Course description

«Soil Evolution and Forecasting» is an optimal discipline for students majoring in the speciality of «Soil Science and Expert Assessment of Lands», an educational program for bachelor training. It is taught in the 7th term in the amount of 4 credits (according to the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System, ECTS). The curriculum of the course includes studying natural and historical aspects of soil cover and landscape development in Ukraine within the Holocene. The forecasting models of soil evolution in cultural landscape conditions are considered. With the help of buried soil properties as well as relict features in modern soils, students reconstruct the conditions of ancient soil formation, ancient soil cover and ancient landscapes at different stages of the Holocene during their practical classes. The study of trends in the development of anthropogenic evolution of soils in the areas of intensive influence on the pedosphere is especially emphasized. It allows us to predict some negative tendencies in soil cover and landscape development in the future and enables us to work out an effective forecasting model and a system of measures in order to stabilize and neutralize them.