1. Soil and Land Pollution RAD Guide (Ch.18-19)
April 21, 2017

2. What are 2 ways that exposed rock can be weathered?
Mechanically
Example: waves on a cliff
Chemical
Example: rusting

3. What is bedrock? Why is it important to soil formation?
Bedrock: igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rock of lithosphere that may exist as mountains, cliffs, or low-lying plains
Supplies material needed to build soil

4. Describe what soil is and how is formed.
Soil: mixture of mineral particles, air, H2O, & living and decaying organisms
Outer layer of bedrock weathers (cracks and holes)
Cracks reach deeper & outer layer becomes broken into small particles
Burrowing animals & plant roots break down bedrock & aerate soil
VOCAB: parent rock

5. Describe what a soil profile is and what 4 distinct layers form.
Soil profile: a vertical cross section of soil from the ground surface down to the bedrock
A Horizon: topsoil
B Horizon: subsoil
C Horizon: parent rock
R Horizon: bedrock

6. Describe the 3 major soil textures.
Sandy: enables soil to drain well but dries out quickly; largest mineral size
Clay: flat and traps H2O, preventing H2O drainage; smallest mineral size
Loam: mixture of sizes for good drainage and moisture for plants; medium mineral size

7. Describe the interaction of soil & climate.
Desert: small soil profile; large particles
Grasslands: thicker soil profile; faster weathering of rock
Tropical: very thick soil profile; very fragile soil because of so much rain; a lot of clay in the subsoil

8. What are the major causes of erosion?
Wind and running water

9. What causes soil loss & desertification
What causes soil loss & desertification? What % has undergone desertification?
Overgrazing, deforestation, & poor irrigation and cultivation
30%

10. How much topsoil is lost to water & wind erosion?
2.5 billion tons lost to water
1.5 billion tons lost to wind
TOTAL=4 billion metric tons!

11. Describe the 4 types of soil conservation & land management.
Strip-cropping: farmland plowed so plowed strips separated by planted strips
Contour Farming: plowing along a slope instead of across it; furrows collect H2O which reduces erosion

12. Terracing: series of platforms (terraces) are built into the slope; separated by vertical steps
Shelter belts: rows of trees planted along outer edges of field

13. How do we define solid wastes?
All garbage, refuse, & sludge products from agriculture, forestry, mining, and municipalities
Examples: garbage trash junk sewage scrap refuse

14. Describe how garbage disposal has changed over the years.
Hunter-gatherers: left it and moved on
Athens, Greece 500BCE: trashed dumped outside of city walls
Rest of Europe dumped in the streets
NYC/NJ CE: garbage loaded onto ships and dumped in Atlantic Ocean
Now we use landfills

15. What is a landfill? How much garbage is dumped there?
Site where wastes are disposed of by burying them
70%

16. Why are open landfills no longer allowed in the US?
It supported large populations of rats, insects, etc.
Foul odor and disease

17. Describe what a sanitary landfill is & identify 2 problems.
Wastes are spread in layers ~3m deep & compacted by bulldozers
Soil spread on top of refuse & compacted
Repeated until garbage reaches certain heights
Methane produced
Leaching of toxic substances

19. What are hazardous wastes?
Solid, liquid, or gaseous wastes that are potentially harmful to humans and environment
Love Canal, NY: Town built next to old chemical plant
Steel containers holding waste leaked
Birth defects and cancer affected the people
Government relocated them ($190 million)

20. Name 6 types of hazardous waste.
Reactive Waste: can explode
Corrosive Waste: can eat through steel, clothing, and burn skin
Ignitable Waste: can burn at low temp; toxic fumes when lit
Toxic Waste: chemicals that are poisonous to people
Radioactive Waste: gives off radiation (given off when mining Uranium)
Medical Waste: old medicine, medicine containers, lab equipment and specimens

21. Identify & explain 4 methods for reducing volume of waste.
Recycle: paper, plastic, aluminum, glass, etc.
Reuse: cloth diapers
Biodegradable: leaves, grass clippings, food waste*, composting
Repair: old appliances, shoes, cars

22. Name 6 ways of disposing of hazardous waste.
Waste exchange: use haz. waste in production of other materials
Deep Well Injection: inject waste into porous rock under water table; LIQUID
Secure Chem. Landfill: waste is stored on nonporous bedrock
pipes to monitor and collect leaks; cover with clay

23. Controlled Incineration: burn waste at high temp
Expensive
Biological and Chemical Treatment Plants: turn harmful things into harmless
Radioactive Waste Disposal: put in H2O or bury underground

24. What does EPA stand for? EPA = Environmental Protection Agency
Established in 1970

25. Briefly describe Superfund.
Law designed to protect communities from dangers of hazardous wastes
CERCLA (1980): got $9 billion dollars to implement

26. What are some countries doing to combat high cost of disposal?
Ship waste to developing nations and leave it there
Examples: West Africa and Zimbabwe