Human activities lead to changes in the global environment at virtually unprecedented rates, with potentially severe consequences to our future life. Changes in the gas composition of the atmosphere – as the consequence of CO2, CH4 and other “greenhouse gases” concentration rise – may lead to a rise of temperature with heterogeneous spatial and temporal distribution, to alterations in the global circulation processes, and to a serious rearrangement in atmospheric precipitation, in some places to increasing aridity. These modifications are refl ected sensitively by ecosystems, manifested by the changes in natural vegetation and land use pattern with considerable alterations in soil processes and – consequently – in soil properties and soil functions.

climatic scenarios; soil formation processes; soil moisture regime; soil degradation processes; agro-ecosystems

Published by University of Zagreb, Faculty of Agriculture, Zagreb, CROATIA
Sponsored by Ministry Science and Education of the Republic of Croatia