GES2130

Soils, land use and the environment

Ms Meredith Orr

4 points - 2.5 hours per week on average (2 lectures and 1 lecture and 2-hour practical in alternate weeks) - First semester - Clayton - Prerequisites: A first-year sequence in geography, or permission of head of department

Objectives By completing this subject students should be able to explain the formation of the principal soil types found in SE Australia; describe and classify soils according to at least one of the two main classification schemes currently in use in Australia (the 'Northcote' and 'Isbell' schemes); summarise the nature and causes of the main Australian soil management issues in the late twentieth century, and the general ways in which they relate to broader social issues; demonstrate understanding of the ways in which these issues may be addressed.

Synopsis This subject introduces soils and their management through the following topics: soil constituents and characteristics, soil-forming processes; models of soil formation, Australian soils and their classification; soil mapping, and the principal issues in the management of Australian soils. In the management section of the unit, particular emphasis is placed on soil and land use relationships and the physical causes of land degradation. The human dimension of soil management issues is introduced towards the end of the unit.

Assessment Written (2000 words): 40% - Examinations (1.5 hours): 50% - Practical work/Fieldwork: 10%

Recommended texts

Charman P E V and Murphy B W Soils: Their properties and management Sydney University Press, 1991
Chisholm A and Dumsday R Land degradation: Problems and policies CUP, 1987
McDonald R C and others Australian soil and land survey: Field handbook 2nd edn, Inkata Press, 1990
McTainsh G H and Boughton W C Land degradation processes in Australia Longman Cheshire, 1993
White R E Introduction to the principles and practice of soil science 3rd edn, Blackwell, 1997

Back to the 1999 Science Handbook