Future of Soil

Physical Geography, Life, Soils, etc........

Energy (sunlight) and matter (rocks, plants, oceans, coffee makers, and everything else) cannot be destroyed or created. There is a fixed amount of each in the Universe. Energy can be temporarily stored in matter (fossil fuels, plant starch, meat) and oxidized (burned) to release energy again. Technically, even the Sun is a finite resource of energy since it is just a speck of radiation in the Universe. For our purposes, though, it will easily outlast our civilization and the Earth itself. Our planet will plunge into the Sun and burn up long before the Sun expires.

Our Earth is a closed system of matter. The infinite source of sunlight is the only variable that enters our system. This sun energy transfers a lot of our Earth matter into different forms, but it does not MAKE any more matter. We humans, pervasive and destructive as we are, do not destroy any matter either. We build an Oldsmobile out of available elements in the Earth and the car rusts and returns to the Earth. When the Earth was formed 4 billion years ago (by whoever or whatever) it weighed the same as it does now. Asteroids (meteorites) have entered our matter system, but in amounts that are microscopic in comparison to the Earth.

All life forms on the Earth are "organic", or composed of carbon. Just like sunlight this carbon is a plentiful resource. Most of the world's carbon is tied-up in rocks such as limestone. Some of this carbon is liberated into the life cycle by seashell organisms (oysters, coral, clams). This carbon release is relatively small compared with the carbon harvested from the atmosphere by plant systems. Carbon dioxide (CO2) in our air is the building block for all life on earth. When combined with rainwater (H20) and the "spark" of sunlight this carbon is stored in plant forms (photosynthesis). Animals (humans) get the oxygen they need directly from the air AND from the oxygen given off by plants. The plants then "inhale" the CO2 that animals "exhale". Over millions of years (possibly even billions) a tiny fraction of the carbon in the atmosphere and rocks is stored in bedrock (oil, gas and coal) and soil (organic matter from decomposed plants and animals). Soils that are high in organic matter absorb water more efficiently because they are more porous. It should be noted that our rainfall utilization has become more inefficient as we lose our soil organic matter.

Humans can use carbon as it is fed to them through photosynthesis or they can gobble up this tiny amount of carbon that is “in the piggy bank.” World fossil-fuel reserves and soil carbon have dropped severely in 100 years, a mere speck of dust in geologic time. We have exceeded the capacity of Nature’s carbon production system by trying to feed 6 billion people. We can get away with it temporarily, living upon yesterday’s warehouse of carbon and energy. But Nature will win the ultimate battle and extinguish us like a parasite.

Animal life must have protein to build muscle tissue. The human animal can eat protein from plants (largely low-protein sources) or animals (high-protein sources). There are certain nutrients such as iron and some amino acids that man cannot get in large amount from eating plants. Since much of the world's plant matter is in the form of unusable cellulose it is a labor-efficient practice to eat animal protein (fish, insects, ruminants). Nitrogen is the building block of protein. Most of the Earth's nitrogen is in the atmosphere. It comes into the life cycle largely through soil bacteria and leguminous plants that use those bacteria to "fixate" nitrogen and make it available to plants. People used up their supply of natural nitrogen (soil fertility) decades ago. They now "whip" their soil into producing more crops by adding artificial sources of nitrogen. Since we cannot directly use the nitrogen in the air (with our lungs) we produce fertilizer (anhydrous ammonia, NH3-based nitrogen) with huge amounts of natural gas. This fertilizer has replaced bacterial nitrogen in our artificial system of farming. In a typical bushel of grain over half of the fossil-fuel used to produce it is composed of natural gas-based fertilizer.

Look at the major structures of the life cycle --- sunlight, carbon, nitrogen, and water (hydrogen and oxygen). If we leave all those necessities alone and modify JUST ONE, can we expect not to change our life?? We cannot tinker with the life process and NOT change ourselves. A carpenter can build a house using his bricks, mortar, lumber, and nails. He can enjoy a successful career as long as he uses roughly the same ratio of these essential ingredients. But if he does not use enough nails, for example, or enough cement in his mortar, his houses will fall and he will not be a carpenter anymore. Humanity has modified ALL major elemental life processes. We waste sunlight and overuse carbon, nitrogen, and water.

I'm not a soils scientist. I know some basic principles about soil's function in the natural environment and how it is used in today's food production. (I am open to the possibility of expanding on this important topic if someone or something gives me more information.)