5.1.5—Soil system outputs
- Syllabus
- First assessment 2026
- Objective
- 5.1.5
- Level
- SL
Track What Soil Loses
A soil output changes a store through plant uptake, leaching, gas exchange, evaporation, heat loss or erosion.
Name the material and destination: decomposition reduces dead organic matter and releases gases; roots absorb water and minerals; nitrate leaches to groundwater; CO2 diffuses to air; water evaporates; heat leaves the system; and wind or water can export particles. Component loss is different from removal of the whole soil by erosion.
Heavy rain carries nitrate below roots, so soil nitrogen falls while groundwater nitrate rises.
Erosion exports soil particles and their contents, whereas evaporation removes water without directly removing soil mass.
An output is not disappearance; trace where the material goes.