1. http://www.nh.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/images/soilfunctionsHQ.jpg What does soil do for you ?

2. http://www.bgs.ac.uk/sustainablesoils/index.html

3. Total land used for agriculture ~ 12.4 billion acres 3.8 billion acres ~ 10 % of earth’s land surface 8.6 billion acres ~ 23 % of earth’s land surface Science July 22 2005: Vol. 309. no. 5734, pp. 570 - 574

4. Most of the earth’s land surface is not well suited for agriculture Green areas have few constraints http://soils.usda.gov/use/worldsoils/mapindex/stresses.html US Midwest is mostly green !

5. http://www.bgs.ac.uk/sustainablesoils/index.html

6. Soil is an archive of life on earth!

7. Quantifying Biodiversity GroupKnown Species Estimated Total Species Percentage Known Vascular plants 220,000270,00081% Algae40,00060,00067% Fungi69,0001,500,0005% Bacteria3,00030,00010% (Hawksworth, 1991) Most live in soil

8. Even in places like deserts, where life may seem to be sparse, soil is full of life!

9. The soil matrix presents its inhabitants with many challenges Structural rigidity Tortuous, loosely connected and highly constricted porosity Low quality nutritional resources Moisture fluctuations

10. As a result, most soil organisms are in a dormant state waiting…

11. http://www.bgs.ac.uk/sustainablesoils/index.html

12. * *

13. Maximum compaction is the goal !

14. (Brady and Weil, 2002) What happened here ??

15. Karst regions in IL

16. Not a good place to build your house…

17. http://www.bgs.ac.uk/sustainablesoils/index.html

18. Soil participates in the hydrologic cycle

19. Agricultural run-off short-circuits the soil

20. Soil participates in the hydrologic cycle water SPRING Tile drain Runoff Leaching Gulf of Mexico http://www.greenlandsbluewaters.org/04_Glover.ppt ~40% of agricultural soils in IL have been tiled Agricultural drainage short-circuits the soil

21. http://www.grida.no/climate/vital/graphics/large/12.jpg Soil participates in the C cycle Gt = 10 9 t = Pg = 10 15 g C sequestration

22. http://www.bgs.ac.uk/sustainablesoils/index.html

23. Archaeological dig

24. Landfilling of wastes

25. http://www.bgs.ac.uk/sustainablesoils/index.html

26. Mining clay

27. THOMAS WADE, Peat Mining, 1869 Modern peat mining in Canada Peat mining in 19 th century England

28. Coal underlies 37,000 square miles of Illinois -- about 65 percent of the state's surface. Illinois' coal reserves contain more Btu's than the oil reserves of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Arguably the largest reserves of all US states ~ half of the coal in the eastern US ~ 1/5 of the coal in the US IL has enormous coal reserves

30. Trade-offs between soil functions Science July 22 2005: Vol. 309. no. 5734, pp. 570 - 574