A study was carried out in village Mohamadabad, Nalgonda district, Andhra Pradesh to demonstrate the potential of high-resolution remote sensing data in generating soil resource database at village level that would facilitate natural resource developmental planning. For this study, detail soil resource database was generated by interpreting IRS Resourcesat-1 LISS-IV + Cartosat-1 merged data and by undertaking soil survey and soil analysis.

Answers to why dust storms  are on the rise in East Asia. Over  the past two decades there has been an increase in the outbreak of dust storms over East Asia. Large quantities of dust particles suspended in the air not only block the amount of sunlight reaching the earth, they also cause respiratory and visual complications. Dust storms are attributed to two factors. First erodibility—susceptibility of soil to wind erosion and second erosivity—ability of wind to cause erosion.

Traditional ecological knowledge has been established to have a bearing on natural resource management by the indigenous communities living in biodiversity rich North eastern hill region. The present study correlates the indigenous knowledge and scientific knowledge in assessing the nutrient availability status of the agricultural soil as practiced by the ‘Nyishi’ tribes who use visual properties such as colour, texture and topographic positioning of land/terrain.

Climate change factors such as elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) and ozone (O₃) can exert significant impacts on soil microbes and the ecosystem level processes they mediate. However, the underlying mechanisms by which soil microbes respond to these environmental changes remain poorly understood.

Researchers must collaborate to manage one of the planet’s most precious and threatened resources — for food production and much more.

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v474/n7350/full/474151a.html