Soil Links

Listed below are some internet resources for further information about soils.  The resources range from professional societies and associations to education material to databases.

Professional Societies

• American Chemical Society – Society for chemistry professionals in all fields.
• American Society of Agronomy – Dedicated to the development of agriculture enabled by science, in harmony with environmental and human values.
• Association for Environmental Health and Sciences – Facilitates exchange of information among professionals concerned with soil protection and cleanup.
• Canadian Society of Soil Science – Canadian organizations of scientists, engineers, technologists, administrators, and students involved in professional soil science.
• Clay Mineral Society – Society for scientists and professionals involved in researching and disseminating information about clay science and technology.
• French Soil Science Association – Society for French soil scientists and soil professionals (in French).
• International Humic Substances Society – Society for scientists in coal, soil, and water sciences with an interest in humic substances. 
• International Union of Soil Sciences – Its purpose is to foster all branches of soil science and its applications and to stimulate scientific research for the benefit of mankind. 
• National Society of Consulting Soil Scientists, Inc. – Professional organization supporting the soil science consulting business and promoting soil science.
• Soil Science Society of America – Site for SSSA and the American Society of Agronomy
• Soil Science Society of Ireland – Professional society for researching and studying soils in Ireland.

Organizations

• European Soil Bureau (ESB) – Provides information on European soils to policy makers and soil data users.
• Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations – Describes FAO activities in French, English, and Spanish.  Also has statistical databases on production, trade, food balance sheets, fertilizer and pesticides, land use and irrigation, forestry products, fisheries products, population, agricultural machinery, and food aid shipments. 
• International Soil and Reference Information Centre – Provides a better understanding about soils and promotes sustainable use of the land.
• Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture – A research and education center to develop sustainable agricultural practices that are profitable and conserve natural resources.
• United Nations Environment Programme – Describes UNEP programs and activities. 
• US Department of Agriculture – USDA is a branch of the United States government for food, forestry, and agriculture related activities.  
• USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service – The US Department of Agriculture’s conservation branch. 
• US Geological Survey – United States agency for science about the earth, its natural and living resources, natural hazards, and the environment.

General Information

• Soils of Arid Regions of the United and Israel – Web site provides information on arid soils in the United States and Israel.
• Browse EPA Topics – EPA web pages organized by topics.
• Forest and Range Soils – The Forest and Range Soils section of SSSA.
• National Environmental Publications Information System – A database of over 10,000 full-text EPA documents that you can view, browse, or print online. 
• Sciences of Soils – Online journal for the Soil Sciences.
• Soil Biology and Biochemistry – The Soil Biology and Biochemistry section of SSSA.
• Soil Chemistry – The Soil Chemistry section of SSSA.
• Soil Facts – I put these together for another purpose and thought they might interest others
• Soil Microbiology Glossary – An Internet glossary of terms used in soil microbiology
• Landscaping and Soil Biology Glossary – An Internet glossary of soil science and landscaping terms. 
• Soil Solutions – A collection of soil science resource links.
• Global Digital Soil Map – A global consortium is making a digital soil map of the world. Some soil maps available online.
• Soil Survey Manual – Online version of the Soil Survey Manual from USDA NRCS.
• Urban Soil Primer – Introduction to urban soils
• USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Soils Web Site – Helping people understand soils. Provides soil information to land use managers, soil scientists, geographers, teachers, and students.
• USDA NRCS World Soil Resources – This site has educational materials online, an index to global soils maps and technical papers.  
• USDA NRCS Soil Survey Resources – Provides soil survey technology, standards, data, and expertise in the United States.  Data access includes MUIR soil survey data, official series descriptions, soil series classification, national soil characterization data, national soil temperature tables, soil surveys, STATSGO, SSURGO, and a photo gallery.

Databases

• Africa Data Dissemination Service – Cooperative project between USAID’s Famine Early Warning System and USGS EROS Data Center to provide digital environmental data.
• Agricultural Research Service Databases – List of databases available from the USDA-ARS.
• Environmental Contaminants Encyclopedia – National Park Service database of general information and concentration data of environmental contaminants. 
• International Culture Collection of VA Mycorrhizal Fungi – Database that documents collections of soil fungi that live in close association with plant species.
• Pesticide Label and MSDS Database – Pesticide information organized by manufacturer.
• Pesticide Properties Database – USDA Agricultural Research Service database of pesticide chemical, physical, and environmental properties. 
• USDA NRCS Soil Surveys by State – This site lists available soil survey data, organized by state.
• USDA NRCS State Soil Geographic Database – Soil maps for the STATSGO database covering state, regional, and multi-state areas.

Educational

• Global Daily Soil Moisture Animations – National Snow and Ice Data Center provides animations of global soil moisture over 30, 60, and 90 day periods.
• Building the Phyllosilicates – Description of the structure of phyllosilicate minerals.
• EPA Environmental Kids Club – Activities for learning about the environment.
• The Globe Program – Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment.  GLOBE is a network of teachers, students and scientist who study and observe their environment.  
• History of American Agriculture – A chart of the history of American Agriculture from 1776 to 1990. 
• The Microbe Zoo: Dirtland – This is a very nice, educational site from Michigan State University on microorganisms in soil. Covers a wide range of information.
• S.K. Answer Worm – The official annelid of the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service answers questions about Soil
• Smithsonian Soil Exhibit – The Soil Science Society of American and the Smithsonian Institute are working on a soil exhibit at the Natural History Museum.
• Soil Science Lessons – A series of interactive e-lessons for students and public.  You can search for subjects and keywords or click on a general topic on the left side of the page.
• SOILS – Tools for Educators – NRCS – Soil educational information and tools.
• USDA Ag in the Classroom – Resources and activities about agriculture for classrooms, students, and teachers.
• USDA Agriculture Factbook – Agriculture Factbook for 2001-2002.
• USDA For Kids – A variety of agricultural and food related activities and information. 
• USDA Photography Center – Photographs depicting general agriculture, conservation, health, economics, forestry, and other subjects related USDA programs.
• The Virtual Museum of Minerals and Molecules – View molecules of soil, minerals, and pesticides.
• WebElements Periodic Table – Internet version of the periodic table of elements.

Standard and Reference Materials

• IHSS Standard and Reference Materials  – Standard and Reference Humic Materials provided by the International Humic Substances Society.
• Source Clay Repository – Information about the Clay Mineral Society’s repository of homogeneous source clay samples.
• Ward’s Natural Science Establishment, Inc – Source for purchasing pure clay minerals.

Online Book Resources

• Holistic Agricultural Library – Contains full-text electronic versions of older public-domain books about soil and agriculture. 
• Soil Science Books on Amazon.com – Online bookstore.