I thank Linda Candelaria, Gavin Gillman, Robert Harter, Mark Noll, Stom Ohno, and Scott Young for their suggestions and encouragement to write a third edition of Soil Chemistry. I am especially grateful to Linda Candelaria for her excellent suggestions on additions and revisions.

This edition tries to emphasize that the soil and soil solution are the center and heart of the environment. The chemical composition of the biosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere depends greatly on the chemistry of the soil.

Since the second edition appeared, much of the interest in soil chemistry has been on the fate of so-called toxic chemicals and elements in soils. This edition points out that (1) all of the chemical elements—toxic and beneficial—were always in the soil, (2) the soil is the safest part of the environment in which to deposit our wastes, (3) there are wise and unwise ways to utilize soil for waste disposal, (4) soil chemistry degrades wastes and converts them into benign or useful substances, (5) environmental activists and the popular media usually ignore the dose-response concept that is central to toxicology and to soil fertility, and (6) how much is in the soil, how fast it is changing, and how easily it transfers to plants and water are more important than what is there. Soil chemistry can answer those important questions. A goal for the future is to answer them better.

The use of aluminium for aluminum, occasionally of natrium and kalium for sodium and potassium, and often of essential elements for essential nutrients is not affectation. The intent is to bring more international usage and correctness into the book. Soil chemistry is a global issue.

Brian McNeal and George O'Connor were unable to work on this edition of our book. 1 retained much of their excellent contributions to the previous editions. Any errors or omissions are my responsibility. I would be grateful if readers would call them to my attention.

Geostatistics, which can be de¯ned as the tools for studying and predicting the spatial structure of georeferenced variables, have been mainly used in soil science during the past two decades. Since now, hundreds of geostatistical papers have been published on soil science issues (see bibliography ibid., this volume). The use of geostatistical tools in soil science is diverse and extensive. It can be for studying and predicting soil contamination in industrial areas, for building agrochemical maps at the ¯eld level, or even to map physical and chemical soil properties for a global extent. The users of the output maps are going from soil scientists to environmental modelers. One of the speci¯city of geostatistical outputs is the assessment of the spatial accuracy associated to the spatial prediction of the targeted variable. The results which are quantitative are then associated to a level of con¯dence which is spatially variable. The spatial accuracy can then be integrated into environmental models, allowing for a quantitative assessment of soil scenarios. <...>

Soil Mechanics: Basic Concepts and Engineering Applications is primarily designed as a main text for university students taking first degree courses in civil engineering as well as environmental and agricultural engineering. Emphasis is placed on presenting fundamental behaviour before more advanced topics are introduced. The special structure of the book, embodied in each chapter, makes it possible to be used in two, three and four year undergraduate courses in soil mechanics. However, as new and advanced topics that extend beyond standard undergraduate courses are included, the book will also be a valuable resource for the practicing professional engineer. A problem solving approach is adopted through all chapters and 152 worked examples demonstrate the engineering applications, simulate problem solving learning and facilitate self-teaching. There are 113 unsolved problems with answers set for solution by students.

Soil can exist as a naturally occurring material in its undisturbed state, or as a compacted material. Geotechnical engineering involves the understanding and prediction of the behavior of soil. Like other construction materials, soil possesses mechanical properties related to strength, compressibility, and permeability. It is important to quantify these properties to predict how soil will behave under field loading for the safe design of soil structures (e.g. embankments, dams, waste containment liners, highway base courses, etc.), as well as other structures that will overly the soil. Quantification of the mechanical properties of soil is performed in the laboratory using standardized laboratory tests. <...>