HR: 13:40h
AN: H33H-01 INVITED     [Abstracts]
TI: Frontier Lecture in Hydrological Science: Advancing Hydrological Investigations by Addressing Some Challenges Posed by Dynamic Surface Soil Properties
AU: * Horton, R
EM: rhorton@iastate.edu
AF: Iowa State University, Agronomy Department, Ames, IA 50011 United States
AB: Soil is a key natural resource. Surface soil has importance for a variety of hydrological, environmental, ecological, climatological, and agricultural investigations. Compared to the attention given to water and air, public attention given to soil is miniscule. However, the importance of soil is becoming recognized more fully within the natural science community. Soil represents part of the vadose zone which is hydrologically connected to both surface water and groundwater. Soil science is at a critical time for refocusing attention to studies of soil hydrology in various ecosystems. A sociological challenge to the soil science community is to move past the era of specialists researching and teaching for the sake of communicating with other specialists. It is time to balance specialties with an integrated approach. A technical challenge to soil scientists is to quantify spatial and temporal variability of surface soil properties that impact hydrology and ecosystem products and services. In this seminar I will present a variety of reasons that encourage integrative investigations of the natural hydrologic environment. I will also introduce some new measurement methods that can quantify surface soil properties. It is time to embrace the beauty and importance of soil so that we scientists can more fully co-operate to study, teach, and manage hydrologic systems for the service of humanity
DE: 1800 HYDROLOGY
DE: 1866 Soil moisture
DE: 1875 Vadose zone
SC: Hydrology [H]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005