There are many characteristics of soils through multiple high-resource environments including:
ECOSYSTEM SERVICES
Soil is the link between the air, water, rocks, and organisms, and is responsible for many different functions in the natural world that we call ecosystem services. These soil functions include: air quality and composition, temperature regulation, carbon and nutrient cycling, water cycling and quality, natural "waste" (decomposition) treatment and recycling, and habitat for most living things and their food. We could not survive without these soil functions.
Habitat
Soils are the environment in which seeds grow. They provide heat, nutrients, and water that are available for use to nuture plants to maturity. These plants form together with other plants and organisms to create ecosystems. Ecosystems depend on the soil, and soils can help determine where ecosystems are located (check out the Around the World Page for more examples.) These plants then provide valuable habitat and food sources for animals, bacteria, and other things.
Air Quality and Composition
A well covered soil prevents erosion. During times like the great Dust Bowl, wind blows across soils, and suspended them in the air. These are easily inhaled and accumulate in lung tissues causing major respiratory problems. These particles can contain fungi and bacteria, which can cause infection and diseases. They are also important in military operations.
Dust can hide entire armies and tanks in large clouds. Approaching the enemy is much easier when entire armies are hidden in the dust, but all following vehicles tend to be blinded by dust. In dry regions, dust can also alert of an approaching enemy. In very dry regions, every time a weapon is fired, it sends out a cloud of dust, and it is difficult to see if the target is hit. Tank engine’s life spans fell from an average of 7500 kilometers to 3500 kilometers in the desert; most of this is due to the damage that suspended sediment causes. In military operations in the desert, take off formations are messed up by high concentrations of dust.
- Credits to soils4teachers.
