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Module 2
How do soils vary in time, space and composition?
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Overview — What to expect in Module 2
Module 2 is all about diversity - diversity of soils in terms of history, landscapes, properties, biodiversity, as well as ways in testing soils for their properties.
Explore the remarkable diversity of soils and learn how different soils form and develop across landscapes through the interaction of climate, organisms, topography, parent material, and time.
Watch the introductory video to find out more!
In this topic, you will explore soils as living records of environmental history. You will learn how to “read” soil profiles, how researchers extract intact sections of soils called monoliths, and discover the key factors and processes that shape soils around the world. Step by step, you will begin to see soils not as static ground beneath you, but as dynamic systems - formed over centuries and deeply connected to the landscapes and ecosystems they support. When you learn how to read soils, you can identify their properties, functions, and the environmental conditions in which they formed. This knowledge helps assess whether a soil is suitable for agriculture, land management, construction, and the soil services it can provide.
After completing this topic, you will be able to…
Describe how soils vary around the world.
Explain why soils vary using the five soil-forming factors
Recognize key visible features in soil profiles.
In this topic, you’ll take a closer look at soil as a dynamic system composed of minerals, organic matter, living organisms, water, and air. You will explore how these elements interact to create soil, and how this hidden structure supports soil ecosystem services, influences plant growth, water movement, and other processes.
Through reflection and simple do-it-yourself (DIY) soil tests, you will observe soil from a scientist’s perspective - seeing it not just as the material beneath your feet, but as a living and vulnerable natural body full of activity and connections.
Learning objectives
After completing this topic, you will be able to:
Define the main components of soil and describe their basic roles in soil functioning.
Identify the texture of a soil sample using the feel (hand-texturing) method.
Name examples of soil tests that can be carried out at home.
[Topic under development — content to be added]
