SANTA BARBARA, Calif., Dec. 8 (UPI) -- Scientists already knew soil in wet climes is generally acidic, while soil in dry climes is generally alkaline. But in the process of creating a global soil pH map, scientists realized the distinction was surprisingly stark.
"Our analysis was able to confirm that the transition between those two zones is very abrupt," Eric Slessarev, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology at the University of California, Santa Barbara, said in a news release. "It only takes a small change in climate to achieve the switch from that acid zone to the alkaline zone and there are fewer soils with an intermediate pH."