Aquatic and Terrestrial Environments

Soil texture

the relative proportions of different sized grains of sand, silt, and clay in soil

Soil organic matter

plant, animal, and microbial residues in various states in decomposition

Soil Horizon O

Horizon containing a high percentage of soil organic matter

Soil A Horizon

horizon darkened by the accumulation of organic matter

Soil E horizon

horizon formed through the removal (eluviation) of clays, organic matter, iron, or aluminum

Soil B Horizon

broad class used for subsurface horizons that have been transformed substantially by a soil formation process (color and structure)

Soil C Horizon

A horizon minimally affected or unaffected by the soil formation process

Soil R Horizon

bedrock

Salinization

A build up of salts in soils to the point that they destroy the soil's physical and chemical properties and plants are not able to take up water due to the high salt concentration; often associated with improper irrigation

plant available water

the portion of water in the soil that plants can actually absorb and use for growth

percolation

the downward movement of water through soil and porous rock layers under the influence of gravity

field capacity

the amount of water a soil holds after excess water has drained away

permanent wilting point

the soil moisture level at which plants can no longer extract water, even though some water is still present in the soil

salinity

a measure of the dissolved matter within seawater

density

the weight of a substance for a specific volume

temperature

a physical property representing the average kinetic energy of a parcel of water

absolute salinity

the modern measure of salinity in a parcel of water

subsurface lateral flow

the movement of water horizontally through the soil profile typically in high porosity soil

macropores

larger pores into the lower soil profiles (gopher holes, plant roots, earthworm holes)

micropores

smaller pores into the lower soil profiles (natural pores)

vertical percolation

runoff

evapotranspiration

Aquic

Udic

Ustic

Xeric

Aridic

mollisols

water potential