701-0518-00L Soil Resources and Global Change

Abstract	Introduction into the importance, concepts and areas of action related to soil development and the use of soil resources in a changing world.
Learning objective	Understanding the - conditions under which soils develop and are used at the global scale - consequences and problems of the use of soil and the resulting pressure on soil resources - impact of climate and global change on the future development of soil resources
Content	Soil functions and soil formation; regional and global soil development, impacts of land use on soil water and gas circulation; forms of soil pollution and degradation; regional and global estimates of soil degradation; soil amendment and remediation of contaminated soils; planning and legal implementation of soil protection.
Lecture notes	Handouts will be available for download. Related scientific articles will be recommended after each session.
Literature	Some useful text books to know of: - Scheffer/Schachtschabel - Soil Science, Springer, Heidelberg, 2016. - Brady N.C. and Weil, R.R. The Nature and Properties of Soils. 14th ed. Prentice Hall, 2007. - Press & Siever: Allgemeine Geologie, 7th ed., Springer, Heidelberg, 2016. - Mason/Burt - Physical Geography, 5th ed., Oxford Uni. Press, Oxford, 2015.
Prerequisites / Notice	Prerequisites: Interest in physical geography and soil development. Basic knowledge in chemistry, biology and geology. A previous participation in lecture "Pedosphere" (701-0501-00L) is recommended.