Description
Climate change can cause soils to be susceptible to shifts in composition. Such changes can cause soil to degrade or become too dry or saturated. As a result, plant growth may decrease, which causes a decrease in food production. Disruptions in agriculture due to climate change have increased over the past forty years and are projected to continue increasing for the next twenty. Instances of erosion, landslides, runoff, and flooding can increase as well.
NOAA NCDC - Projected Changes in Soil Moisture for the Western U.S.
External Resources
- Ecological Site Descriptions:
https://esis.sc.egov.usda.gov/Welcome/pgESDWelcome.aspx
View Houston specific air and soil temperatures since 2013, from the Beaumont monitoring station. Soil temperatures and moisture content is detailed to inches below the surface. USDA descriptions of how soils and vegetation respond to changes in climate and management - Food and Agriculture Organization:
http://www.fao.org/docrep/w5183e/w5183e05.htm - National Climate Assessment:
http://nca2014.globalchange.gov - Soil Climate Analysis Network (SCAN) Data & Products:
http://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/scan
View Houston specific air and soil temperatures since 2013, from the Beaumont monitoring station. Soil temperatures and moisture content is detailed to inches below the surface. USDA agricultural site to monitor drought conditions, investigate climate change scenario effects on agricultural soils, watershed processes, shift in wetlands (among several other applications)
Reference
- State Impact, National Public Radio:
https://stateimpact.npr.org/texas/drought/ - Houston Wilderness, Gulf-Houston Regional Conservation Plan:
http://houstonwilderness.org/gulf-houston-regional-conservation-plan/- Includes plans to help restore several different regions in the Houston area, some of which are affected by changes in soil composition