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Case Studies |
The following case studies are available to download in PDF format.
Case Study 1: Reclaimation of Salinity Affected Farmland
Large areas of Australia were once covered by the Sea. Calcium rocks from the Victorian Mallee through to Western Australia show remains of aquatic crustaceans. The presence of soil salt is a natural consequence. Negative effects of saltation on the environment and plant production were hardly noticed 40 or 50 years ago, but have come increasingly, even devastatingly, to the fore in recent decades.
The reason for this increase is generally assumed to be deforestation for agricultural purposes. However, it is not the loss of trees which caused saltation; it is what happened to the soil after the trees were removed.
The entire version of the case study is available here to download (518KB) to save to your hard drive right click and choose "save target as"
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To see the text only version of the case study click here (PDF will open in new window 70KB to save to your hard drive right click and choose "save target as")
Images mentioned in above case study:
photo 1 (188KB) to save to your hard drive right click and choose "save target as"
photo 2 (155KB) to save to your hard drive right click and choose "save target as"
SALINITY1.pdf (138KB) to save to your hard drive right click and choose "save target as"
SALINITY2.pdf (113KB) to save to your hard drive right click and choose "save target as"
To see the salinity letter mentioned in the above case study click here (PDF will open in new window 69KB to save to your hard drive right click and choose "save target as")
Case Study 2: Phosphorous - a finite resource to be used wisely
It is well recognised that phosphate is an essential requirement for plants, in particular for those non-indigenous to Australia, which have been introduced in the past 200 years for Agricultural purposes and which, quite miraculously, acclimatized and ecologised, together with introduced animals, into the Australian environment.
The world reserves of economically accessible Phosphate, at the current rate of usage, have been quoted as 80 to 200 years with 25 years limit on economically viable supplies. How will conventional and "organic" farms manage without Phosphate?
To see the entire case study click here (PDF will open in new window 105KB to save to your hard drive right click and choose "save target as")
CASE STUDY 3: Atmospheric CO2, Global Temperature Change and the ability of Humus Rich Soil to buffer such effects.
It is true that due to the atmospheric CO2 build up the "average" temperature of the whole of Earth is increasing. It would be wrong however to deduce therefrom that this will cause polar ice to melt and the oceans to rise. The dynamics of the total process must be understood and checked.
To see the entire case study click here to download (PDF will open in new window 75.4KB to save to your hard drive right click and choose "save target as")
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