This book is a unified, condensed, and simplified version of the recently issued twin volumes, Fundamentals of Soil Physics and Applications of Soil Physics. Nonessential topics and complexities have been deleted, and little prior knowledge of the subject is assumed. An effort has been made to provide an elementary, readable, and self-sustaining description of the soil's physical properties and of the manner in which these properties govern the processes taking place in the field. Consideration is given to the ways in which the soil's processes can be influenced, for better or for worse, by man. Sample problems are provided in an attempt to illustrate how the abstract principles embodied in mathematical equations can be applied in practice. The author hope that the present version will be more accessible to students than its precursors and that it might serve to arouse their interest in the vital science of soil physics.

This book is not, in any case, in total defiance of the Wise Old Man's admonition, for it is not an entirely new book. Rather, it is an outgrowth of a previous treatise, written a decade ago, entitled "Soil and Water: Physical Principles and Processes." Though that book was well enough received at the time, the passage of the years has inevitably made it necessary to either revise and update the same book, or to supplant it with a fresh approach in the form of a new book which might incorporate still-pertient aspects of its predecessor without necessarily being limited to the older book's format or point of view.

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Key for every course in soil science, earth science, and environmental disciplines, this textbook engages students to critically look at soil as the central link in the function and creation of the terrestrial environment. For the first time, Dr. Hillel brilliantly discusses soils as a natural body that is engaged in dynamic interaction with the atmosphere above and the strata below that influences the planet's climate and hydrological cycle, and serves as the primary habitat for a versatile community of living organisms.
Soil in the Environment offers a larger perspective of soil's impact on the environment by organizing chapters among three main processes: Physical, Chemical and Biology. It provides students of geology, physical science, and environmental studies with fundamental information and tools for meeting the natural resource challenges of the 21st Century, while providing students of soil science and ecology with the understanding of physical and biological interactions necessary for sustainability.
* First textbook to unite soil science and the environment beyond what is traditionally taught
* Incorporates current knowledge of such hot topics as climate change, pollution control, human expropriation of natural resources, and the prospects for harmonious and sustainable development
* Organized in a student-friendly format with examples, discussion boxes, and key definitions in every chapter
* Full color throughout
Companion Website includes:
1. Suggested field trips
2. Exercises and figures per chapter
3. Cross references to articleswith links from Hillel's Encyclopedia of Soils in the Environment 4-vol set

An abridged, student-oriented edition of Hillel's earlier published Environmental Soil Physics, this is a more succinct elucidation of the physical principles and processes governing the behavior of soil and the vital role it plays in both natural and managed ecosystems. The textbook is self-contained and self-explanatory, with numerous illustrations and sample problems. Based on sound fundamental theory, the textbook leads to a practical consideration of soil as a living system in nature and illustrates the influences of human activity upon soil structure and function. Students, as well as other readers, will better understand the importance of soils and the pivotal possition they occupy with respect to careful and knowledgeable conservation.
* Written in an engaging and clear style, posing and resolving issues relevant to the terrestrial environment.
* Explores the gamut of the interactions among the phases in the soil and the dynamic interconnection of the soil with the subterranean and atmospheric domains.
* Reveals the salient ideas, approaches, and methods of environmental soil physics.
* Includes numerous illustrative exercises, which are explicitly solved.
* Designed to serve for classroom and laboratory instruction, for self-study, and for reference.
* Oriented toward practical problems in ecology, field-scale hydrology, agronomy, and civil engineering.
* Differs from earlier texts in its wider scope and holistic environmental conception

The portending process of climate change, induced by the anthropogenic accumulations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, is likely to generate effects that will cascade through the biosphere, impacting all life on earth and bearing upon human endeavors. Of special concern is the potential effect on agriculture and global food security.Anticipating these effects demands that scientists widen their field of vision and cooperate across disciplines to encompass increasingly complex interactions. Trans-disciplinary cooperation should aim to generate effective responses to the evolving risks, including actions to mitigate the emissions of greenhouse gases and to adapt to those climate changes that cannot be avoided.This handbook presents an exposition of current research on the impacts, adaptation, and mitigation of climate change in relation to agroecosystems. It is offered as the first volume in what is intended to be an ongoing series dedicated to elucidating the interactions of climate change with a broad range of sectors and systems, and to developing and spurring effective responses to this global challenge. As the collective scientific and practical knowledge of the processes and responses involved continues to grow, future volumes in the series will address important aspects of the topic periodically over the coming years.

Environmental Soil Physics is a completely updated and modified edition of the Daniel Hillels previous, successful books, Introduction to Soil Physics and Fundamentals of Soil Physics. Hillel is a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, one of the true leaders in the field of environmental sciences. The new version includes a chapter and problems on computational techniques, addresses current environmental concerns and trends.
* Updates and expands the scope of Hillel's prior works, "Fundamentals of Soil Physics" (1980)and "Applications of Soil Physics" (1980)
* Explores the wide range of interactions among the phases in the soil and the dynamic interconnections of the soil with the subterranean and atmospheric domains
* Draws attention to historical and contemporary issues concerning the human management of soil and water resources
* Directs readers toward solution of practical problems in terrestrial ecology, field-scale hydrology, agronomy, and civil engineering
* Incorporates contributions by leading scientists in the areas of spatial variability, soil remediation, and the inclusion of land-surface processes in global climate models

The Earth's climate is constantly changing. Some of the changes are progressive, while others fluctuate at various time scales. The El Nino-la Nina cycle is one such fluctuation that recurs every few years and has far-reaching impacts. It generally appears at least once per decade, but this may vary with our changing climate. The exact frequency, sequence, duration and intensity of El Nino's manifestations, as well as its effects and geographic distributions, are highly variable. The El Nino-la Nina cycle is particularly challenging to study due to its many interlinked phenomena that occur in various locations around the globe. These worldwide teleconnections are precisely what makes studying El Nino-la Nina so important.
Cynthia Rosenzweig and Daniel Hillel describe the current efforts to develop and apply a global-to-regional approach to climate-risk management. They explain how atmospheric and social scientists are cooperating with agricultural practitioners in various regions around the world to determine how farmers may benefit most from new climate predictions. Specifically, the emerging ability to predict the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle offers the potential to transform agricultural planning worldwide. Biophysical scientists are only now beginning to recognize the large-scale, globally distributed impacts of ENSO on the probabilities of seasonal precipitation and temperature regimes. Meanwhile, social scientists have been researching how to disseminate forecasts more effectively within rural communities. Consequently, as the quality of climatic predictions have improved, the dissemination and presentation of forecasts have become more effective as well. Thisbook explores the growing understanding of the interconnectedness of climate predictions and productive agriculture for sustainable development, as well as methods and models used to study this relationship.

After years of discord, peace in the Middle East now seems close at hand. But the hope of a settlement stands on much shakier ground than the participants suspect, says scientist Daniel Hillel. What they don't see, and what most observers overlook, is that the severely wounded environment of the region threatens to undercut any long-lasting accord. The widespread destruction of vegetation and natural habitats, the erosion of uplands, the desertification of semiarid areas, waterlogging and salinization of valleys, and, most of all, the depletion and pollution of precious water resources--no political formula will promote lasting peace in the Middle East, argues Hillel, unless it addresses these ills.
In Rivers of Eden, Hillel examines this natural crisis and explores its crucial role in the political and economic future of this troubled region. He shows how environmental degradation, exacerbated by an uncontrolled explosion of population, is itself a cause of strife in the area, dislocating and disorienting countless people and fomenting despair and extremism. And yet, he adds, since no one country in the region can solve its water problem alone, the very cause of conflict is also an inducement for promoting peace. This hope illuminates Rivers of Eden as it traces the vital issue of water in the Middle East, ranging from its first appearance in folklore and religion to the present. As Hillel shows, the history of civilization in the Middle East is in many ways the story of how societies in this arid environment managed or mismanaged their land and water resources. Here we see how this history plays out from intertribal rivalty (for instance, the legendary "War of Basoos," begun over the errant trespass of a thirsty camel), to the choking of the mighty Nile at Aswan and the slow, salt-poisoned death of Mesopotamia. From the historical and scientific circumstances of the region's water resources, Hillel turns to conflicts brewing even now over the waters of the Euphrates-Tigris, the Nile, the Jordan, and several groundwater aquifers. The future welfare of the Middle East, as of many economies around the world, depends on timely action to resolve these issues. This book offers hope for such a resolution.
A world renowned environmental scientist, Hillel has worked throughout the Middle East, as consultant to the governments of Israel, Pakistan, the Sudan, Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, and elsewhere, and as an advisor to the World Bank. He brings first-hand insight to his account and an urgent concern for the degraded Fertile Crescent, which he believes can and must be rehabilitated. Comprehensive, penetrating, and clear, his book compels the attention of anyone interested in the future of the Middle East and of the environment at large.

Traversing river valleys, steppes, deserts, rain-fed forests, farmlands, and seacoasts, the early Israelites experienced all the contrasting ecological domains of the ancient Near East. As they grew from a nomadic clan to become a nation-state in Canaan, they interacted with indigenous societies of the region, absorbed selective elements of their cultures, and integrated them into a radically new culture of their own. Daniel Hillel reveals the interplay between the culture of the Israelites and the environments within which it evolved. More than just affecting their material existence, the region's ecology influenced their views of creation and the creator, their conception of humanity's role on Earth, their own distinctive identity and destiny, and their ethics.

In "The Natural History of the Bible," Hillel shows how the eclectic experiences of the Israelites shaped their perception of the overarching unity governing nature's varied manifestations. Where other societies idolized disparate and capricious forces of nature, the Israelites discerned essential harmony and higher moral purpose. Inspired by visionary prophets, they looked to a singular, omnipresent, omnipotent force of nature mandating justice and compassion in human affairs. Monotheism was promoted as state policy and centralized in the Temple of Jerusalem. After it was destroyed and the people were exiled, a collection of scrolls distilling the nation's memories and spiritual quest served as the focus of faith in its stead.

A prominent environmental scientist who surveyed Israel's land and water resources and has worked on agricultural development projects throughout the region, Daniel Hillel is a uniquely qualified expert on the natural history of the lands of the Bible. Combining his scientific work with a passionate, life-long study of the Bible, Hillel offers new perspectives on biblical views of the environment and the origin of ethical monotheism as an outgrowth of the Israelites' internalized experiences.

As the crucible of life, the source and final resting place of everything that grows, soil inspires reverence not only in the peasant who derives his daily bread from it, but also in the scientist who contemplates its meaning as the place where life and death meet and exchange vital energies. "Out of the Earth" is the culmination of the author's long career in conservation. This history of man's use and misuse of soil and water combines a description of the complex inner processes that form soil with a lyrical assertion of its powers and significance.

Traversing river valleys, steppes, deserts, rain-fed forests, farmlands, and seacoasts, the early Israelites experienced all the contrasting ecological domains of the ancient Near East. As they grew from a nomadic clan to become a nation-state in Canaan, they interacted with indigenous societies of the region, absorbed selective elements of their cultures, and integrated them into a radically new culture of their own. Daniel Hillel reveals the interplay between the culture of the Israelites and the environments within which it evolved. More than just affecting their material existence, the region's ecology influenced their views of creation and the creator, their conception of humanity's role on Earth, their own distinctive identity and destiny, and their ethics.

In "The Natural History of the Bible," Hillel shows how the eclectic experiences of the Israelites shaped their perception of the overarching unity governing nature's varied manifestations. Where other societies idolized disparate and capricious forces of nature, the Israelites discerned essential harmony and higher moral purpose. Inspired by visionary prophets, they looked to a singular, omnipresent, omnipotent force of nature mandating justice and compassion in human affairs. Monotheism was promoted as state policy and centralized in the Temple of Jerusalem. After it was destroyed and the people were exiled, a collection of scrolls distilling the nation's memories and spiritual quest served as the focus of faith in its stead.

A prominent environmental scientist who surveyed Israel's land and water resources and has worked on agricultural development projects throughout the region, Daniel Hillel is a uniquely qualified expert on the natural history of the lands of the Bible. Combining his scientific work with a passionate, life-long study of the Bible, Hillel offers new perspectives on biblical views of the environment and the origin of ethical monotheism as an outgrowth of the Israelites' internalized experiences.