Introduction to Soil Physics - Softcover

Hillel, Daniel

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0123485207 ISBN 13: 9780123485205

Publisher: Academic Press, 1982

Synopsis

This book is a unified, condensed, and simplified version of the recently issued twin volumes, Fundamentals of Soil Physics and Applications of Soil Physics. Nonessential topics and complexities have been deleted, and little prior knowledge of the subject is assumed. An effort has been made to provide an elementary, readable, and self-sustaining description of the soil's physical properties and of the manner in which these properties govern the processes taking place in the field. Consideration is given to the ways in which the soil's processes can be influenced, for better or for worse, by man. Sample problems are provided in an attempt to illustrate how the abstract principles embodied in mathematical equations can be applied in practice. The author hope that the present version will be more accessible to students than its precursors and that it might serve to arouse their interest in the vital science of soil physics.

About this title

About the Author

Born in California and raised in Israel, Dr. Daniel Hillel acquired an early and lifelong love of the land and a commitment to understanding and protecting the natural environment. Through decades of work in some thirty countries, he has become an international authority on sustainable management of land and water resources. Dr. Hillel has served as professor of soil physics, hydrology and the environmental sciences at leading universities in the U.S. and abroad, and has been a consultant to the World Bank and the United Nations. Among the honors he has received are the Chancellor's Medal for Exemplary Service at the University of Massachusetts , a Guggenheim award, and Doctorates of Science honoris causa by Guelph University of Canada and Ohio State University . Dr. Hillel is an elected Fellow of the American Association for Advancement of Science, the American Geophysical Union, the Soil Science Society of America, and the American Society of Agronomy and was granted the Distinguished Service Award by the latter societies. He has published well over 300 scientific papers and research reports, and authored or edited twenty two books. His definitive textbooks on environmental physics have been use by universities and research institutions throughout the world and have been translated into twelve languages.

From the Back Cover

This book demonstrates applications of the basic principles of soil physics and illustrates how they can be used systematically to define―and eventually control―existing phenomena.
The first section of the book provides comprehensive treatment of the field water cycle and its management. Topics covered are: the sequential processes if infiltration and runoff; redistribution and storage of soil moisture; groundwater drainage; evaporation from bare soil and soil salinization; uptake of water by plants and transpiration as determined by climate, soil properties, and rooting habit; field water balance and energy balance; crop water requirements and water use efficiency; tillage mechanics and soild structure management.
The second section extends these principles further and introduces the reader to the contributions of several leading authorities on topics of vital contemporary interest. The topics discussed include; crop canopy effects on evapotranspiration; freezing phenomena in soils; similitude and scaling; spatial heterogeneity of soil physical properties; and the movement of solutes during infiltration.

Edition details

• Publisher: Academic Press
• Publication date: 1982
• ISBN 10: 0123485207
• ISBN 13: 9780123485205
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 364