Alkaline soils are taken here to include all soils in which soil pH is generally higher than 7 throughout the solum. Other authors consider alkaline soils those that have pH > 8.5. This includes Calcisols, Gypsisols, saline and sodic soils, and those soils such as Chernozems and Kastanozems that have subsurface calcite, and which are generally found in sub‐humid to semi‐arid regions. It excludes those soils of the humid zone in which calcite may be present in sub‐surface horizons and which are treated in the article on calcareous soils (Luvisols for example).
Ambient conditions
Alkaline soils so defined, are characteristic of the drier climates of the world, and tend to be concentrated in deserts and adjacent regions (Figure A18). The significant characteristic is that evapotranspiration exceeds precipitation for at least part of the year. Calcisols represent the least arid part of the spectrum and are found at the edges of the short grass prairie with a sparse vegetation of...
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Dahlgren, R.A. et al. (2008). Alkaline Soils. In: Chesworth, W. (eds) Encyclopedia of Soil Science. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-3995-9_26
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