Soil scientists study many different aspects of the soil. Below are links to some of the most important aspects of soil science.

Soil Biology Return to the top	Digital Learning Center for Microbial Ecology URL: http://commtechlab.msu.edu/sites/dlc-me/ Source: Comm Tech Lab and the Center for Microbial Ecology and the College of Education at Michigan State Microbe Zoo: Dirtland URL: http://commtechlab.msu.edu/sites/dlc-me/zoo/zdmain.html Source: Digital Learning Center for Microbial Ecology Microbes are the Foundation of Life URL: http://www.microbe.org/microbes/mysteries.asp Source: Microbe.org Microbial Ecology Resources URL: http://commtechlab.msu.edu/sites/dlc-me/resources/index.html Source: Digital Learning Center for Microbial Ecology Soils Zoo "The Soils Zoo is a virtual zoo, which shows some of the different types of animals and organisms that live in soil" including predators, tunellers, grazers, microbes and mutualisms. URL: http://www.waite.adelaide.edu.au/school/Soil/zoo.html Source: University of Adelaide: Department of Soil Science Soil Organisms and The Nitrogen Cycle URL: http://www.soils.agri.umn.edu/academics/classes/soil2125/doc/slab9org.htm Source: University of Minnesota: Soil 2125 Soil Biology Movies URL: http://www.agron.iastate.edu/~loynachan/mov/ Source: Iowa State University: T. Loynachan
Bulk Density Return to the top	Soil Bulk Density URL: http://www.soils.agri.umn.edu/academics/classes/soil2125/doc/slab7bd.htm Source: University of Minnesota: Soil 2125 Bulk Density Determination URL: http://www.geology.iupui.edu/research/SoilsLab/procedures/bulk/ Source: Indiana University/Purdue University at Indianapolis: Department of IUPUI Geology and Center for Earth and Environmental Science Research and Laboratories: Soil Geomorphology Laboratory
Chemistry Return to the top	Soil Chemistry and Fertility URL: http://pas.byu.edu/AgHrt100/chemist.htm Source: Brigham Young University: Plant and Animal Sciences: AgHort 100
Color Return to the top	The Munsell System of Color Notation URL: http://soils.usda.gov/education/resources/k_12/lessons/color/ Source: Natural Resources Conservation Service Munsell Soil and Plant Tissue Color Charts URL: http://www.gretagmacbeth.com/index/products/products_color-standards/products_government-industry-standards/products_munsell-plant-charts.htm Source: GretagMacbeth LLC Demonstration of Colors URL: http://www.it.lut.fi/research/color/demonstration/demonstration.html Source: Lappeenranta University of Technology Munsell Book of Color URL: http://www.it.lut.fi/ip/research/color/database/munsell.html Source: Lappeenranta University of Technology Soil Color URL: http://ltpwww.gsfc.nasa.gov/globe/pvg/color1.htm Source: GLOBE Soil Science Education
Consistence Return to the top	Soil Consistence URL: http://ltpwww.gsfc.nasa.gov/globe/pvg/consist.htm Source: GLOBE Soil Science Education Homepage Terms for describing consistence (rupture resistance) of blocklike specimens URL: http://www.soils.org/sssagloss/table1.html Source: Soil Science Society of America Consistence (Downloadable by chapter - Chapter 3 - Examination and Description of Soils) URL: http://soils.usda.gov/technical/manual/index.html Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture: Natural Resources Conservation Service: Soil Survey Manual: Examination and Description of Soils
Fertility Return to the top	Soil Fertility URL: http://ltpwww.gsfc.nasa.gov/globe/soilfert/npk.htm Source: GLOBE Soil Science Education Plant Nutrient Team URL: http://ltpwww.gsfc.nasa.gov/globe/NutrTeam/pntintro.htm Source: GLOBE Soil Science Education The Nitrogen Fate Transformations Game URL: http://ltpwww.gsfc.nasa.gov/globe/NFTG/NFTGame.htm Source: GLOBE Soil Science Education Soil Fertility & Fertilizers URL: http://www.soils.agri.umn.edu/academics/classes/soil2125/doc/slab13f.htm Source: University of Minnesota: Soil 2125 Building Fertile Soil URL: http://zzyx.ucsc.edu/casfs/gardenideas/soilfert.html Source: Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, University of California, Santa Cruz
Horizon Return to the top	Soil Horizon Formation URL: http://www.soils.agri.umn.edu/academics/classes/soil2125/doc/slab3hzn.htm Source: University of Minnesota: Soil 2125
Infiltration Return to the top	Water Movement in Soil URL: http://weather.nmsu.edu/Teaching_Material/Soil252/CHAP10.HTM Source: New Mexico State University: SOIL 252L - Soils Laboratory: Introduction to Soils Lab Manual Infiltration (Downloadable by chapter - Chapter 3 - Examination and Description of Soils) URL: http://soils.usda.gov/technical/manual/index.html Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture: Natural Resources Conservation Service: Soil Survey Manual: Examination and Description of Soils
Magnetism/Cation Exchange Return to the top	Soil Cation Exchange Capacity URL: http://www.ag.mdsharris.com/education_train/ak21.asp Source: MDS Harris Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC) URL: http://syllabus.syr.edu/esf/rdbriggs/for345/cation.htm Source: State University of New York: College of Environmental Science and Forestry: FOR 345/545
Moisture and Soil Water Return to the top	GLOBE Soil Moisture Home Page URL: http://www.hwr.arizona.edu/globe/ Source: University of Arizona: GLOBE Soil Moisture Home Page Soil Water URL: http://www.soils.agri.umn.edu/academics/classes/soil2125/doc/slab8h20.htm Source: University of Minnesota: Soil 2125 Estimating Soil Moisture by Appearance and Feel URL: http://www.ianr.unl.edu/pubs/irrigation/g690.htm Source: University of Nebraska: Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources: Publications: Irrigation Soil Moisture URL: http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/soilmst/w.html Source: NOAA: National Centers for Environmental Prediction/National Weather Service: Climate Prediction Center: U.S. Soil Moisture Monitoring Soil Water URL: http://pas.byu.edu/AgHrt100/soilwate.htm Source: Brigham Young University: Plant and Animal Sciences: AgHort 100 Soil Water URL: http://weather.nmsu.edu/Teaching_Material/Soil252/CHAP9.HTM Source: New Mexico State University: SOIL 252L - Soils Laboratory: Introduction to Soils Lab Manual
Particle Density Return to the top	Particle Density URL: http://ltpwww.gsfc.nasa.gov/globe/pvg/pd1.htm Source: GLOBE Soil Science Education Homepage Soil Particle Density URL: http://www.westernlaboratories.com/instructions/introductiontosoils/soilparticledensity.html Source: Western Labs: Introduction to Soils
Particle Size Distribution Return to the top	Particle Size Distribution (Downloadable by chapter - Chapter 3 - Examination and Description of Soils) URL: http://soils.usda.gov/technical/manual/index.html Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture: Natural Resources Conservation Service: Soil Survey Manual: Examination and Description of Soils Soil Particle Size Distribution URL: http://www.wmo.ch/web/gcos/terre/variable/slpart.html Source: World Meteorological Organization: Global Climate Observing System: Terrestrial Observation Panel for Climate:
pH Return to the top	Acid or Basic: The Truth About Soil pH URL: http://ltpwww.gsfc.nasa.gov/globe/soil_pH/plant_pH.htm Source: GLOBE Soils Science Education Soil pH URL: http://www.soils.agri.umn.edu/academics/classes/soil2125/doc/slab11ph.htm Source: University of Minnesota: Soil 2125
Porosity Return to the top	Soil Density and Porosity URL: http://interactive.usask.ca/ski/agriculture/soils/soilphys/soilphys_depo.html Source: Saskatchewan Interactive: College of Agriculture: Soils: Soil Physics Infiltration and Soil Water Storage URL: http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/8l.html Source: Okanagan University College: Department of Geography: Fundamentals of Physical Geography
Quality Return to the top	What is Soil Quality? URL: http://soils.usda.gov/sqi/sqw.html Source: USDA: Natural Resources Conservation Service: Soil Quality Institute Soil Quality URL: http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/land/pubs/ib5text.html Source: USDA: Natural Resources Conservation Service: Agriculture and the Environment World Wide Web Sites With Information About Soil Quality URL: http://www.sarep.ucdavis.edu/soil/websites.htm Source: University of California, Davis: Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program
Salinity Return to the top	US Salinity Laboratory URL: http://www.ussl.ars.usda.gov/ Source: USDA: US Salinity Laboratory Monitoring the white death - soil salinity URL: http://www.science.org.au/nova/032/032key.htm Source: Australian Academy of Science: NOVA Soil Salinity URL: http://interactive.usask.ca/ski/agriculture/soils/soilman/soilman_sal.html Source: Saskatchewan Interactive: College of Agriculture: Soils: Soil Physics Salinity and Plant Tolerance URL: http://extension.usu.edu/publica/agpubs/salini.htm Source: Utah State University Extension: Publications
Structure Return to the top	Soil Structure URL: http://ltpwww.gsfc.nasa.gov/globe/pvg/prop1.htm Source: GLOBE Soil Science Education
Temperature Return to the top	Soil Survey Manual (Downloadable by chapter - Chapter 3 - Examination and Description of Soils) http://soils.usda.gov/technical/manual/index.html Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture: Natural Resources Conservation Service: Soil Survey Manual: Examination and Description of Soils Seed Germination and Soil Temperature URL: http://www.ext.vt.edu/departments/envirohort/articles2/sdgrmtmp.html Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Texture Return to the top	Soil Texture URL: http://ltpwww.gsfc.nasa.gov/globe/tbf/txtbyfel.htm Source: GLOBE Soil Science Education Textural Triangle URL: http://ltpwww.gsfc.nasa.gov/globe/tbf/txtriful.gif Source: GLOBE Soil Science Education Soil Texture URL: http://weather.nmsu.edu/Teaching_Material/Soil252/CHAPt4.HTM Source: New Mexico State University: SOIL 252L - Soils Laboratory: Introduction to Soils Lab Manual Soil Texture (Downloadable by chapter - Chapter 3 - Examination and Description of Soils) URL: http://soils.usda.gov/technical/manual/index.html Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture: Natural Resources Conservation Service: Soil Survey Manual: Examination and Description of Soils Return to the top