Introduction to the Biogeochemistry of Soils

Chapter 1 is an abridged and concise overview of Jenny’s Factors of Soil Formation theory. The soil system is defined and explored from a state factor perspective. The ways in which this theory can be used to pose research questions and to design observation studies to address them are discussed. The relevance to the current Critical Zone science program is considered. The use of the state factor approach to global soil C science and to a climosequence of soils along the Mississippi River corridor is illustrated. The activities at the end of the chapter include a detailed tutorial on the solution of the state factor model for soil N in the Great Plains, first examined by Hans Jenny in a 1930 research paper.