Real-Life Communication
As a soil scientist, you'll have to write a lot of reports to document
your findings, so good communication skills are a must. "You definitely have
to know how to put your findings down on paper so others will understand,"
says scientist Barbara Kishchuk.
You're a soil scientist giving a lecture
to a community group about the nature of your work. Since few of these people
have even heard of soil science, you plan to begin your lecture by explaining
the basics of soil science in simple terms.
These are a few of the
concepts in soil science as you understand them. Try putting them into terms
the audience, which knows nothing about soil science, will be able to understand:
Decompose
-- This is the process of breaking down organic matter into constituent substances.
Soil
Texture -- This is the method of description according to relative proportions
of the various soil separates in a soil, such as size and shape and texture.
Salinity
-- This causes imbalance in most crops. This phenomenon occurs when natural
salts are dissolved in the earth, and as the groundwater ascends, humidity
factors will cause the moisture to diffuse into the air, leaving the harmful
salt on the layer of top soil.
Degradation -- This is a process
in which soils become ineffectual for the growth and sustenance of plant life.
Factors causing this process may be erosion, salinization or loss of organic
matter.