Introduction to the Biogeochemistry of Soils

Ronald Amundson has spent his career at Berkeley working to integrate and expand an appreciation of soils within the earth sciences. By utilizing principles of isotope geochemistry, he has developed isotopic tools for environmental and paleoclimate studies, and helped develop new methods of dating soils and landscapes. He has nearly two decades of research experience in the Atacama Desert of Chile exploring the climate threshold between the biotic and abiotic regions on Earth, and how this can ultimately inform us about the history of our planetary neighbour, Mars. Amundson is an elected Fellow of the Soil Science Society of America and the American Geophysical Union.

• 1. Introduction to soils; 2. An overview of the biogeochemistry of soils; 3. The biology in soil biogeochemistry; 4. Field based properties of soils; 5. Soil biogeochemical measurements and data; 6. Time and soil processes; 7. The soil carbon cycle; 8. Chemical and physical processes in soils; 9. Soil processes on sloping landscapes; 10. Humans and soil biogeochemistry.

'Amundson's introduction to soil biogeochemistry provides an exciting path for future students with a wide range of interests, especially ecological and Earth science students. This introduction to the topic is as important as it is long overdue.' Daniel D. Richter, Duke University