Unit 1.

6
❖ Soil: Soil is what plants grow in. It is the loose material on Earth's surface
above the solid rock. It includes topsoil, subsoil, and weathered rock.
Composed of organic matter, for example living plants and animals, mineral
matter, as sand, silt and clay, water and air.
❏ Topsoil: The layer that gains new material from the decomposition of trees or
plants. Minerals can be washed out of this layer thanks to leaching. Its darker
than the other layers because of its high concentration of humus from
decomposition of dead branches and leaves. (Minerals go below by leaching)
➔ Leaching: The removal of soluble minerals and organic matter from the
topsoil by rain water
❏ Subsoil: Layer where material accumulates from horizons above or below
❏ Weathered bedrock: Layer which contains many loose pieces of rock,
broken off from the parent rock below by weathering.
❖ Mineral particles: Formed by the weathering of the rock that lies below the
soil.
❖ Soil texture: Balance of mineral particles in a soil which is determined by the
percentages of sand, silt and clay in the soil. It is important as it affects many
of the factors which influence plant growth and farming. This soil texture is
composed of:
❏ Pore space: These are the gaps between mineral particles. In sandy particles
these are between large individual grains but in clay, they are in small sizes.
❏ Aeration: Amount of air present in the pores. Sandy ones have large amount
of air in difference with clay.
❏ Drainage: Amount of water trapped in the pore spaces. Sandy do not hold
water so it drains freely to the soil but clay retains it as it has small pores.
❏ Nutrients: Ability of soil to supply nutrients to plants. Sandy particles have
short supply of nutrients meanwhile clay are rich in nutrients, but with much
water the can’t have them.
❏ Ease of use: How easily these particles can be cultivated and ploughed. Clay
soils are difficult to break up and to turn over.
Farming opportunities: The best type of soil for farming is loam.
Types of farming:
-Extensive→ Lots of space, poor soils, not so expensive, sheep farming.
- Intensive⟶ Small areas to farm, expensive, vegetables or cows in feedlots.
-Agroecology⟶ Non-distributed soil, nutrient recycling, field rotation.
Unit 1.7
❖ When you throw organic matter to the land in excess quantity, this organic
matter leaches and goes into the water body and this produces eutrophication
to start
❏ Eutrophication: Chemicals reach the water and the algae bloom produces.
This affects water and produces insufficient oxygen and animals die inside
 water. When the algae bloom is produces, bacterias grow and appears the
lack of oxygen in water. When these animals die, they decompose and the
eutrophicated ecosystem forms.
❖ Salinization: This produces soil alkalinity (soil starts to accumulate in salt).
❏ Salt: The salt is used to irrigate fields. When salt accumulates in the soil, pH
increases its level. Some crops die as they don’t tolerate alkaline soils. Soils
may have no vegetables as water evaporates and the salt stays in the soils
and its pH increases.
❖ Salinization often occurs in rangelands and it is produced because of
accumulation of the salt and evaporation of the water.
❖ Land pollution:
❏ Domestic waste: Wastes which come from the preparation, serving and
cooking of food. Specifically, plastics, cartons, boxes and household goods. It
is produced because of widespread contamination of both surface and water
supplies. The consequences are that this produces disease in the
overcrowded slum areas of the world.( -Garbage:food remains, plastic, glass.
-Chemicals: batteries, oil, drugs.
- Sewage: poo)
❏ Toxic waste: Wastes that come from industries and mining. More detailed,
scrops of wood and metal. It is produce because of metal melters, iron and
steel works, coal burning, leaching, and dumping of sewage. These produces
high concentrations which can be harmful to people.
❏ Nuclear waste: These wastes come from from nuclear power stations which
contain nuclear radiation, and radioactive waste. Its produces because of
radioactive substances and emissions of nuclear power. These wastes
produce cancer and leukaemia.
Unit 1.8
❖ Resources: A resource is something that helps to accomplish other thing.
There are renewable and nonrenewable resources.
❏ Renewable resources: Resources that are renewable, are resources that
can be reproduced faster than human can. For example, solar energy, wind
power, wave power, precipitations and water power, but there are some
essential as fresh water and biodiversity.
❏ Non-renewable resources: These resources, can’t be reproduced so we
have to take care from them carefully. For example,fossil fuels and minerals,
but there are some that can’t be renewable if overused for example, soil,
animals, and fish stocks.
❏ Essentially renewable: It always can be renewable and reproduces
❏ Non-renewable if overused by humans: In some point they are renewable
but if human overuse it or abuse from the resource it will be non- renewable.
Unit 2.1
Water is the main resource on earth. without it it would be no plants, humans or
animals. vv
❖ Water cycle: The transfer of water from the massive ocean to stores on land
via the atmosphere which is very important.
1. Evapo-transpiration: The water either from water losses to land surfaces
which have water, transform to vapour thanks to heat.
2. Condensation: The water which was vapour, is turn back to liquid or solid
(ice). When it cools, precipitations form, which are the moisture that reaches
the surface irrespective of type (rain, snow, hail).
3. Interception: When the water falls, it is intercepted, some flow over ground
surface, arriving to streams or rivers, making a run-off. The rest of the water,
goes downwards by infiltration, and the one which did not infiltrated flows on
the ground, called groundwater flow.
❖ How vegetation affects water?: In more arid places, there is a rapid run-off
of the water which means that water will leave earlier from the place it has
fallen and without enough water, vegetation dries and it cannot be eaten.
❖ How poor countries obtain water supplies?: Poor countries, use the
process of desalination which consists in taking out the salts of the water to
make it potable and fresh, so they cannot die because of drinking non potable
and polluted water. This explains why only few countries, why some countries
with desperate need of water use desalinization. Also, they use rain water
which was accumulated in aquifers. To do desalination you need a great
amount of energy.