Soil Degradation under a Changing Climate: Management from Traditional to Nano-Approaches

Abstract

In the era of climate change, soil and different compartments of the agroecosystem suffer from different forms of soil and water degradation, which an urgent need for the management is required. Under arid and semi-arid countries, the degradation of soil and water are more severe causing a decline in the agricultural productivity, and food security. Increasing soil degradation led to decrease soil quality, global food insecurity, ecosystem health problem, and then non-sustainable development. Several human activities have worsened the degradation of soil especially under global climate change, which require the proper methods of management. With growing concerns on nanotechnology, can this science offer the promising solutions/approaches to engineer soil and water amendments to overcome soil degradation and water scarcity? What are the possible delving nanomaterials, and their mechanisms for protecting the environment. This study focuses on soil degradation causes and consequences, as well as different management approaches including the traditional, GIS and remote sensing, and nano-management of soil degradation. The expected soil degradation after the intensive applications of nanomaterials is the major further question which in urgently is needed to be answered. There is also a need to assess the long-term environmental impacts of nanoparticles, which may have a potential leaching, accumulate in soil and potentially enter the food chain, causing many problems for human health.