1. Five Soil Forming Factors
Climate
Living Organisms
Parent Material
Type of bedrock
Topography
Time

2. Soil Erosion Sheet Erosion Rill Erosion Gully Erosion
Where sheets of soil wash off with water
Rill Erosion
Small channels of erosion
Gully Erosion
Rills that get very deep and large

3. Ways to Avoid Erosion Strip Cropping Contour Farming
Planting another crop in the rows between a main crop. More leafy foliage prevents water from eroding soil as greatly
Contour Farming
Planting rows of crops horizontally on hills. Keeps water from draining quickly down the hill

4. Ways to Avoid Soil Erosion
Shelterbelts
Rows of trees that block wind from ag fields
No-Till Farming
No plowing of fields
Keeps soil from breaking into small pieces, which easily can be picked up by wind/water

5. Ways To Prevent Soil Erosion
Silt Fence
Does not prevent erosion
Keeps eroded soil out of an area
Usually put up next to water ways to keep sediment out of the water
No Bare Fields
Leave fields with waste organic material from previous harvest
Provides barrier from wind and water

6. Fertilizers Fertilizers sold with three number ratios, like 20-10-10
This is the N-P-K ratio
First number says what percentage is nitrogen
Second number is % phosphorus
Third number is % potassium
These are the limiting nutrients in plants

7. Peat Peat is partially decayed plant material
It is formed in highly acid or low oxygen situations.
Usually, flooding creates acid or low oxygen conditions, which keep decomposition of the plant material from happening

8. Soil Texture Sand – largest Silt – medium Clay – smallest
Feels gritty and can see it
Silt – medium
Feels gritty…cannot see it. Stays on hands
Clay – smallest
No feel to it. Stays on hands

9. Groundwater Groundwater stored in aquifers
Confined – meaning they are not able to connect or flow to other sources
Unconfined – water can flow out of aquifer to other places
When an aquifer refills, it is called “recharging”
Some aquifers cannot be recharged again, if the water is removed

10. Groundwater
If you drill a hole into the top of a confined aquifer, you have made a well (artesian well).
The pressure from below pushes water up
If you have an unconfined aquifer, the water often moves out of the soil back to the surface somewhere. This is a spring or seep
Spring water is usually clean, since the water has been filtered through the soil already

12. Overpumping Groundwater
If you pump groundwater fast, you get a “cone of depression”
This is a suction effect around the well area
This is bad, since pollutants can fall into the suction, and head straight to the well opening

13. Water Table
The upper part where the groundwater makes it to in the ground is called the water table.
Sometimes the water table is higher than the soil itself. This makes a lake or waterway.

14. Karst Topography
Karst refers to “limestone”. This is a groundwater formation of limestone
Usually, limestone is eaten away by acidic water.
This creates a large hole, often becoming a sinkhole.

15. Hydrology Terms Base Flow – water usually always there
Discharge – amount additional added to flow
Peak Flow – time of highest flow

16. Pollution Point Source Pollution Nonpoint Source Pollution
Pollution that is traced back to a single source
Ex: leaking gas tank
Nonpoint Source Pollution
Pollution that is not able to be traced to a single source
Ex: fertilizer runoff

17. Exotic Plants of Wetlands
Reed Canary Grass
Typical grass of wetlands
Likes disturbed areas – outcompetes other plants

18. Exotic Wetland Plants Purple Loosestrife Purple flowers
Clumped leaves of threes, usually

19. Common Native Wetland Plants
Cattails
Bulrushes
Duckweed
Wild Rice