Soil Lab:
Lime = calcium carbonate
Add Organic Matter (Compost):
Sand:
Aeration = puncturing holes into the soil to reduce compaction and allow water, nutrient and air penetration
Compaction = compressed soil (from tractors, people walking, wildlife)
Soil needs to be able to hold some water, but not so much that plant roots can’t breathe. A loam achieves that balance.
Clay gets a bad rap because too much of it means it holds lots of water and the soil stays wetter, colder and is difficult to work.
clay is where the nutrients in soil are stored. "Sand and silt don't store nutrients; they're just rocks.”*
*https://extension.oregonstate.edu/news/sand-silt-or-clay-texture-says-lot-about-soil-0
Clay! Low porosity and permeability.
Atmospheric Circulation Lab
Topic 4.7 Solar Radiation and Earth’s Seasons
LO: Explain how the sun’s energy affects the Earth’s surface
Insolation:
Incoming solar radiation.
It is the main source of energy on Earth.
It depends on season and latitude.
Insolation = solar radiation
area
Latitude:
The angle of the sun’s rays determines the intensity.
The latitude that is directly horizontal (angle of insolation is 90 degrees) to the solar radiation receives the most intensity.
Highest Insolation:
Over the duration of the year, the highest insolation is at or near the equator and decreases toward the poles.
Seasonal Insolation:
The solar radiation received at a location varies seasonally. The highest insolation occurs on the longest summer day of the year at that location.
23.5 Degree Tilt of Earth:
Earth rotates at a 23.5 degree tilt. This causes the seasons and changes the number of hours of daylight.
Topic 4.6 Watersheds
Learning Objective: Describe the characteristics of a watershed.
Watershed:
Area that drains water to the same location.
Ridges/hills that separate two watersheds = drainage divide/ watershed boundary.
Rainwater runs off or infiltrates the soil to join groundwater.
Characteristics
Soil: Clay and rocky soils absorb water slower than sand→ more runoff. Floodplains are fertile.
Characteristics
Vegetation: Forests soils have high permeability and absorb precipitation. Vegetation upstream impacts water quality downstream.
Characteristics
Surface water and stormwater runoff: Drains downstream. The rate depends on slope and surface type. Steeper slopes → erosion. Impervious surfaces don’t allow infiltration (parking lots, roads) which drain directly into streams → more flooding. Land use upstream determines water quality downstream. E.g logging upstream will increase turbidity downstream.
Characteristics
Divides with adjoining watersheds:
Where one watershed begins and
ends. It is important to know where water pollutants will drain into.
Characteristics?
Characteristics?
Characteristics?
Major Types of Human impact on Watersheds:
Human impact
Water Diversion: For cities and agriculture
Paved surfaces: Waste from cars flows into streams, more runoff, more flooding
Runoff pollutants: Fertilizer, pesticides, animal waste, human waste, chemicals
Solutions
Water diversion: Collect rainwater, more efficient irrigation, $ for farmers to avoid planting water intensive crops (dry farming), water use limits
Paved surfaces: Permeable pavement, green spaces
Runoff: Buffer zone of vegetation
before runoff reaches surface water,
barriers to runoff (straw bales. booms)
Sustainable Drainage Systems: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMq6FYiF1mo
Colorado River Basin Case Study
Areas within and outside the watershed that receive river water.
Discuss the following questions: