Chapter 12 - Soil salinization and climate change

Abstract

Climate is one of the most important factors affecting the formation of soil with important implications for their development, use, and management. The principal climatic elements, which influence the soil formation are temperature, precipitation, and wind. Soils in warmer or wetter climates are more developed than soils in cooler or drier climates. There are feedback relationships between soils and climate. Soil biological processes affect the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere while greenhouse gases represent a significant regulator of the climate. In the last 150–200 years, the changing temperature regime resulted in considerable changes in the precipitation pattern. A changing climate also caused considerable changes in natural vegetation, soil properties, and land-use practices. The affecting soil properties depending on changing climate conditions are the soil temperature, the composition of soil gases, the biological parameters of the soil, the character of litter horizon, the intensity of cryoturbation phenomena, the salt content, the soil organic matter content, etc. These soil properties may change significantly within the time span from several years to several decades. Changing climate conditions determined by global warming and an increase in aridity will contribute to the salinization of the hydromorphic soils. The areas most prone to soil desertification and salinization are arid regions. Salinization is the accumulation of water-soluble salts in the soil solum. In the early stages, salinity affects the metabolism of soil organisms and reduces soil productivity, but in advanced stages it destroys all vegetation and other organisms living in the soil, consequently transforming fertile and productive land into barren and desertified lands. Water and soil salinity is likely to be increased in parallel with the temperatures; consequently, irrigation demand will be increased dramatically.