GEOEPIDERM – AN ECOLOGICAL CONCEPT THAT INTEGRATES SOIL COVER WITH ASSOCIATED LAND SURFACE COMPONENTS
Journal Title: Soil Forming Factors from the Temperate Zone - Year 2008, Vol 7, Issue 1
Abstract
Based on the new concept of the “Epiderm of the Earth” introduced by the 2006 edition of the WRB-SR, the idea of “geoepiderm” has been developed. Besides its holistic meaning, by including both soil and non-soil materials found in the first 2 meters of the land surface, the term “geoepiderm” has a strong ecological sense, by suggesting similarity with the skin of the living organisms, as such, this concept is fully concordant with that of “Gaia” (Living Earth) developed by James Lovelock. The geoepiderm concept as presented here, allows a more “vivid” approach of ecological (state) of the land surface. In this sense one can discover that the land masses of the this planet are in a rather precarious (let say fragile) ecological status: according to the data provided by WRB-SR (2006), more than 50.7% (75.7 mil. sq. km) are covered by geoepiderms of low ecological value: Protoderma 28.7%, Cryoderma 12.0%, and Arididerma 10.0%; Euderma and Inceptiderma cover about 24.7% (36.9 mil. sq. km), while the exhausted geoepiderms - Oligoderma and Ferriderma occupies 20.3% (30.3 mil. sq. km). Although important, the remaining geoepiderms – Vertiderma, Histoderma and Anthroderma have a relatively minor participation – 4.3% (6.5 mil. sq. km). At high and middle latitudes the present day geoepiderm reflects the consequences of Quaternary glaciations, that resulted in a “refreshing” of land surface by removing the former geoepiderms and allowing developement of newer ones, with higher ecological value. At lower latitudes, the high stability of climate and land surface, that favoured a long-lasting soil development, resulted in a senilised and exhausted geoepiderms (ferriderma and ultiderma). Like the epiderms of the living organisms, the geoepiderm is continually renewed, but the rate of its refreshment is far to be uniform – faster at high and middle latitudes and much more slower at lower ones.
Authors and Affiliations
Ioan Munteanu
Keywords
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GEOEPIDERM – AN ECOLOGICAL CONCEPT THAT INTEGRATES SOIL COVER WITH ASSOCIATED LAND SURFACE COMPONENTS
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