Soil mapping the world
The soil map of Egypt. The group is currently at work on maps of African countries.
A consortium of scientists is at work compiling a Global Digital Soil Properties Map–an up-to-date, spatially-referenced soil information tool that can communicate clearly across a range of users and technologies–with the support of an $18 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In addition to predicting soil properties at a fine resolution, the map includes interpretation and functionality options to facilitate decision-making on issues relating to environmental degradation, biodiversity, water, agriculture and climate change.
Soil is an important factor in the development of the Freshkills Park site. Soil is currently imported to complete closure on the two yet-uncapped landfill mounds on the site, and additional soil will be required to cover over existing vegetation on much of the other two mounds, both to aid in plant cultivation and to meet New York State requirements for public access. Soil import is hugely expensive, though, and we’ve been looking into manufacturing soil on the site and/or remediating our existing supply in order to meet our requirements in other ways.
(via Pruned)
