of. When we talk about soil, the earliest form of it is rock. As time goes, rock become soil and it differentiates by separating into various layers, which share different colors as well.
Then he goes on and ask: Why are we interested in soil? He explained that soil is crucial in climate change and food resource, also related to genetics and many very important fields. For how soil is related to climate change, he offers a more in-depth explanation. I didn’t fully get his explanation here so I went to check online. So the burning of fossil fuels such as coal and oil has been the main source of climate change. Interestingly, soil is one of the largest sources of carbon in the world. It helps fix the carbon dioxide in the air and absorb the carbon as plant decay. Another aspect that shows the important of soil is in its great influence on agriculture. If soil erodes, agricultural production immediately drops. The researcher is interested in building a system where high soil quality can be achieved in a way to improve food quality and environment, but it sound to me that it take a lot careful planning and years to achieve such a goal in certain area.
He goes on talk about the work he is doing to improve soil. Of the many pictures he showed, I was fascinated by how much carbon can be stored in the soil while the whole eco-system can still run smoothly. From the pile of pictures of Amazon soil, he also showed us how to examine the age of soil and climate that happened. By looking closely at the soil, he can find out what is happening in the whole system and I found it truly fascinating.
He mentioned that there are a lot of people trying to manage soil. Yet there is a kind of soil in Iowa that nobody has managed to fix. This is the first time I learn about soil science and it has been truly eye-opening. Now when I go out and step on the grass, I feel serious because the earth under my feet is what that helps build the environment I live in today.