Australian Soil and Land Survey Field Handbook

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keyword(s):  
Land Surface ◽  
Resource Assessment ◽  
Steering Committee ◽  
Federal State ◽  
National Committee ◽  
Land Resource ◽  
Management Planning ◽  
Land Survey ◽  
Uniform Manner ◽  
Australian Soil

The Australian Soil and Land Survey Field Handbook specifies methods and terminology for soil and land surveys. It has been widely used throughout Australia, providing one reference set of definitions for the characterisation of landform, vegetation, land surface, soil and substrate. The book advocates that a comprehensive suite of land and soil attributes be recorded in a uniform manner. This approach is more useful than the allocation of land or soil to preconceived types or classes. The third edition includes revised chapters on location and vegetation as well as some new landform elements. These updates have been guided by the National Committee on Soil and Terrain, a steering committee comprising representatives from key federal, state and territory land resource assessment agencies. Essential reading for all professionals involved in land resource surveys, this book will also be of value to students and educators in soil science, geography, ecology, agriculture, forestry, resource management, planning, landscape architecture and engineering.

Australian Soil Classification

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
R Isbell ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Working Group ◽  
Soil Classification ◽  
National Committee ◽  
New Order ◽  
Land Resource ◽  
Basic Requirement ◽  
New Knowledge ◽  
Land Survey ◽  
Australian Soil ◽  
Main Change

The Australian Soil Classification provides a framework for organising knowledge about Australian soils by allocating soils to classes via a key. Since its publication in 1996, this book has been widely adopted and formally endorsed as the official national system. It has provided a means of communication among scientists and land managers and has proven to be of particular value in land resource survey and research programs, environmental studies and education. Classification is a basic requirement of all science and needs to be periodically revised as knowledge increases. This third edition of The Australian Soil Classification includes updates from a working group of the National Committee on Soil and Terrain (NCST). The main change in this edition accommodates new knowledge and understanding of the significance, nature, distribution and refined testing for soils comprising deep sands, leading to the inclusion of a new Order, the Arenosols. The introduction of the Arenosols Order led to a review and changes to Calcarosols, Tenosols and Rudosols. The Australian Soil Classification is Volume 4 in the Australian Soil and Land Survey Handbooks Series.

Australian Soil Classification

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
R Isbell ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Working Group ◽  
Soil Classification ◽  
National Committee ◽  
Land Resource ◽  
Acid Sulfate Soils ◽  
Basic Requirement ◽  
National System ◽  
New Knowledge ◽  
Sulfate Soils ◽  
Australian Soil

The Australian Soil Classification provides a framework for organising knowledge about Australian soils by allocating soils to classes via a key. Since its publication in 1996, this book has been widely adopted and formally endorsed as the official national system. It has provided a means of communication among scientists and land managers and has proven to be of particular value in land resource survey and research programs, environmental studies and education. Classification is a basic requirement of all science and needs to be periodically revised as knowledge increases. This Second Edition of The Australian Soil Classification includes updates from a working group of the National Committee on Soil and Terrain (NCST), especially in regards to new knowledge about acid sulfate soils (sulfidic materials). Modifications include expanding the classification to incorporate different kinds of sulfidic materials, the introduction of subaqueous soils as well as new Vertosol subgroups, new Hydrosol family criteria and the consistent use of the term reticulate. All soil orders except for Ferrosols and Sodosols are affected by the changes.

Pastoralists-farmers’ conflicts in Nigeria’s mid-Benue Trough: Socio-ecological drivers and pathways to addressing the conflicts.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chukwudi Njoku ◽  
Francis Okpiliya ◽  
Joel Efiong ◽  
Chinwe Ifejika Speranza
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Land Development ◽  
Policy Formulation ◽  
Landsat 8 ◽  
Land Resource ◽  
Hotspot Analysis ◽  
Benue Trough ◽  
Year 2000

<p>Violent conflicts related to pastoralists-farmers’ interactions in Nigeria have assumed an unprecedented dimension, causing loss of lives and livelihoods. The mid-Benue trough (Benue and Taraba States) has suffered most from the conflicts. This study aims to provide knowledge on the socio-ecological drivers of pastoralists-farmers’ conflicts in the mid-Benue trough from the year 2000 to 2020 and to identify pathways to solving them. First, data from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project were used to map the conflicts. Second, to understand the nexus of climate change, land use and the conflicts, the study analyzed satellite data of Land Surface Temperature (LST) as a proxy for climate change, using data from the Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite and Land Use Land Cover (LULC), using LandSat 7 ETM and LandSat 8 ETM+ data, then linked them to the mapped conflicts. Third, to understand causes and impacts of the conflict on pastoralists and farmers’ livelihoods, 100 interviews were conducted, 50 for each group and analyzed using content analysis and descriptive statistics. Results showed that there were 2532 fatalities from 309 conflict events between pastoralists and farmers. The incidents exhibited statistically significant clustering and were minimal between the year 2000 and 2012, increasing gradually until the year 2013 when it began to rise geometrically. The Getis-Ord Gi hotspot analysis revealed the conflict hotspots to include Agatu, Oturkpo, Gwer East and Gashaka Local Government Areas. The results from the LST analysis showed that the area coverage of high LST increased from 30 percent in 2000 to 38 percent in 2020, while extremely high LST area also increased from 14 to 16 percent. A significantly high percentage of the conflicts (87 percent) occurred in areas with high LST (>30⁰C). In addition, the LULC analyses showed that built-up land area increased by 35 km<sup>2 </sup>(0.1 percent) and dense forests reduced by 798 km<sup>2</sup> (0.1 percent). Notably, shrublands and grasslands, which are the resource domains of the pastoralists reduced by 11,716 km<sup>2  </sup>(13.1 percent) and croplands of farmers increased by 12,316 km<sup>2 </sup>(13.8 percent)<strong>. </strong>This presents an apparent transition of LULC from shrublands and grasslands to croplands in the area. Further analyses showed that 63 percent of the conflicts occurred in croplands and 16 percent in shrublands and grasslands. Hence, the reduction of land resource available to pastoralists and their subsequent cropland encroachment were identified as major causes of the conflict. It was therefore concluded that land development for other purposes is a major driver of pastoralists-farmers’ conflicts in the study area. There is thus a need to integrate conflict maps, LST and LULC dynamics to support dialogue, land use planning and policy formulation for sustainable land management to guide pastoral and farming activities.</p>

Soil Physical Measurement and Interpretation for Land Evaluation

2002 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neil McKenzie ◽  
Keppel Coughlan ◽  
Hamish Cresswell
Keyword(s):  
Pore Space ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Resource Assessment ◽  
Land Evaluation ◽  
Land Resource ◽  
Physical Measurement ◽  
Soil Physics ◽  
Physical Measurements ◽  
Practical Guidelines ◽  
Conductivity Water

Soil physical measurements are essential for solving many natural resource management problems. This operational laboratory and field handbook provides, for the first time, a standard set of methods that are cost-effective and well suited to land resource survey. It provides: practical guidelines on the soil physical measurements across a range of soils, climates and land uses; straightforward descriptions for each method (including common pitfalls) that can be applied by people with a rudimentary knowledge of soil physics, and guidelines on the interpretation of results and integration with land resource assessment. Soil Physical Measurement And Interpretation for Land Evaluation begins with an introduction to land evaluation and then outlines procedures for field sampling. Twenty detailed chapters cover pore space relations, water retention, hydraulic conductivity, water table depth, dispersion, aggregation, particle size, shrinkage, Atterburg limits and strength. The book includes procedures for estimating soil physical properties from more readily available data and shows how soil physical data can be integrated into land planning and management decisions.

scholarly journals Increasing Landscape Appreciation through the Landscape Services Approach. A Case Study from Switzerland

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (20) ◽  
pp. 5826 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roger Keller ◽  
Mélanie Clivaz ◽  
Emmanuel Reynard ◽  
Norman Backhaus
Keyword(s):  
Natural Resources ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Federal State ◽  
Expert Interviews ◽  
Local Authorities ◽  
Landscape Services ◽  
National Importance ◽  
Recommendations For Action

Switzerland uses various instruments to protect and maintain its natural resources and the environment. The federal inventory “Landscapes and Natural Monuments of National Importance” documents 19 percent of Switzerland’s land surface. It aims for the permanent preservation or greatest possible protection of these environments. This inventory’s records of impact (knowledge by the population) and acceptance (in particular by local authorities) would benefit from improvements. Based on expert interviews and observations in five pilot regions, this study highlights the obstacles and possible solutions to the goal of increasing appreciation of landscapes of national importance. The study develops recommendations for action for different stakeholders (the federal state, cantons, local authorities, NGOs and associations, economic actors) in three areas: (i) communication, information, and dialogue, (ii) cooperation between stakeholders, and (iii) support from federal and cantonal agencies.

Preparing communities: The critical integration of faith-based organizations into emergency planning and response

2009 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica L. Hurst, BS, JD ◽  
Jessica P. George, BA, JD
Keyword(s):  
Paradigm Shift ◽  
Legal Issues ◽  
Emergency Planning ◽  
Federal State ◽  
Management Planning ◽  
Faith Based ◽  
Emergency Management Planning ◽  
Response And Recovery ◽  
Faith Based Organizations ◽  
State And Local

This article discusses the paradigm shift that is taking place in emergency management planning with regard to the integration of faith-based organizations in federal, state, and local preparedness, response, and recovery efforts. In addition, this article explores potential legal issues related to government funding and support of faith-based emergency planning initiatives. Finally, the article proposes recommendations for initiating and expanding emergency planning among faith-based organizations to fully utilize the unique knowledge these groups have of the needs of their communities.

scholarly journals Hydroclimatic regimes: a distributed water-balance framework for hydrologic assessment and classification

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 2933-2965 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. K. Weiskel ◽  
D. M. Wolock ◽  
P. J. Zarriello ◽  
R. M. Vogel ◽  
S. B. Levin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Surface Water ◽  
Water Balance ◽  
20Th Century ◽  
Water Availability ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Resource Assessment ◽  
Annual Runoff ◽  
Balance Model ◽  
Equal Weight ◽  
Terrestrial Water

Abstract. Runoff-based indicators of terrestrial water availability are appropriate for humid regions, but have tended to limit our basic hydrologic understanding of drylands – the dry-sub-humid, semi-arid, and arid regions which presently cover nearly half of the global land surface. In response, we introduce an indicator framework that gives equal weight to humid and dryland regions, accounting fully for both vertical (precipitation + evapotranspiration) and horizontal (groundwater + surface-water) components of the hydrologic cycle in any given location – as well as fluxes into and out of landscape storage. We apply the framework to a diverse hydroclimatic region (the conterminous USA), using a distributed water-balance model consisting of 53 400 networked landscape hydrologic units. Our model simulations indicate that about 21% of the conterminous USA either generated no runoff or consumed runoff from upgradient sources on a mean-annual basis during the 20th century. Vertical fluxes exceeded horizontal fluxes across 76% of the conterminous area. Long-term average total water availability (TWA) during the 20th century, defined here as the total influx to a landscape hydrologic unit from precipitation, groundwater, and surface water, varied spatially by about 400 000-fold, a range of variation ~100 times larger than that for mean-annual runoff across the same area. The framework includes, but is not limited to classical, runoff-based approaches to water-resource assessment. It also incorporates and re-interprets the green-blue water perspective now gaining international acceptance. Implications of the new framework for hydrologic assessment and classification are explored.

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