Earth and Space science unit 3 ground water and soil

We study soil to

understand its crucial role in supporting life, including food production, water filtration, and climate regulation, and to address issues like soil degradation, pollution, and sustainable land management.

Soil Composition

1. Mineral mater

2. Air

3. Water

4. Organic Material

What is mineral mater

Rocks particles and weathered rock

Where is air in soil

In the soil pores and between rock grains

Where is water in soil

In soil pores

What organic material is in soil

1. Humus: a black sticky gel produced by decaying animals and leaves

2. Living organisms: Earthworms, beetles, Fungi, Bacteria

What weathering types help form soil

1. Chemical Weathering

2. Physical Weathering

3. Biological Weathering

What does CLORPT stand for

1. Climate

2. Organisms'

3. Relief

4. Parent material

5. Time

What does Climate do to help form soil

heat and water accelerate chemical changes

What does Relief do to help form soil

1. (topography):  Loose soil stays in place in flat areas, allowing more thorough physical and chemical alteration of its grains. 

-On steep slopes, the soil moves downhill before complete alteration can occur.

What does organisms do to help form soil

1 gram of soil can contain billions of organisms belonging to thousands of species.

-Plant roots physically break rocks into small pieces

-Lichen (moss and algae combo) dissolves rock

-Burrowing animals (i.e. worms) mix the soil and help aeration.

What does Parent Material do to help form soil

This is the material from which a soil forms.

-As the parent material is weathered (broken down), and eroded (moved), it is transformed into a soil.

What does Time do to help form soil

Time is a factor in the first 4:  

-When bedrock is exposed to the atmosphere, weathering begins.

-Chemical, physical, and biological processes all combine to form a thin layer of soil.

-Over time, these processes extend downward, creating soil horizons.

What are Soil Horizons

Layers of soil

What is a Soil Profile

When you look at soil layers as a whole

What are the 6 Horizons

1. O Horizon

2. A Horizon

3. E Horizon

4. B Horizon

5. C Horizon

6. R Horizon 

What is the O Horizon made of 

Consists of detritus, humus.

Detritus:  Dead organic material.

Humus:  Decomposed detritus.

What is the A horizon made of

Topsoil.  Mixture of humus and mineral soil.

What is the E horizon made of

Zone of Eluviation.

Eluviation:  Process of leaching (washing away) of minerals due to the downward movement of water.

This horizon is typically found in forest soils.

What is the B horizon made of

Subsoil.  Lots of salts

Characterized by deposition of minerals that were leached from above layers.

What is the C horizon made of

Weathered parent material.  

Shows geologic processes that shaped landscape.  

Unaffected by biologic and chemical processes above.

what is the R Horizon made of

not soil, but bedrock- it is still considered a horizon

What is Soil Texture

determined by the proportions of the mineral components of soil 

–sand, silt, and clay.

What is the soil texture triangle

What is Clay soil

Defining Factors:

Fine Particles

Smooth when dry

Sticky when wet

Retains water

Drains poorly

Less space to let air pass

Rich in Nutrients 

Cool and Dense

Best for: Leafy vegetable, Peas, Tomatoes, and Peppers

What is Silty soil

Defining factors: 

Tiny particles

Slippery when wet

Not grainy or rocky

Extremely Fertile

Retains water

Easily transported by wind and water

Good for agriculture proposes

Easily compacted

Ideal for all vegetables and fruits

What is Sandy Soil

Defining Factors:

Large particles

Dry and gritty to the touch

Easily drains water

Less water retention

Warm and airy

Even when wet easily crumbles through the fingers

Lacks essential nutrients

Best for Watermelon, Peanuts, Peaches, Tulips, Cistus, and Hibiscus

What is Loamy soil

Defining Factors:

Well-drained 

Fertile

Mixture of sand, silt, and clay

Retains water

Retains Nutrients

Strong geranular structure

Soft and crumbly

Easy to work with

Well aerated

Best for Tomatoes, Carrots, Parsnips, Potatoes, Roses, Amaryllis, Marigolds, and Zinnias

What is Porosity

• It's the measure of the total volume of pore space in a soil sample, expressed as a percentage. 

• A soil with high porosity has a lot of empty space between particles, which can hold water and air.

• Factors influencing porosity include soil texture, structure, and the presence of organic matter. 

What is Permeability

• It's the measure of how easily fluids (like water or air) can move through the interconnected pore spaces in the soil. 

• A soil with high permeability allows water and air to flow through it quickly, while a soil with low permeability restricts this flow. 

• Factors influencing permeability include pore size, pore shape, and the connectivity of pores. 

How do Porosity and Permeability relate

• A soil can be highly porous (have many pores) but have poor permeability if the pores are not well-connected. 

• For example, a soil with small, isolated pores might have high porosity but low permeability, while a soil with large, interconnected pores might have lower porosity but high permeability. 

What is water holding capacity

he ability of a soil to hold water.

-Affected by porosity, which is in turn affected by soil texture:

-Too much sand → too high porosity→ water passes right through.

-Too much clay → too low porosity → the water can’t move through the soil.

What is Nutrient holding capacity

same as water-holding capacity, just with nutrients.

What is soil pH

A measure of the how readily hydrogen ions react in the soil.

-It is a function of the materials in the soil, the precipitation level, and the behavior of plant roots.

-Soil pH is the greatest influence on nutrient availability for plants.

-Most nutrients come from minerals in the soil.  

-Often times they are released by the actions of bacteria.

-Extremes in pH can cause these nutrients to not be made available.

What is Land Degradation

refers to a natural or anthropogenic process which impairs the capacity of land to function properly.

-Soils are the critical component in land degradation in that they are a major source of natural capital that is provided to humans.

-Land degradation can fall into several categories including:

-Acidification

-Contamination

-Desertification

-Erosion

-Salinization

What is Soil acidification

occurs when the pH changes substantially as the elements that are usually basic (Ca, Mg, K, and Na) are leached from the soil.

-This happens due to rainfall, deforestation, and harvesting.

-It can be accelerated with acid rain and using acid-forming nitrogen-based fertilizers.

-Acidification lowers crop productivity and makes it more vulnerable to erosion.

What is Soil Salinization

 accumulation of salts in the soil.

-Mostly from irrigation:

-Most irrigation water has salts in it.

-When it evaporates, salts are left behind.

-The salts stunt growth, lower yields, and eventually kill plants and ruins the land.

What is Soil contamination

just refers to pollutants getting into the soil.

-Most soil can treat and assimilate a low level of pollutants and waste material.

-It is when we overwhelm that ability, that degradation occurs.

What is Desertification

process where productive potential of arid or semi-arid land falls 10% or more.

-It occurs when the O and A horizons are eroded away, leaving the coarser grained horizons below.

-Causes:

-Overcultivation:  

-When fields are used season after season, instead of rotated, the soil degrades quickly.

-Overgrazing:

-Livestock feed on grassland faster than the grass can grow back.

-Ranchers cut down forests for grazing.

-Deforestation:

-Forests are very good at holding and recycling nutrients.

-When they are cut down, runoff increases and so does erosion.

-It is NOT caused by drought.

-Well cared for lands can recover from drought.

-Abusing lands during droughts, however, increases degradation.

Plant Nutrient info

Soil nutrients are essential chemical elements in soil that plants absorb, to support their growth, reproduction, and overall health. They are categorized as macronutrients, needed in large amounts (like Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium), and micronutrients, required in smaller amounts (like Iron, Manganese, Zinc), with both groups being crucial for a plant to complete its life cycle.

What are Plant Macronutrients

Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium (NPK)

What are Plant Micronutrients

Iron, Manganese, and Zinc

What does a element need to be to be classified as essential

1. The plant cannot complete its life cycle without it (seed to new seed)

2. The elements function cannot be replaced by another element

3. The element is involved with the plant’s growth and reproduction

What are the Nutrients needed by crops

What does Nitrogen do for plants

-building block of plant protein

-promotes healthy foliage and supports 

the process of photosynthesis

-A deficiency can lead to stunted growth, 

small stems and leaves, and 

yellowing of leaves

What does Phosphorus do for plants

-used by plants for energy transfer and 

DNA/ RNA synthesis

-also used to store and transfer energy

-promotes strong root development, helps

 plants withstand stress 

-A deficiency can lead to poor root

 development, and a characteristic 

purple or reddish discoloration on leaves and stems

What does Potassium do for plants

-used for starch formation and moisture

 control

-regulate water flow by opening and 

closing of stomata, and strengthens

 cell walls 

-A deficiency can lead to weak stems, 

stunted growth, and yellow/brown on

 leaf edges

How do get the nutrients our plants need

Synthetic Fertilizers

Mined Rock

Cover Crop

Manure

Compost

Organic Fertilizers like: Bone meal, Blood Meal, and Feather Meal

What are 2 different kinds of store bought fertilizer

1. Complete Fertilizer: Contains all 3 primary nutrients

2. Incomplete Fertilizer: Doesn’t contain all 3 primary nutrients

How much water is earth made of

70% water

Where is most of Earth’s overall water

Most of Earth’s water is in our oceans and is too salty for human use

where is most of Earth’s freshwater located

Most freshwater is frozen in glaciers.

What water can humans use

Humans can use surface water (lakes, streams, rivers) & groundwater for freshwater.

How does water move through the water cycle

• Transpiration - water vapor leaving plant leaves

• Condensation - water vapor turning back into liquid

• Precipitation - water released from clouds in various forms

• Evaporation - water changing from liquid to gas

• Infiltration - water on the ground seeping into the soil

• Runoff - water that runs along the land's surface

• Aquifer - saturated area below the water table

What is Surface water and how do we use it and need it

• Surface water is fresh water on Earth’s land surface. 

• Surface water is found in lakes, rivers, streams, and wetlands.

• Throughout history, people have built cities, towns, and farms near reliable sources of surface water. 

• Today, most large cities depend on surface water for their water supplies.

What are Watersheds

• The area of land that is drained by a river is known as a watershed.

• Pollution anywhere in a watershed may end up polluting a river.

• The amount of water that enters a watershed varies throughout the year.

• Rapidly melting snow as well as spring and summer rains can dramatically increase the amount of water in a watershed.

• Other times of the year, the river system that drains a watershed may be reduced to a trickle.

What is Ground water

• When it rains, some of the water that falls onto the land flows into lakes and streams.

• But much of the water percolates through the soil and down into the rocks beneath.

• Water beneath the Earth’s surface in sediment and rock formations is called groundwater.

What is a Water table

The water table is the boundary between the unsaturated zone (also called the zone of aeration) above and the saturated zone below. The water table is actually not as level as its name implies. The water table has peaks and valleys that match the shape of the land above it

What is a Aquifer

• An underground formation that contains groundwater is called an aquifer.

• The water table forms the upper boundary of an aquifer.

• Most aquifers consist of materials such as rock, sand, and gravel that have a lot of spaces (pores)where water can accumulate.

• They hold water like sponges

What is a Aquitard

impermeable layer (ex: clay) that prevents water from flowing from one aquifer to another.

• result of low permeability which prevents the water from entering the pore space

• Examples:  fine-grained rocks/sediment

What is a unconfined aquifer

An unconfined aquifer is found above an aquitard.

What is a confined aquifer

A confined aquifer is trapped below an aquitard.

What are springs

Springs occur where groundwater naturally emerges from below the ground surface

What is a well

• If you go nearly anywhere on Earth and dig a hole deep enough, you will eventually find water. 

• A hole that is dug or drilled to reach groundwater is called a well.

what is a Artesian Well

A type of drilled well that taps into a confined aquifer under natural pressure causing the water to rise in the well. 

What is a flowing artesian

taps into a confined aquifer that is under enough pressure that it will flow onto the surface with no  pumping required (lower).

What is a water table well

A type of man-made well that  taps into an unconfined aquifer, cause the well to fill with water and the water table line.  The water will need to be pumped out

What are the issues with getting ground water

Groundwater withdrawals result in a cone of depression because water is being removed faster than it can be replaced.

What is a recharge zone

• An area of Earth’s surface from which water percolates down into an aquifer is called a recharge zone.

• Recharge zones are environmentally sensitive areas because any pollution in a recharge zone can also enter the aquifer.

• aquifers can take tens of thousands of years to recharge.

• The size of an aquifer’s recharge zone is affected by the permeability of the surface above the aquifer.

What is the discharge zone

the process by which groundwater flows out of an aquifer and into surface water bodies (rivers, lakes, oceans, springs), or is extracted by human activities (wells). 

What are factors affecting discharge

• Aquifer Characteristics: The permeability and porosity of the aquifer materials determine how easily groundwater can flow. 

• Groundwater Levels: The depth to the water table (the top of the saturated zone) influences the potential for discharge. 

• Hydraulic Head: The pressure within the aquifer, which is related to the water table, drives groundwater flow. 

• Human Activities: Excessive pumping from wells can lower the water table and reduce discharge. 

• Climate: Changes in precipitation and evapotranspiration can affect groundwater levels and discharge. 

What are examples of discharge

• Springs 

• Streams and rivers receiving water from aquifers.

• Groundwater extraction from wells. 

• Evapotranspiration from wetlands and vegetation. 

What is ground water pollution

• Pollution: any substance or form of energy that harms living things

• Soil that is permeable and unsaturated will allow for more pollutants to seep into the groundwater.

What are Major causes of groundwater pollution

• Leaking underground storage containers of chemicals such as oil and gasoline.

• Leaking septic tanks.  Untreated sewage waste can lead to groundwater, surface water and soil contamination. 

• Runoff that contains oil, gasoline, garbage, animal feces, pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, and salts and other deicing agents.