Introduction to Environmental Soil Physics,
Edition 1
By Daniel Hillel

Publication Date: 22 Oct 2003
Description
An abridged, student-oriented edition of Hillel's earlier published Environmental Soil Physics, Introduction to Environmental Soil Physics 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.

Key Features

  • 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
About the author
By Daniel Hillel, Dept. of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Massachusetts, U.S.A.
Table of Contents
Preface
Part I: Basic Relationships
1. Soil Physics and Soil Physical Characteristics
2. Water Properties in Relation to Porous Media
Part II: The Solid Phase
3. Particle Sizes, Shapes, and Specific Surface
4. Clay, the Colloidal Component
5. Soil Structure and Aggregation
Part III: The Liquid Phase
6. Water Content and Potential in the Soil
7. Water Flow in Saturated Soil
8. Water Flow in Unsaturated Soil
9. Solute Movement and Soil Salinity
Part IV: The Gaseous Phase
10. Gas Content and Composition in the Soil
11. Gas Movement and Exchange with the Atmosphere
Part V: Composite Phenomena
12. Temperature and Heat Flow in the Soil
13. Stress, Strain, and Strength of Soil Bodies
Part VI: The Field Water Cycle14. Water Entry into Soil
15. Surface Runoff and Water Erosion
16. Redistribution and Retention of Water in Soil
17. Groundwater Drainage and Pollution
18. Evaporation from Bare Soil and Wind Erosion
Part VII: Soil-Plant-Water Relations
19. Plant Uptake of Soil Moisture
20. Water Balance and Energy Balance in the Field
21. Irrigation and Water Use Efficiency
Bibliography
Index
Book details
ISBN: 9780123486554
Page Count: 498
Retail Price : £65.99
Hillel: ENVIRONMENTAL SOIL PHYSICS (2000, $74.95, ISBN: 0123485258) - 4,100+ net sales to date
Scott: SOIL PHYSICS, Iowa State Univ Press (2000, $62.99 ISBN: 0813820871)
Tindal et al.: UNSATURATED ZONE HYDROLOGY FOR SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS, Prentice Hall (1998, $84.00, ISBN: 0136607136)
Audience
Students in all soil sciences, especially soil physics and chemistry, as well as other environmental disciplines