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The unsaturated zone is the medium through which pollutants move
from the soil surface to groundwater. Polluting substances are
subjected to complex physical, chemical and biological
transformations while moving through the unsaturated zone and their
displacement depends on the transport properties of the water-air
porous medium system. Pollution caused by human activities,
agriculture, and industry, has brought about a growing interest in
the role of the unsaturated zone in groundwater pollution. Due to
the complexity and the multidisciplinary nature of the subject, it
is being investigated by specialists from various scientific
disciplines, such as soil physicists, chemists, biologists, and
environmental engineers. This state of affairs has motivated the
initiative taken by the Water Quality Commissions of IUPAC (the
International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry) and IAHS (the
International Association of Hydrological Sciences) to convene an
international workshop, which was organized and hosted by the
Institute of Soils and Water of the Agricultural Research
Organization in Bet Dagan, Israel in March 1983. The lecturers at
the workshop were an invited group of specialists who are engaged
in studying the many facets of the unsaturated zone, and the
present book is a selection of their presentations. Each chapter of
the book relates to a different aspect of the unsaturated zone."
The papers collected in this book were given and discussed at the
symposium on "Soil water physics and technology," which was held in
Rehovot, Israel, from August 19th-September 4th, 1971. It was
sponsored by the International Society of Soil Science (1.S.S.S.)
through its Commissions I (soil physics) and VI (soil technology),
and organized by the Israeli Soil Science Society. Thanks are due
to the Editors for having assembled contributions and discussion
remarks into a well-rounded, coherent book. The subjects covered in
this book are the theoretical and practical aspects of the
following topics: water movement in soils, soil-water interactions,
evaporation from soil and plants, water requirements of crops, ion
activity and migration in soils, soilwater management and salinity.
In as much as these contributions were not solicited, they
represent ideas and subjects considered important by the authors
and debators. In science, one often finds a gap between basic
research and practical application. If reading this book creates a
feeling of an apparent lack of balance between theory and practice,
this represents the state of our science today, and the thoughtful
reader can and will recognize that much remains to be done. W. R.
GARDNER T.]. MAR5HAL President, Commission I President, Commission
VI 1.5.5.5.
The world population in 1950 was 2. 5 billion and is more than 5
billion today. The agriculture community, however, has responded
remarkably well to meeting the increased need for food and fiber.
While the population growth during this period averaged almost 2%
annually, the production of grain increased at an even faster rate.
From 1950 to 1973, grain production increased 3. 1% annually, but
slowed to about 2% from 1973 to 1984. There fore, as a whole, the
world has more grain per capita available today than ever before.
Several countries that were food importers just a few years ago are
food exporters today. The world carry-over stocks today are the
highest in years. While the major concern just a few years ago was
whether the world could produce adequate food, the problem for many
countries today is how to export their surpluses. Although the
world as a whole has surplus food supplies, there are millions of
people without adequate food to exist, and there are additional
millions who have a bare subsistence diet at best. The average
daily calorie supply for the developed countries is more than 3,300
per person, while the average for the developing countries is only
about 2,200. The major global food produc tion problems have
shifted from Asia to Africa, where malnutrition, poverty, and
starvation are attracting world attention."
The world population in 1930 was 2 billion. It reached 3 billion in
1960, stands at 4. 6 billion today, and is expected to reach 6
billion by the end of the century. The food and fiber needs of such
a rapidly increasing population are enormous. One of the most basic
resources, perhaps the most basic of all, for meeting those needs
is the Soil. There is an urgent need to improve and protect this
resource on which the future of mankind directly depends. We must
not only learn how to use the soil to furnish our immediate needs,
but also ensure that the ability of the soil to sustain food
production in the future is unimpaired. This is indeed a mammoth
task; a 1977 United Nations survey reported that almost one-fifth
of the world's cropland is now being steadily degraded. The
diversity of soil makes it necessary for research to be conducted
in many locations. There are basic principles, however, that are
universal. This series, Advances in Soil Science, presents clear
and concise reviews in all areas of soil science for everyone
interested in this basic resource and man's influence on it. The
purpose of series is to provide a forum for leading scientists to
analyze and summarize the available scientific information on a
subject, assessing its importance and identifying additional
research needs. But most importantly, the contributors will develop
principles that have practical applications to both developing and
developed agricultures.
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