EPA SITE DEMONSTRATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL WASTE TECHNOLOGIES/GEO-CON IN SITU STABILIZATION/ SOLIDIFICATION PROCESS

EPA Science Inventory

This paper presents an EPA evaluation of the first field demonstration of an in situ stabilization/solidification process for contaminated soil under the EPA Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation (SITE) program. Demonstration of this process was a joint effort of two vendors...

MoisturEC: an R application for geostatistical estimation of moisture content from electrical conductivity data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Terry, N.; Day-Lewis, F. D.; Werkema, D. D.; Lane, J. W., Jr.

2017-12-01

Soil moisture is a critical parameter for agriculture, water supply, and management of landfills. Whereas direct data (as from TDR or soil moisture probes) provide localized point scale information, it is often more desirable to produce 2D and/or 3D estimates of soil moisture from noninvasive measurements. To this end, geophysical methods for indirectly assessing soil moisture have great potential, yet are limited in terms of quantitative interpretation due to uncertainty in petrophysical transformations and inherent limitations in resolution. Simple tools to produce soil moisture estimates from geophysical data are lacking. We present a new standalone program, MoisturEC, for estimating moisture content distributions from electrical conductivity data. The program uses an indicator kriging method within a geostatistical framework to incorporate hard data (as from moisture probes) and soft data (as from electrical resistivity imaging or electromagnetic induction) to produce estimates of moisture content and uncertainty. The program features data visualization and output options as well as a module for calibrating electrical conductivity with moisture content to improve estimates. The user-friendly program is written in R - a widely used, cross-platform, open source programming language that lends itself to further development and customization. We demonstrate use of the program with a numerical experiment as well as a controlled field irrigation experiment. Results produced from the combined geostatistical framework of MoisturEC show improved estimates of moisture content compared to those generated from individual datasets. This application provides a convenient and efficient means for integrating various data types and has broad utility to soil moisture monitoring in landfills, agriculture, and other problems.

TERRA-KLEEN RESPONSE GROUP, INC. SOLVENT EXTRACTION TECHNOLOGY: INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY EVALUATION REPORT

EPA Science Inventory

This report summarizes the results of a field demonstration conducted under the SITE program. The technology which was demonstrated was a solvent extraction technology developed by Terra-Kleen Response Group. Inc. to remove organic contaminants from soil. The technology employs...

FIELD DEMONSTRATION AND QUALITY ASSURANCE PROJECT PLAN

EPA Science Inventory

The Demonstration of innovative field devices for the measurement of mercury in soil and sediment is being conducted under the EPA's SITE Program in February 2003 at the United States Department of Energy's (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Oak Ridge, Tennessee and th...

Using the VegeSafe community science program to measure, evaluate risk and advise on soil-metal contamination in Sydney backyards

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taylor, M. P.; Rouillon, M.; Harvey, P.; Kristensen, L. J.; Steven, G. G.

2016-12-01

The extent of metal contamination in Sydney residential garden soils was evaluated using data collated from a 3-year university community science program called VegeSafe. Despite knowledge of industrial and urban contamination amongst scientists, the general public remains under informed about the potential risks of exposure from legacy contaminants in their home environments. The Australian community was offered free soil metal screening allowing access to soil samples for research purposes. Participants followed specific soil sampling instructions and posted samples to the University for analysis with a field portable X-ray Fluorescence (pXRF) spectrometer. Over the 3-year period >5000 soil samples were collected and analysed from >1000 households across Australia, primarly from vegetable gardens. As anticipated, the primary soil metal of concern was lead: mean concentrations were 413 mg/kg (front garden), 707 mg/kg (drip line), 226 mg/kg (back yard) and 301 mg/kg (vegetable garden). The Australian soil lead guideline of 300 mg/kg for residential yards was exceeded at 40% of domestic properties. Soil lead concentrations >1000 mg/kg were identified in 15% of Sydney backyards. The incidence of highest soil lead contamination was greatest in the inner city area with concentrations declining towards background values of 20-30 mg/kg at 30-40 km distance from the city. Community engagement with VegeSafe participants has resulted in useful outcomes: dissemination of knowledge related to contamination legacies and health risks, owners building raised beds containing clean soil, and, in numerous cases owners replacing their contaminated soil. This study demonstrates the potential for similar community science programs for expediting mass sample collection of soils and dusts for analysis of traditional and emerging contaminants within the home environment.

You're never too young to play in the dirt!: Getting youth excited about soil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anderson, Debbie; Davis, Jason; Driscoll, Liz; Hughes, Gail; Jones, Shelia; Kozlowski, Deborah; Liesch, Mandy; Lindbo, David L.; Weitzel, Sandra

2015-04-01

Teaching primary and secondary school students (K-12) about soils although absolutely critical, can be difficult. We have struggled with ways to bring soil science information to the larger audience as the direct approach meets with resistance due to the time commitments to other standards. One approach is to get students outside to see soils in their natural environment and relate soils to broader landscapes and land use issues. Field trips related to a specific class, including art classes, demonstrate to students the relation of soils to areas they would never have considered. After school and extracurricular programs such as 4-H, Girl and Boy Scouts can be designed to included soils demonstrations and with proper care get the students involve in the planning and implementation of a project that is related to agriculture (urban gardening) or landscaping to address runoff and erosion. Soils are an integral part of some science based team competitions as well. The Future Farmers and America Land Judging Contest is a prime example. In this competition students have to view a soil pit, connect it to the landscape and make recommendation for management. Envirothon, another science based team competition, relies less on field observations as part of the competition than Land Judging. Instead some of the instruction to prepare students has been done in the field to give the students a practical knowledge of soils. In order to enhance all these activities we have also develop a Mobile Soil Trailer that bring the needed equipment and demonstrations to teachers who may not access to all the necessary materials to teach soils in the field. The end result is getting students excited about soil so that when they go to college they may consider soils or related field as a career path.

CHEMICAL STABILIZATION OF MIXED ORGANIC AND METAL COMPOUNDS - EPA SITE PROGRAM DEMONSTRATION OF THE SILICATE TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION PROCESS

EPA Science Inventory

In November 1990, the Silicate Technology Corporation`s (STC) proprietary process for treating soil contaminated with toxic semivolatile organic and inorganic contaminants was evaluated in a Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation (SITE) field demonstration at the Selma Pressu...

Documentation of a Regional Aquifer Simulation Model RAQSIM, and a description of support programs applied in the Twin Platte - Middle Republican Study Area, Nebraska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cady, R.E.; Peckenpaugh, J.M.

1985-01-01

RAQSIM, a generalized flow model of a groundwater system using finite-element methods, is documented to explain how it works and to demonstrate that it gives valid results. Three support programs that are used to compute recharge and discharge data required as input to RAQSIM are described. RAQSIM was developed to solve transient, two-dimensional, regional groundwater flow problems with isotropic or anisotropic conductance. The model can also simulate radially-symmetric flow to a well and steady-state flow. The mathematical basis, program structure, data input and output procedures, organization of data sets, and program features and options of RAQSIM are discussed. An example , containing listings of data and results and illustrating RAQSIM 's capabilities, is discussed in detail. Two test problems also are discussed comparing RAQSIM 's results with analytical procedures. The first support program described, the PET Program, uses solar radiation and other climatic data in the Jensen-Haise method to compute potential evapotranspiration. The second support program, the Soil-Water Program, uses output from the PET Program, soil characteristics, and the ratio of potential to actual evapotranspiration for each crop to compute infiltration, storage, and removal of water from the soil zone. The third program, the Recharge-Discharge Program, uses output from the Soil-Water Program together with other data to compute recharge and discharge from the groundwater flow system. For each support program, a program listing and examples of the data and results for the Twin Platte-Middle Republican study are provided. In addition, a brief discussion on how each program operates and on procedures for running and modifying these programs are presented. (Author 's abstract)

Water Conservation Education with a Rainfall Simulator.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kok, Hans; Kessen, Shelly

1997-01-01

Describes a program in which a rainfall simulator was used to promote water conservation by showing water infiltration, water runoff, and soil erosion. The demonstrations provided a good background for the discussion of issues such as water conservation, crop rotation, and conservation tillage practices. The program raised awareness of…

FIELD MEASUREMENT TECHNOLOGY FOR MERCURY IN SOIL AND SEDIMENT MILESTONE INC.'S DIRECT MERCURY ANALYZER (DMA)-80

EPA Science Inventory

Milestone's Direct Mercury Analyzer (DMA-80) was demonstrated under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation Program in May 2003 at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The purpose of the Demonstration was to...

INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY VERIFICATION REPORT XRF TECHNOLOGIES FOR MEASURING TRACE ELEMENTS IN SOIL AND SEDIMENT RONTEC PICOTAX XRF ANALYZER

EPA Science Inventory

The Rontec PicoTAX x-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyzer was demonstrated under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation (SITE) Program. The field portion of the demonstration was conducted in January 2005 at the Kennedy Athletic, Rec...

PILOT-SCALE DEMONSTRATION OF A SLURRY-PHASE BIOLOGICAL REACTOR FOR CREOSOTE-CONTAMINATED SOIL - APPLICATION ANALYSIS REPORT

EPA Science Inventory

In support of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation (SITE) Program, a pilot-scale demonstration of a slurry-phase bioremediation process was performed May 1991 at the EPA’s Test & Evaluation Facility in Cincinnati, OH. In this...

FIELD MEASUREMENT TECHNOLOGY FOR MERCURY IN SOIL AND SEDIMENT NITON'S XLI/XLT 700 SERIES X-RAY FLUORESCENCE ANALYZER

EPA Science Inventory

NITON's XL-700 Series X-ray fluorescence analyzers were demonstrated under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation Program in May 2003 at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The purpose of the Demonstration...

EPA SITE DEMONSTRATION OF THE TERRA VAC IN SITU VACUUM EXTRACTION PROCESS IN GROVELAND, MASSACHUSETTS

EPA Science Inventory

This paper presents an EPA evaluation of the patented Terra Vac, Inc.'s in situ vacuum extraction process that was field-demonstrated on a trichloroethylene (TCE) contaminated soil in Groveland, MA, under the EPA Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation (SITE) program. he Terra...

[M.S. Gilyarov's Scientific School of Soil Zoology].

PubMed

Chesnova, L V

2005-01-01

The role of M.S. Gilyarov's scientific school in the development of the subject and methodology of a new complex discipline formed in the mid-20th century--soil zoology--was considered. The establishment and evolution of the proper scientific school was periodized. The creative continuity and development of the basic laws and technical approaches included in the teacher's scientific program was demonstrated by scientific historical analysis.

SBIR Phase II Final Report: Low cost Autonomous NMR and Multi-sensor Soil Monitoring Instrument

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Walsh, David O.

In this 32-month SBIR Phase 2 program, Vista Clara designed, assembled and successfully tested four new NMR instruments for soil moisture measurement and monitoring: An enhanced performance man-portable Dart NMR logging probe and control unit for rapid, mobile measurement in core holes and 2” PVC access wells; A prototype 4-level Dart NMR monitoring probe and prototype multi-sensor soil monitoring control unit for long-term unattended monitoring of soil moisture and other measurements in-situ; A non-invasive 1m x 1m Discus NMR soil moisture sensor with surface based magnet/coil array for rapid measurement of soil moisture in the top 50 cm of themore » subsurface; A non-invasive, ultra-lightweight Earth’s field surface NMR instrument for non-invasive measurement and mapping of soil moisture in the top 3 meters of the subsurface. The Phase 2 research and development achieved most, but not all of our technical objectives. The single-coil Dart in-situ sensor and control unit were fully developed, demonstrated and successfully commercialized within the Phase 2 period of performance. The multi-level version of the Dart probe was designed, assembled and demonstrated in Phase 2, but its final assembly and testing were delayed until close to the end of the Phase 2 performance period, which limited our opportunities for demonstration in field settings. Likewise, the multi-sensor version of the Dart control unit was designed and assembled, but not in time for it to be deployed for any long-term monitoring demonstrations. The prototype ultra-lightweight surface NMR instrument was developed and demonstrated, and this result will be carried forward into the development of a new flexible surface NMR instrument and commercial product in 2018.« less

Bolivian satellite technology program on ERTS natural resources

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brockmann, H. C. (Principal Investigator); Bartoluccic C., L.; Hoffer, R. M.; Levandowski, D. W.; Ugarte, I.; Valenzuela, R. R.; Urena E., M.; Oros, R.

1977-01-01

The author has identified the following significant results. Application of digital classification for mapping land use permitted the separation of units at more specific levels in less time. A correct classification of data in the computer has a positive effect on the accuracy of the final products. Land use unit comparison with types of soils as represented by the colors of the coded map showed a class relation. Soil types in relation to land cover and land use demonstrated that vegetation was a positive factor in soils classification. Groupings of image resolution elements (pixels) permit studies of land use at different levels, thereby forming parameters for the classification of soils.

FIELD MEASUREMENT TECHNOLOGY FOR MERCURY IN SOIL AND SEDIMENT OHIO LUMEX'S RA-915+/RP-91C MERCURY ANALYZER

EPA Science Inventory

Ohio Lumex's RA915+/91 C mercury analyzer was demonstrated under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation Program in May 2003, at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The purpose of the Demonstration was to c...

INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY VERIFICATION REPORT XRF TECHNOLOGIES FOR MEASURING TRACE ELEMENTS IN SOIL AND SEDIMENT OXFORD ED2000 XRF ANALYZER

EPA Science Inventory

The Oxford ED2000 x-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyzer was demonstrated under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation (SITE) Program. The field portion of the demonstration was conducted in January 2005 at the Kennedy Athletic, Recr...

INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY VERIFICATION REPORT XRF TECHNOLOGIES FOR MEASURING TRACE ELEMENTS IN SOIL AND SEDIMENT NITON XLT700 SERIES XRF ANALYZER

EPA Science Inventory

The Niton XLt 700 Series (XLt) XRF Services x-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyzer was demonstrated under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation (SITE) Program. The field portion of the demonstration was conducted in January 2005 at ...

INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY VERIFICATION REPORT XRF TECHNOLOGIES FOR MEASURING TRACE ELEMENTS IN SOIL AND SEDIMENT XCALIBUR ELVAX XRF ANALYZER

EPA Science Inventory

The Innov-X XT400 Series (XT400) x-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyzer was demonstrated under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation (SITE) Program. The field portion of the demonstration was conducted in January 2005 at the Kenned...

INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY VERIFICATION REPORT XRF TECHNOLOGIES FOR MEASURING TRACE ELEMENTS IN SOIL AND SEDIMENT RIGAKU ZSX MINI 11 XRF ANALYZER

EPA Science Inventory

The Rigaku ZSX Mini II (ZSX Mini II) XRF Services x-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyzer was demon-strated under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation (SITE) Program. The field portion of the demonstration was conducted in January 2...

US Air Force 1989 Research Initiation Program . Volume 1.

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-06-25

microbial ecology of contaminated soils. 27-5 Thomas and coworkers (1989) studied microbial activity at a creosote waste site and demonstrated that...provide information essential for an understanding of the microbial ecology of contaminated soils, they do not address the microbiology of...substrates. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 49:711-713. Thomas, J. M., M. D. Lee, M. J. Scott and C. H. Ward. 1989. Microbial ecology of the subsurface Lt an

Science Notes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

School Science Review, 1984

1984-01-01

Presents 26 activities, experiments, demonstrations, games, and computer programs for biology, chemistry, and physics. Background information, laboratory procedures, equipment lists, and instructional strategies are given. Topics include eye measurements, nutrition, soil test tube rack, population dynamics, angular momentum, transition metals,…

A microwave systems approach to measuring root zone soil moisture

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Newton, R. W.; Paris, J. F.; Clark, B. V.

1983-01-01

Computer microwave satellite simulation models were developed and the program was used to test the ability of a coarse resolution passive microwave sensor to measure soil moisture over large areas, and to evaluate the effect of heterogeneous ground covers with the resolution cell on the accuracy of the soil moisture estimate. The use of realistic scenes containing only 10% to 15% bare soil and significant vegetation made it possible to observe a 60% K decrease in brightness temperature from a 5% soil moisture to a 35% soil moisture at a 21 cm microwave wavelength, providing a 1.5 K to 2 K per percent soil moisture sensitivity to soil moisture. It was shown that resolution does not affect the basic ability to measure soil moisture with a microwave radiometer system. Experimental microwave and ground field data were acquired for developing and testing a root zone soil moisture prediction algorithm. The experimental measurements demonstrated that the depth of penetration at a 21 cm microwave wavelength is not greater than 5 cm.

A revealed preference approach to estimating supply curves for ecosystem services: use of auctions to set payments for soil erosion control in Indonesia.

PubMed

Jack, B Kelsey; Leimona, Beria; Ferraro, Paul J

2009-04-01

To supply ecosystem services, private landholders incur costs. Knowledge of these costs is critical for the design of conservation-payment programs. Estimating these costs accurately is difficult because the minimum acceptable payment to a potential supplier is private information. We describe how an auction of payment contracts can be designed to elicit this information during the design phase of a conservation-payment program. With an estimate of the ecosystem-service supply curve from a pilot auction, conservation planners can explore the financial, ecological, and socioeconomic consequences of alternative scaled-up programs. We demonstrate the potential of our approach in Indonesia, where soil erosion on coffee farms generates downstream ecological and economic costs. Bid data from a small-scale, uniform-price auction for soil-conservation contracts allowed estimates of the costs of a scaled-up program, the gain from integrating biophysical and economic data to target contracts, and the trade-offs between poverty alleviation and supply of ecosystem services. Our study illustrates an auction-based approach to revealing private information about the costs of supplying ecosystem services. Such information can improve the design of programs devised to protect and enhance ecosystem services.

Standardized UXO Technology Demonstration Site, Scoring Record No. 943

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-08-01

COLLERAN ROAD ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, MARYLAND 21005-5059 Printed on Recycled Paper TEDT-AT-SL-M MEMORANDUM FOR Program Manager – SERDP...equipment. Small munitions grid Contains 300 grid cells . The center of each grid cell contains either munitions, clutter, or nothing with a portion...weather was warm and the field dry throughout the survey period for Battelle. 12 3.3.3 Soil Moisture Three soil probes were placed at various

DEMONSTRATION AND QUALITY ASSURANCE PROJECT ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

A demonstration of field portable/mobile technologies for measuring trace elements in soil and sediments was conducted under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation (SITE) Program. The demonstration took place from January 24 to 28, 2005, at the Kennedy Athletic, Recreational and Social Park at Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, Florida. The purpose of the demonstration was to verify the performance of various instruments that employ X-ray fluorescence (XRF) measurement technologies for the determination of 13 toxic elements in a variety of soil and sediment samples. Instruments from the technology developers listed below were demonstrated. o Innov-X Systems, Inc.o NITON LLC (2 instruments ) o Oxford Instruments Portable Division (formerly Metorex, Inc.) .Oxford Instruments Analytical .Rigaku, Inc.o RONTEC USA Inc.o Xcalibur XRF Services Inc. (Division of Elvatech Ltd. ) This demonstration plan describes the procedures that will be used to verify the performance and cost of the XRF instruments provided by these technology developers. The plan incorporates the quality assurance and quality control elements needed to generate data of sufficient quality to perform this verification. A separate innovative technology verification report (ITVR) will be prepared for each instrument. The objective of this program is to promote the acceptance and use of innovative field technologies by providing well-documented perfor

Groundwater cleanup demonstrations at Complex 34, CCAS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

At Launch Complex 34, the Six-Phase Soil Heating site that is involved in a groundwater cleanup project can be seen. The project involves the Department of Defense, Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Energy and NASA. Concentrations of trichloroethylene solvent have been identified in the soil at the complex as a result of cleaning methods for rocket parts during the Apollo Program, which used the complex, in the 60s. The group formed the Interagency NDAPL Consortium (IDC) to study three contamination cleanup technologies: Six-Phase Soil Heating, Steam Injection and In Situ Oxidation with Potassium Permanganate. All three methods may offer a way to remove the contaminants in months instead of decades. In the background is the block house for the complex. KSC hosted a two-day conference that presented information and demonstrations of the three technologies being tested at the site.

Electrical resistivity imaging study of near-surface infiltration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lampousis, Angelos

High resolution electrical resistivity images (ERI method) were obtained during vadose zone infiltration experiments on agricultural soils in cooperation with Cornell University's Agricultural Stewardship Program, Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County, Extension Education Center, Riverhead, New York [ as well as Cornell University's Long Island Horticultural Research & Extension Center (LIHREC) in Riverhead, New York]. One natural soil was also studied. Infiltration was monitored by means of image analysis of two-dimensional array resistivity generated by a Syscal Kid Switch resistivity system (Griffiths et al., 1990). The data was inverted with the computer program RES2DINV (Loke, 2004). The agricultural soils considered were Riverhead sandy loam (RdA), Haven loam (HaA), and Bridgehampton silt loam (BgA). The natural site was located in the Catskill Mountains of New York State. The soils there are classified as Schoharie silty clay loam. The electrical images of the three sites were compared against established soil properties, including particle size distribution, available water capacity, and soluble salts (from the literature), as well as against site-specific soil samples and penetrometer data, which were collected along with the geophysical measurements. This research evaluates the potential of acquiring high resolution, non-destructive measurements of infiltration in the uppermost 1.5 meter of the vadose zone. The results demonstrate that resistivity differences can detect infiltration in soils typical of the north-eastern United States. Temporal and spatial variations of soil water content in the upper 1.5 meters (relevant to agriculture) of the subsurface can be monitored successfully and non-destructively with ERI. The sensitivity of the method is higher in subsurface environments that demonstrate high overall apparent resistivity values (e.g. high sand content). Under conditions of increased soil heterogeneity, instead of the formation of a continuous water plume as occurred in the homogeneous agricultural soils, the location of the infiltrated water seems to be highly influenced by the soil heterogeneity, and the water front is scattered into discontinuous layers and travels in additional directions. The geophysical results during infiltration correlate well with soil compaction data. It follows that the ERI method can be used as a proxy for soil compaction and water content variations in agricultural applications. In a natural environment, ERI successfully maps the tree root zone of mature trees. Applications include continuous water content monitoring in high value cash crops, such as viticulture (precision agriculture).

Biology Notes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

School Science Review, 1981

1981-01-01

Presents a computer program for analyzing diets, a game designed to supplement a topic on insects, a technique for demonstrating the role of ethene in fruit ripening, an apparatus for removing arthropods from soil samples, activities using cichlids, and an activity on bonds stabilizing protein structure. (JN)

JMSS-1: a new Martian soil simulant

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeng, Xiaojia; Li, Xiongyao; Wang, Shijie; Li, Shijie; Spring, Nicole; Tang, Hong; Li, Yang; Feng, Junming

2015-05-01

It is important to develop Martian soil simulants that can be used in Mars exploration programs and Mars research. A new Martian soil simulant, called Jining Martian Soil Simulant (JMSS-1), was developed at the Lunar and Planetary Science Research Center at the Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences. The raw materials of JMSS-1 are Jining basalt and Fe oxides (magnetite and hematite). JMSS-1 was produced by mechanically crushing Jining basalt with the addition of small amounts of magnetite and hematite. The properties of this simulant, including chemical composition, mineralogy, particle size, mechanical properties, reflectance spectra, dielectric properties, volatile content, and hygroscopicity, have been analyzed. On the basis of these test results, it was demonstrated that JMSS-1 is an ideal Martian soil simulant in terms of chemical composition, mineralogy, and physical properties. JMSS-1 would be an appropriate choice as a Martian soil simulant in scientific and engineering experiments in China's Mars exploration in the future.

A GIS semiautomatic tool for classifying and mapping wetland soils

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moreno-Ramón, Héctor; Marqués-Mateu, Angel; Ibáñez-Asensio, Sara

2016-04-01

Wetlands are one of the most productive and biodiverse ecosystems in the world. Water is the main resource and controls the relationships between agents and factors that determine the quality of the wetland. However, vegetation, wildlife and soils are also essential factors to understand these environments. It is possible that soils have been the least studied resource due to their sampling problems. This feature has caused that sometimes wetland soils have been classified broadly. The traditional methodology states that homogeneous soil units should be based on the five soil forming-factors. The problem can appear when the variation of one soil-forming factor is too small to differentiate a change in soil units, or in case that there is another factor, which is not taken into account (e.g. fluctuating water table). This is the case of Albufera of Valencia, a coastal wetland located in the middle east of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain). The saline water table fluctuates throughout the year and it generates differences in soils. To solve this problem, the objectives of this study were to establish a reliable methodology to avoid that problems, and develop a GIS tool that would allow us to define homogeneous soil units in wetlands. This step is essential for the soil scientist, who has to decide the number of soil profiles in a study. The research was conducted with data from 133 soil pits of a previous study in the wetland. In that study, soil parameters of 401 samples (organic carbon, salinity, carbonates, n-value, etc.) were analysed. In a first stage, GIS layers were generated according to depth. The method employed was Bayesian Maxim Entropy. Subsequently, it was designed a program in GIS environment that was based on the decision tree algorithms. The goal of this tool was to create a single layer, for each soil variable, according to the different diagnostic criteria of Soil Taxonomy (properties, horizons and diagnostic epipedons). At the end, the program generated a set of layers with the geographical information, which corresponded with each diagnostic criteria. Finally, the superposition of layers generated the different homogeneous soil units where the soil scientist should locate the soil profiles. Historically, the Albufera of Valencia has been classified as a soil homogeneous unit, but it was demonstrated that there were six homogeneous units after the methodology and the GIS tool application. In that regard, the outcome reveals that it had been necessary to open only six profiles, against the 19 profiles opened when the real study was carried out. As a conclusion, the methodology and the SIG tool demonstrated that could be employed in areas where the soil forming-factors cannot be distinguished. The application of rapid measurement methods and this methodology could economise the definition process of homogeneous units.

Soil physics: a Moroccan perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lahlou, Sabah; Mrabet, Rachid; Ouadia, Mohamed

2004-06-01

Research on environmental pollution and degradation of soil and water resources is now of highest priority worldwide. To address these problems, soil physics should be conceived as a central core to this research. This paper objectives are to: (1) address the role and importance of soil physics, (2) demonstrate progress in this discipline, and (3) present various uses of soil physics in research, environment and industry. The study of dynamic processes at and within the soil vadose zone (flow, dispersion, transport, sedimentation, etc.), and ephemeral phenomena (deformation, compaction, etc.), form an area of particular interest in soil physics. Soil physics has changed considerably over time. These changes are due to needed precision in data collection for accurate interpretation of space and time variation of soil properties. Soil physics interacts with other disciplines and sciences such as hydro(geo)logy, agronomy, environment, micro-meteorology, pedology, mathematics, physics, water sciences, etc. These interactions prompted the emergence of advanced theories and comprehensive mechanisms of most natural processes, development of new mathematical tools (modeling and computer simulation, fractals, geostatistics, transformations), creation of high precision instrumentation (computer assisted, less time constraint, increased number of measured parameters) and the scale sharpening of physical measurements which ranges from micro to watershed. The environment industry has contributed to an enlargement of many facets of soil physics. In other words, research demand in soil physics has increased considerably to satisfy specific and environmental problems (contamination of water resources, global warming, etc.). Soil physics research is still at an embryonic stage in Morocco. Consequently, soil physicists can take advantage of developments occurring overseas, and need to build up a database of soil static and dynamic properties and to revise developed models to meet our conditions. Large, but special, investment is required to promote research programs in soil physics, which consider developments in this discipline and respect Moroccan needs. These programs will be highlighted herein.

Accelerated test for measuring sulfate resistance of hydraulic cements for Caltrans LLPRS program

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2000-04-01

Many California soils are rich in sulfates, which can have deleterious effects on the cements used in rigid pavements. Field experience has demonstrated that sulfate attack usually manifests itself in the form of loss of adhesion and strength. In ord...

Tablet and Face-to-Face Hybrid Professional Development: Providing Earth Systems Science Educators Authentic Research Opportunities through The GLOBE Program at Purdue University

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wegner, K.; Branch, B. D.; Smith, S. C.

2013-12-01

The Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) program is a worldwide hands-on, primary and secondary school-based science and education program (www.globe.gov). GLOBE's vision promotes and supports students, teachers and scientists to collaborate on inquiry-based authentic science investigations of the environment and the Earth system working in close partnership with NASA, NOAA and NSF Earth System Science Projects (ESSP's) in study and research about the dynamics of Earth's environment. GLOBE Partners conduct face-to-face Professional Development in more than 110 countries, providing authentic scientific research experience in five investigation areas: atmosphere, earth as a system, hydrology, land cover, and soil. This presentation will provide a sample for a new framework of Professional Development that was implemented in July 2013 at Purdue University lead by Mr. Steven Smith who has tested GLOBE training materials for future training. The presentation will demonstrate how institutions can provide educators authentic scientific research opportunities through various components, including: - Carrying out authentic research investigations - Learning how to enter their authentic research data into the GLOBE database and visualize it on the GLOBE website - Learn how to access to NASA's Earth System Science resources via GLOBE's new online 'e-Training Program' - Exploring the connections of their soil protocol measurements and the history of the soil in their area through iPad soils app - LIDAR data exposure, Hydrology data exposure

INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY VERIFICATION REPORT "FIELD MEASUREMENT TECHNOLOGIES FOR TOTAL PETROLEUM HYDROCARBONS IN SOIL" ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS CORPORATION SYNCHRONOUS SCANNING LUMINOSCOPE

EPA Science Inventory

The Synchronous Scanning Luminoscope (Luminoscope) developed by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in collaboration with Environmental Systems Corporation (ESC) was demonstrated under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation Program i...

VOCs in Non-Arid Soils Integrated Demonstration: Technology summary

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1994-02-01

The Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in Non-Arid Soils Integrated Demonstration (ID) was initiated in 1989. Objectives for the ID were to test the integrated demonstration concept, demonstrate and evaluate innovative technologies/systems for the remediation of VOC contamination in soils and groundwater, and to transfer technologies and systems to internal and external customers for use in fullscale remediation programs. The demonstration brought together technologies from DOE laboratories, other government agencies, and industry for demonstration at a single test bed. The Savannah River Site was chosen as the location for this ID as the result of having soil and groundwater contaminated withmore » VOCS. The primary contaminants, trichlorethylene and tetrachloroethylene, originated from an underground process sewer line servicing a metal fabrication facility at the M-Area. Some of the major technical accomplishments for the ID include the successful demonstration of the following: In situ air stripping coupled with horizontal wells to remediate sites through air injection and vacuum extraction; Crosshole geophysical tomography for mapping moisture content and lithologic properties of the contaminated media; In situ radio frequency and ohmic heating to increase mobility, of the contaminants, thereby speeding recovery and the remedial process; High-energy corona destruction of VOCs in the off-gas of vapor recovery wells; Application of a Brayton cycle heat pump to regenerate carbon adsorption media used to trap VOCs from the offgas of recovery wells; In situ permeable flow sensors and the colloidal borescope to determine groundwater flow; Chemical sensors to rapidly quantify chlorinated solvent contamination in the subsurface; In situ bioremediation through methane/nutrient injection to enhance degradation of contaminants by methanotrophic bateria.« less

Analysis of in situ resources for the Soil Moisture Active Passive Validation Experiments in 2015 and 2016

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cosh, M. H.; Jackson, T. J.; Colliander, A.; Bindlish, R.; McKee, L.; Goodrich, D. C.; Prueger, J. H.; Hornbuckle, B. K.; Coopersmith, E. J.; Holifield Collins, C.; Smith, J.

2016-12-01

With the launch of the Soil Moisture Active Passive Mission (SMAP) in 2015, a new era of soil moisture monitoring was begun. Soil moisture is available on a near daily basis at a 36 km resolution for the globe. But this dataset is only as valuable if its products are accurate and reliable. Therefore, in order to demonstrate the accuracy of the soil moisture product, NASA enacted an extensive calibration and validation program with many in situ soil moisture networks contributing data across a variety of landscape regimes. However, not all questions can be answered by these networks. As a result, two intensive field experiments were executed to provide more detailed reference points for calibration and validation. Multi-week field campaigns were conducted in Arizona and Iowa at the USDA Agricultural Research Service Walnut Gulch and South Fork Experimental Watersheds, respectively. Aircraft observations were made to provide a high resolution data product. Soil moisture, soil roughness and vegetation data were collected at high resolution to provide a downscaled dataset to compare against aircraft and satellite estimates.

Demonstration of the Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) internet interface and services

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) model is a process-based FORTRAN computer simulation program for prediction of runoff and soil erosion by water at hillslope profile, field, and small watershed scales. To effectively run the WEPP model and interpret results additional software has been de...

Using the Quirk-Schofield Diagram to Explain Environmental Colloid Dispersion Phenomena

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mays, David C.

2007-01-01

Colloid dispersion, through its role in soil science, hydrology, and contaminant transport, is a basic component of many natural resources and environmental education programs. However, comprehension of colloid dispersion phenomena is limited by the numerous variables involved. This article demonstrates how the Quirk-Schofield diagram can be used…

INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY VERIFICATION REPORT "FIELD MEASUREMENT TECHNOLOGIES FOR TOTAL PETROLEUM HYDROCARBONS IN SOIL" DEXSIL CORPORATION PETROFLAG SYSTEM

EPA Science Inventory

The PetroFLAGTm System developed by Dexsilo Corporation (Dexsil) was demonstrated under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation Program in June 2000 at the Navy Base Ventura County site in Port Hueneme, California. The purpose o...

Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) Calibration and validation plan and current activities

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The primary objective of the SMAP calibration and validation (Cal/Val) program is demonstrating that the science requirements (product accuracy and bias) have been met over the mission life. This begins during pre-launch with activities that contribute to high quality products and establishing post-...

Innovative vitrification for soil remediation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jetta, N.W.; Patten, J.S.; Hart, J.G.

1995-12-01

The objective of this DOE demonstration program is to validate the performance and operation of the Vortec Cyclone Melting System (CMS{trademark}) for the processing of LLW contaminated soils found at DOE sites. This DOE vitrification demonstration project has successfully progressed through the first two phases. Phase 1 consisted of pilot scale testing with surrogate wastes and the conceptual design of a process plant operating at a generic DOE site. The objective of Phase 2, which is scheduled to be completed the end of FY 95, is to develop a definitive process plant design for the treatment of wastes at amore » specific DOE facility. During Phase 2, a site specific design was developed for the processing of LLW soils and muds containing TSCA organics and RCRA metal contaminants. Phase 3 will consist of a full scale demonstration at the DOE gaseous diffusion plant located in Paducah, KY. Several DOE sites were evaluated for potential application of the technology. Paducah was selected for the demonstration program because of their urgent waste remediation needs as well as their strong management and cost sharing financial support for the project. During Phase 2, the basic nitrification process design was modified to meet the specific needs of the new waste streams available at Paducah. The system design developed for Paducah has significantly enhanced the processing capabilities of the Vortec vitrification process. The overall system design now includes the capability to shred entire drums and drum packs containing mud, concrete, plastics and PCB`s as well as bulk waste materials. This enhanced processing capability will substantially expand the total DOE waste remediation applications of the technology.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

This report summarizes significant FY93 programmatic information and accomplishments relevant to the individual activities within the Office of Technology Development Program for Research, Development, Demonstration, Testing, and Evaluation (RDDT&E). A brief discussion of the mission of the Office of Environmental Restoration and Waste Management (EM) and the Office of Technology Development is presented. An overview is presented of the major problem areas confronting DOE. These problem areas include: groundwater and soils cleanup; waste retrieval and processing; and pollution prevention. The organizational elements within EM are highlighted. An EM-50 Funding Summary for FY92 and FY93 is also provided. RDDT&E programs aremore » discussed and their key problem areas are summarized. Three salient program-formulating concepts are explained. They are: Integrated Demonstrations, Integrated Programs, and the technology window of opportunity. Detailed information for each of the programs within RDDT&E is presented and includes a fact sheet, a list of technical task plans and an accomplishments and objectives section.« less

Live Site Demonstration Munitions Response Program Site UXO 01 at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center (MCAGCC) Twentynine Palms, California

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-11-01

ground surface (bgs) and is composed of crystalline igneous and metamorphic rocks . The ranges are located on Cajon soils (Jacobs Engineering Group...Twentynine Palms, California ESTCP Project MR-201229 NOVEMBER 2015 Steve Stacy ARCADIS- US , Inc. Distribution Statement A REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE...geophysical classification (AGC) technologies for Munitions Response (MR). This demonstration was designed to evaluate the use of AGC methodology

INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY VERIFICATION REPORT " ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The EnSys Petro Test System developed by Strategic Diagnostics Inc. (SDI), was demonstrated under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation Program in June 2000 at the Navy Base Ventura County site in Port Hueneme, California. The purpose of the demonstration was to collect reliable performance and cost data for the EnSys Petro Test System and six other field measurement devices for total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) in soil. In addition to assessing ease of device operation, the key objectives of the demonstration included determining the (1) method detection limit, (2) accuracy and precision, (3) effects of interferents and soil moisture content on TPH measurement, (4) sample throughput, and (5) TPH measurement costs for each device. The demonstration involved analysis of both performance evaluation samples and environmental samples collected in four areas contaminated with gasoline, diesel, or other petroleum products. The performance and cost results for a given field measurement device were compared to those for an off-site laboratory reference method,

INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY VERIFICATION REPORT " ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The Synchronous Scanning Luminoscope (Luminoscope) developed by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in collaboration with Environmental Systems Corporation (ESC) was demonstrated under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation Program in June 2000 at the Navy Base Ventura County site in Port Hueneme, California. The purpose of the demonstration was to collect reliable performance and cost data for the Luminoscope and six other field measurement devices for total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) in soil. In addition to assessing ease of device operation, the key objectives of the demonstration included determining the (1) method detection limit, (2) accuracy and precision, (3) effects of interferents and soil moisture content on TPH measurement, (4) sample throughput, and (5) TPH measurement costs for each device. The demonstration involved analysis of both performance evaluation samples and environmental samples collected in five areas contaminated with gasoline, diesel, lubricating oil, or other petroleum products. The performance and cost results for a given field measurement device were compared to those for an off-site laboratory reference method,

The significance of soils and soil science towards realization of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keesstra, Saskia; Bouma, Johan; Wallinga, Jakob; Tittonell, Pablo; SMith, Pete; Cerda, Artermi; Montanarella, Luca; Quinton, John; Pachepsky, Yakov; van der Putten, Wim; BArdgett, Richard; Moolenaar, Simon; Mol, Gerben; Janssen, Boris; Fresco, Louise

2017-04-01

In this research we discuss how soil scientists can help to reach the recently adopted UN Sustainable Development Goals in the most effective manner. Soil science, as a land-related discipline has important links to several of the SDGs which are demonstrated through the functions of soils and the ecosystem services that are linked to those functions. We explore and discuss how soil scientists can rise to the challenge both internally, in terms of our procedures and practices, and externally in terms of our relations with colleague scientists in other disciplines, diverse groups of stakeholders and the policy arena. To meet these goals we recommend the following steps to be taken by the soil science community as a whole: (i) Embrace the UN Sustainable Development Goals, as they provide a platform that allows soil science to demonstrate its relevance for realizing a sustainable society by 2030; (ii) Show the specific value of soil science: Research should explicitly show how using modern soil information can improve the results of inter- and trans-disciplinary studies on SDGs related to food security, water scarcity, climate change, biodiversity loss and health threats; (iii) Given the integrative nature of soils, soil scientists are in a unique position to take leadership in overarching systems-analyses of ecosystems; (iii) Raise awareness of soil organic matter as a key attribute of soils to illustrate its importance for soil functions and ecosystem services; (iv) Improve the transfer of knowledge through knowledge brokers with a soil background; (v) Start at the basis: educational programs are needed at all levels, starting in primary schools, and emphasizing practical, down-to-earth examples; (vi) Facilitate communication with the policy arena by framing research in terms that resonate with politicians in terms of the policy cycle or by considering drivers, pressures and responses affecting impacts of land use change; and finally (vii) All this is only possible if researchers, with soil scientists in the frontlines, look over the hedge towards other disciplines, to the world-at-large and to the policy arena, reaching over to listen first, as a basis for genuine collaboration.

A Skylab program for the International Hydrological Decade (IHD). [Lake Ontario Basin

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Polcyn, F. C. (Principal Investigator); Rebel, D. L.

1975-01-01

The author has identified the following significant results. Demonstration of the procedure for utilizing the model relating red and IR reflectance to surface soil moisture over regions of variable vegetation cover indicates that remote sensing may be able to make direct inputs into determination of this hydrologic parameter.

INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY VERIFICATION REPORT XRF TECHNOLOGIES FOR MEASURING TRACE ELEMENTS IN SOIL AND SEDIMENT OXFORD X-MTE 3000TX XRF ANALYZER

EPA Science Inventory

The Elvatech, Ltd. ElvaX (ElvaX) x-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyzer distributed in the United States by Xcalibur XRF Services (Xcalibur), was demonstrated under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation (SITE) Program. The field por...

INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY VERIFICATION REPORT "FIELD MEASUREMENT TECHNOLOGIES FOR TOTAL PETROLEUM HYDROCARBONS IN SOIL" WILKS ENTERPRISE, INC. INFRACAL TOG/TPH ANALYZER

EPA Science Inventory

The hifracal' TOG/TPH Analyzer developed by Wilks Enterprise, Inc. (Wilks), was demonstrated under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation Program in June 2000 at the Navy Base Ventura County site in Port Hueneme, California. The pu...

INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY VERIFICATION REPORT "FIELD MEASUREMENT TECHNOLOGIES FOR TOTAL PETROLEUM HYDROCARBONS IN SOIL" STRATEGIC DIAGNOSTICS INC. ENSYS PETRO TEST SYSTEM

EPA Science Inventory

The EnSys Petro Test System developed by Strategic Diagnostics Inc. (SDI), was demonstrated under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation Program in June 2000 at the Navy Base Ventura County site in Port Hueneme, California. The...

INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY VERIFICATION REPORT "FIELD MEASUREMENT TECHNOLOGIES FOR TOTAL PETROLEUM HYDROCARBONS IN SOIL" HORIBA INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED OCMA-350 CONTENT ANALYZER

EPA Science Inventory

The OCMA-350 Oil Content Analyzer(OCMA-350) developed by Horiba Instruments Incorporated (Horiba), was demonstrated under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation Program in June 2000 at the Navy Base Ventura County site in Port Huen...

North American long-term soil productivity research program

Treesearch

Allan E. Tiarks; Robert F. Powers; Jerry F. Ragus; Deborah S. Page-Dumroese; Felix, Jr. Ponder; Douglas M. Stone

1997-01-01

The National Long-term Soil Productivity research program was chartered to address National Forest Management Act concerns over possible losses in soil productivity on National Forest lands. The program supports validation of soil quality monitoring standards and process-level productivity research. Summarized results are supplied to Forests as collected. National...

North American long-term soil productivity research program

Treesearch

Allan E. Tiarks; Robert F. Powers; Jerry F. Ragus; Deborah S. Page-Dumroese; Felix Ponder; Douglas M. Stone

1997-01-01

The National Long-term Soil Productivity research program was chartered to address National Forest Management Act concerns over possible losses n soil productivity on national forest lands. The program supports validation of soil quality monitoring standards and process-level productivity research. Summarized results are supplied to forests as collected. National...

Agriculture’s Soil Conservation Programs Miss Full Potential in the Fight against Soil Erosion.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-11-28

Soil Loss Equation ( USLE ) and Wind Erosion Equation can be used with a reasonable degree of accuracy. It is the intention of ASCS to expand VC/SL to...HD-R37 495 AGRICULTURE’S SOIL CONSERVATION PROGRAMS MISS FULL i/i POTENTIAL IN THE FIGHT.(U) GENERAL ACCOUNTING OFFICE WASHINGTON DC RESOURCES...GENERAL Report To The Congress OF THE UNITED STATES Agriculture’s Soil Conservation Programs Miss Full Potential In The Fight Against Soil Erosion

Residue Management: A Computer Program About Conservation Tillage Decisions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thien, Steve J.

1986-01-01

Describes a computer program, Residue Management, which is designed to supplement discussions on the Universal Soil Loss Equation and the impact of tillage on soil properties for introductory soil courses. The program advances the user through three stages of residue management. Information on obtaining the program is also included. (ML)

Antecedent precipitation index determined from CST estimates of rainfall

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Martin, David W.

1992-01-01

This paper deals with an experimental calculation of a satellite-based antecedent precipitation index (API). The index is also derived from daily rain images produced from infrared images using an improved version of GSFC's Convective/Stratiform Technique (CST). API is a measure of soil moisture, and is based on the notion that the amount of moisture in the soil at a given time is related to precipitation at earlier times. Four different CST programs as well as the Geostationary Operational Enviroment Satellite (GOES) Precipitation Index developed by Arkin in 1979 are compared to experimental results, for the Mississippi Valley during the month of July. Rain images are shown for the best CST code and the ARK program. Comparisons are made as to the accuracy and detail of the results for the two codes. This project demonstrates the feasibility of running the CST on a synoptic scale. The Mississippi Valley case is well suited for testing the feasibility of monitoring soil moisture by means of CST. Preliminary comparisons of CST and ARK indicate significant differences in estimates of rain amount and distribution.

Demonstration of innovative monitoring technologies at the Savannah River Integrated Demonstration Site

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rossabi, J.; Jenkins, R.A.; Wise, M.B.

1993-12-31

The Department of Energy`s Office of Technology Development initiated an Integrated Demonstration Program at the Savannah River Site in 1989. The objective of this program is to develop, demonstrate, and evaluate innovative technologies that can improve present-day environmental restoration methods. The Integrated Demonstration Program at SRS is entitled ``Cleanup of Organics in Soils and Groundwater at Non-Arid Sites.`` New technologies in the areas of drilling, characterization, monitoring, and remediation are being demonstrated and evaluated for their technical performance and cost effectiveness in comparison with baseline technologies. Present site characterization and monitoring methods are costly, time-consuming, overly invasive, and often imprecise.more » Better technologies are required to accurately describe the subsurface geophysical and geochemical features of a site and the nature and extent of contamination. More efficient, nonintrusive characterization and monitoring techniques are necessary for understanding and predicting subsurface transport. More reliable procedures are also needed for interpreting monitoring and characterization data. Site characterization and monitoring are key elements in preventing, identifying, and restoring contaminated sites. The remediation of a site cannot be determined without characterization data, and monitoring may be required for 30 years after site closure.« less

INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY VERIFICATION REPORT "FIELD MEASUREMENT TECHNOLOGIES FOR TOTAL PETROLEUM HYDROCARBONS IN SOIL" CHEMETRICS, INC., AND AZUR ENVIRONMENTAL LTD REMEDIAID TOTAL PETROLEUM HYDROCARBON STARTER KIT

EPA Science Inventory

The RemediAidTm Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon Starter Kit (RemediAidTm kit) developed by CHEMetries, Inc. (CHEMetrics), and AZUR Environmental Ltd was demonstrated under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation Program in June 2000 at the ...

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

The Staunton 1 Reclamation Demonstration Project involves an evaluation of the reclamation process for a deep coal mine refuse system. A typical abandoned midwestern deep coal mine refuse site was selected, final land use was determined, baseline data were collected, engineering plans were developed and implemented, and a post-construction evaluation was begun. The project is a cooperative effort by two state agencies--the Abandoned Mined Land Reclamation Council of Illinois the Illinois Institute for Environmental Quality--and the U.S. Department of Energy through the Land Reclamation Program at Argonne National Laboratory. Current investigations are monitoring groundwater, surface water quality, aquatic ecosystems, revegetation,more » soil characteristics, erosion and runoff, soil microbial and soil fauna populations, wildlife, and economic effects of the reclamation effort. The research is a multidisciplinary approach to the concept of ecosystem response to reclamation.« less

Processing data from soil assessment surveys with the computer program SOILS.

Treesearch

John W. Hazard; Jeralyn Snellgrove; J. Michael Geist

1985-01-01

Program SOILS processes data from soil assessment surveys following a design adopted by the Pacific Northwest Region of the USDA Forest Service. It accepts measurements from line transects and associated soil subsamples and generates estimates of the percentages of the sampled area falling in each soil condition class. Total disturbance is calculated by combining...

Groundwater cleanup demonstrations at Complex 34, CCAS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

At Launch Complex 34, Greg Beyke, with Current Environmental Solutions, talks to representatives from environmental and federal agencies about the environmental research project that involves the Department of Defense, Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Energy and NASA in a groundwater cleanup effort. Concentrations of trichloroethylene solvent have been identified in the soil at the complex as a result of cleaning methods for rocket parts during the Apollo Program, which used the complex, in the 60s. The group formed the Interagency NDAPL Consortium (IDC) to study three contamination cleanup technologies: Six Phase Soil Heating, Steam Injection and In Situ Oxidation with Potassium Permanganate. All three methods may offer a way to remove the contaminants in months instead of decades. KSC hosted a two-day conference that presented information and demonstrations of the three technologies being tested at the site.

Groundwater cleanup demonstrations at Complex 34, CCAS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

At Launch Complex 34, representatives from environmental and Federal agencies head for the block house during presentations about the environmental research project that involves the Department of Defense, Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Energy and NASA in a groundwater cleanup effort. Concentrations of trichloroethylene solvent have been identified in the soil at the complex as a result of cleaning methods for rocket parts during the Apollo Program, which used the complex, in the 60s. The group formed the Interagency NDAPL Consortium (IDC) to study three contamination cleanup technologies: Six Phase Soil Heating, Steam Injection and In Situ Oxidation with Potassium Permanganate. All three methods may offer a way to remove the contaminants in months instead of decades. KSC hosted a two-day conference that presented information and demonstrations of the three technologies being tested at the site.

Optimal land use management for soil erosion control by using an interval-parameter fuzzy two-stage stochastic programming approach.

PubMed

Han, Jing-Cheng; Huang, Guo-He; Zhang, Hua; Li, Zhong

2013-09-01

Soil erosion is one of the most serious environmental and public health problems, and such land degradation can be effectively mitigated through performing land use transitions across a watershed. Optimal land use management can thus provide a way to reduce soil erosion while achieving the maximum net benefit. However, optimized land use allocation schemes are not always successful since uncertainties pertaining to soil erosion control are not well presented. This study applied an interval-parameter fuzzy two-stage stochastic programming approach to generate optimal land use planning strategies for soil erosion control based on an inexact optimization framework, in which various uncertainties were reflected. The modeling approach can incorporate predefined soil erosion control policies, and address inherent system uncertainties expressed as discrete intervals, fuzzy sets, and probability distributions. The developed model was demonstrated through a case study in the Xiangxi River watershed, China's Three Gorges Reservoir region. Land use transformations were employed as decision variables, and based on these, the land use change dynamics were yielded for a 15-year planning horizon. Finally, the maximum net economic benefit with an interval value of [1.197, 6.311] × 10(9) $ was obtained as well as corresponding land use allocations in the three planning periods. Also, the resulting soil erosion amount was found to be decreased and controlled at a tolerable level over the watershed. Thus, results confirm that the developed model is a useful tool for implementing land use management as not only does it allow local decision makers to optimize land use allocation, but can also help to answer how to accomplish land use changes.

Optimal Land Use Management for Soil Erosion Control by Using an Interval-Parameter Fuzzy Two-Stage Stochastic Programming Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Jing-Cheng; Huang, Guo-He; Zhang, Hua; Li, Zhong

2013-09-01

Soil erosion is one of the most serious environmental and public health problems, and such land degradation can be effectively mitigated through performing land use transitions across a watershed. Optimal land use management can thus provide a way to reduce soil erosion while achieving the maximum net benefit. However, optimized land use allocation schemes are not always successful since uncertainties pertaining to soil erosion control are not well presented. This study applied an interval-parameter fuzzy two-stage stochastic programming approach to generate optimal land use planning strategies for soil erosion control based on an inexact optimization framework, in which various uncertainties were reflected. The modeling approach can incorporate predefined soil erosion control policies, and address inherent system uncertainties expressed as discrete intervals, fuzzy sets, and probability distributions. The developed model was demonstrated through a case study in the Xiangxi River watershed, China's Three Gorges Reservoir region. Land use transformations were employed as decision variables, and based on these, the land use change dynamics were yielded for a 15-year planning horizon. Finally, the maximum net economic benefit with an interval value of [1.197, 6.311] × 109 was obtained as well as corresponding land use allocations in the three planning periods. Also, the resulting soil erosion amount was found to be decreased and controlled at a tolerable level over the watershed. Thus, results confirm that the developed model is a useful tool for implementing land use management as not only does it allow local decision makers to optimize land use allocation, but can also help to answer how to accomplish land use changes.

CONCEPTUAL BASIS FOR NATURAL ATTENUATION (NA) ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

As used in enforcement actions at hazardous waste sites by U.S. EPA, monitored natural attenuation is a remedy fully equivalent to any other remedy. The acceptance of MNA is based on three lines of evidence: historical ground water and/or soil chemistry data that demonstrates a trend of declining contaminant concentration, 2. hydrogeologic and geochemical data that demonstrate NA processes and rates, and 3. Field or microcosm studies. MNA is appropriate as remedial approach only where it can be demonstrated to achieve remedial objectives within reasonable time frame, and meets the applicable remedy selection criteria for the particular regulatory program. To inform the public.

Conserving Soil.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Soil Conservation Service (USDA), Washington, DC.

Designed as enrichment materials for grades six through nine, this program is an interdisciplinary study of soils. As part of the program students: (1) examine soil organisms; (2) research history of local Native Americans to see how they and others have used the land and its soils; (3) investigate how soils are degraded and how they are conserved…

Tank 241-AX-104 upper vadose zone cone penetrometer demonstration sampling and analysis plan

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

FIELD, J.G.

1999-02-02

This sampling and analysis plan (SAP) is the primary document describing field and laboratory activities and requirements for the tank 241-AX-104 upper vadose zone cone penetrometer (CP) demonstration. It is written in accordance with Hanford Tank Initiative Tank 241-AX-104 Upper Vadose Zone Demonstration Data Quality Objective (Banning 1999). This technology demonstration, to be conducted at tank 241-AX-104, is being performed by the Hanford Tanks Initiative (HTI) Project as a part of Tank Waste Remediation System (TWRS) Retrieval Program (EM-30) and the Office of Science and Technology (EM-50) Tanks Focus Area. Sample results obtained as part of this demonstration will providemore » additional information for subsequent revisions to the Retrieval Performance Evaluation (RPE) report (Jacobs 1998). The RPE Report is the result of an evaluation of a single tank farm (AX Tank Farm) used as the basis for demonstrating a methodology for developing the data and analyses necessary to support making tank waste retrieval decisions within the context of tank farm closure requirements. The RPE includes a study of vadose zone contaminant transport mechanisms, including analysis of projected tank leak characteristics, hydrogeologic characteristics of tank farm soils, and the observed distribution of contaminants in the vadose zone in the tank farms. With limited characterization information available, large uncertainties exist as to the nature and extent of contaminants that may exist in the upper vadose zone in the AX Tank Farm. Traditionally, data has been collected from soils in the vadose zone through the installation of boreholes and wells. Soil samples are collected as the bore hole is advanced and samples are screened on site and/or sent to a laboratory for analysis. Some in-situ geophysical methods of contaminant analysis can be used to evaluate radionuclide levels in the soils adjacent to an existing borehole. However, geophysical methods require compensation for well casing interference and soil moisture content and may not be successful in some conditions. In some cases the level of interference must be estimated due to uncertainties regarding the materials used in well construction and soil conditions, Well casing deployment used for many in-situ geophysical methods is relatively expensive and geophysical methods do not generally provide real time values for contaminants. In addition, some of these methods are not practical within the boundaries of the tank farm due to physical constraints, such as underground piping and other hardware. The CP technologies could facilitate future characterization of vadose zone soils by providing vadose zone data in near real-time, reducing the number of soil samples and boreholes required, and reducing characterization costs.« less

INNOVATIVE FOSSIL FUEL FIRED VITRIFICATION TECHNOLOGY FOR SOIL REMEDIATION

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

J. Hnat; L.M. Bartone; M. Pineda

2001-07-13

This Summary Report summarizes the progress of Phases 3, 3A and 4 of a waste technology Demonstration Project sponsored under a DOE Environmental Management Research and Development Program and administered by the U.S. Department of Energy National Energy Technology Laboratory-Morgantown (DOE-NETL) for an ''Innovative Fossil Fuel Fired Vitrification Technology for Soil Remediation''. The Summary Reports for Phases 1 and 2 of the Program were previously submitted to DOE. The total scope of Phase 3 was to have included the design, construction and demonstration of Vortec's integrated waste pretreatment and vitrification process for the treatment of low level waste (LLW), TSCA/LLWmore » and mixed low-level waste (MLLW). Due to funding limitations and delays in the project resulting from a law suit filed by an environmental activist and the extended time for DOE to complete an Environmental Assessment for the project, the scope of the project was reduced to completing the design, construction and testing of the front end of the process which consists of the Material Handling and Waste Conditioning (MH/C) Subsystem of the vitrification plant. Activities completed under Phases 3A and 4 addressed completion of the engineering, design and documentation of the Material Handling and Conditioning System such that final procurement of the remaining process assemblies can be completed and construction of a Limited Demonstration Project be initiated in the event DOE elects to proceed with the construction and demonstration testing of the MH/C Subsystem.« less

Potential of EnMAP spaceborne imaging spectroscopy for the prediction of common surface soil properties and expected accuracy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chabrillat, Sabine; Foerster, Saskia; Steinberg, Andreas; Stevens, Antoine; Segl, Karl

2016-04-01

There is a renewed awareness of the finite nature of the world's soil resources, growing concern about soil security, and significant uncertainties about the carrying capacity of the planet. As a consequence, soil scientists are being challenged to provide regular assessments of soil conditions from local through to global scales. However, only a few countries have the necessary survey and monitoring programs to meet these new needs and existing global data sets are out-of-date. A particular issue is the clear demand for a new area-wide regional to global coverage with accurate, up-to-date, and spatially referenced soil information as expressed by the modeling scientific community, farmers and land users, and policy and decision makers. Soil spectroscopy from remote sensing observations based on studies from the laboratory scale to the airborne scale has been shown to be a proven method for the quantitative prediction of key soil surface properties in local areas for exposed soils in appropriate surface conditions such as low vegetation cover and low water content. With the upcoming launch of the next generation of hyperspectral satellite sensors in the next 3 to 5 years (EnMAP, HISUI, PRISMA, SHALOM), a great potential for the global mapping and monitoring of soil properties is appearing. Nevertheless, the capabilities to extend the soil properties current spectral modeling from local to regional scales are still to be demonstrated using robust methods. In particular, three central questions are at the forefront of research nowadays: a) methodological developments toward improved algorithms and operational tools for the extraction of soil properties, b) up scaling from the laboratory into space domain, and c) demonstration of the potential of upcoming satellite systems and expected accuracy of soil maps. In this study, airborne imaging spectroscopy data from several test sites are used to simulate EnMAP satellite images at 30 m scale. Then, different soil algorithms are examined based on the analyses of chemical-physical features from the soil spectral reflectance and/or multivariate established techniques such as Partial-Least Squares PLS, Support-Vector Machine SVM, to determine common surface soil properties, in particular soil organic carbon (SOC), clay and iron oxide content. Results show that EnMAP is able to predict clay, free iron oxide, and SOC with an RV2 between 0.53 and 0.67 compared to airborne imagery with RV2 between 0.64 and 0.74. The correlation between EnMAP and airborne imagery prediction results is high (Pearson coefficients between 0.84 and 0.91). Furthermore, spatial distribution is coherent between the airborne mapping and simulated EnMAP mapping as shown with a spatial structure analysis. In general, this paper demonstrates the high potential of upcoming spaceborne hyperspectral missions for soil science studies but also shows the need for future adapted strategies to fulfill the entire potential of soil spectroscopy for orbital utilization.

Three Soil Quality Demonstrations for Educating Extension Clientele

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hoorman, James J.

2014-01-01

There is a renewed interest in educating youth, Master Gardeners, and agricultural producers about soil quality. Three soil demonstrations show how soil organic matter increases water holding capacity, improves soil structure, and increases nutrient retention. Exercise one uses clay bricks and sponges to represent mineral soils and soil organic…

Data package for the Low-Level Waste Disposal Development and Demonstration Program environmental impact statement: Volume 2, Appendices E-O

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ketelle, R.H.

1988-09-01

This volume contains 11 appendices to the main document in Volume 1. Topics in Volume 2 include hydrologic data for a proposed solid waste storage area, soil characterizations, well logs, surface water discharge data, water quality data, atmospheric precipitation and stream flow, a small mammal survey, and general ecological information. (TEM)

INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY VERIFICATION REPORT "FIELD MEASUREMENT TECHNOLOGIES FOR TOTAL PETROLEUM HYDROCARBONS IN SOIL" SITELAB CORPORATION SITELAB ANALYTICAL TEST KIT UVF-3100A

EPA Science Inventory

site LAB(& Analytical Test Kit UVF-3 I OOA (UVF-3 I OOA) developed by siteLABqD Corporation (siteLABa)) was demonstrated under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation Program in June 2000 at the Navy Base Ventura County site in ...

Evolutionary-based approaches for determining the deviatoric stress of calcareous sands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shahnazari, Habib; Tutunchian, Mohammad A.; Rezvani, Reza; Valizadeh, Fatemeh

2013-01-01

Many hydrocarbon reservoirs are located near oceans which are covered by calcareous deposits. These sediments consist mainly of the remains of marine plants or animals, so calcareous soils can have a wide variety of engineering properties. Due to their local expansion and considerable differences from terrigenous soils, the evaluation of engineering behaviors of calcareous sediments has been a major concern for geotechnical engineers in recent years. Deviatoric stress is one of the most important parameters directly affecting important shearing characteristics of soils. In this study, a dataset of experimental triaxial tests was gathered from two sources. First, the data of previous experimental studies from the literature were gathered. Then, a series of triaxial tests was performed on calcareous sands of the Persian Gulf to develop the dataset. This work resulted in a large database of experimental results on the maximum deviatoric stress of different calcareous sands. To demonstrate the capabilities of evolutionary-based approaches in modeling the deviatoric stress of calcareous sands, two promising variants of genetic programming (GP), multigene genetic programming (MGP) and gene expression programming (GEP), were applied to propose new predictive models. The models' input parameters were the physical and in-situ condition properties of soil and the output was the maximum deviatoric stress (i.e., the axial-deviator stress). The results of statistical analyses indicated the robustness of these models, and a parametric study was also conducted for further verification of the models, in which the resulting trends were consistent with the results of the experimental study. Finally, the proposed models were further simplified by applying a practical geotechnical correlation.

SOIL AND FILL LABORATORY SUPPORT - 1992 RADIOLOGICAL ANALYSES - FLORIDA RADON RESEARCH PROGRAM

EPA Science Inventory

The report gives results of soil analysis laboratory work by the University of Florida in support of the Florida Radon Research Program (FRRP). Analyses were performed on soil and fill samples collected during 1992 by the FRRP Research House Program and the New House Evaluation P...

KSC-00pp0104

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-01-25

At Launch Complex 34, the Six-Phase Soil Heating site that is involved in a groundwater cleanup project can be seen. The project involves the Department of Defense, Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Energy and NASA. Concentrations of trichloroethylene solvent have been identified in the soil at the complex as a result of cleaning methods for rocket parts during the Apollo Program, which used the complex, in the 60s. The group formed the Interagency NDAPL Consortium (IDC) to study three contamination cleanup technologies: Six-Phase Soil Heating, Steam Injection and In Situ Oxidation with Potassium Permanganate. All three methods may offer a way to remove the contaminants in months instead of decades. In the background is the block house for the complex. KSC hosted a two-day conference that presented information and demonstrations of the three technologies being tested at the site

KSC00pp0104

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-01-25

At Launch Complex 34, the Six-Phase Soil Heating site that is involved in a groundwater cleanup project can be seen. The project involves the Department of Defense, Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Energy and NASA. Concentrations of trichloroethylene solvent have been identified in the soil at the complex as a result of cleaning methods for rocket parts during the Apollo Program, which used the complex, in the 60s. The group formed the Interagency NDAPL Consortium (IDC) to study three contamination cleanup technologies: Six-Phase Soil Heating, Steam Injection and In Situ Oxidation with Potassium Permanganate. All three methods may offer a way to remove the contaminants in months instead of decades. In the background is the block house for the complex. KSC hosted a two-day conference that presented information and demonstrations of the three technologies being tested at the site

Applications analysis report: Silicate Technology Corporation's solidification/stabilization technology for organic and inorganic contaminants in soils

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bates, E.

1992-12-01

The STC demonstration was conducted under EPA's Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation (SITE) Program in November, 1990, at the Selma Pressure Treating (SPT) wood preserving site in Selma, California. The SPT site was contaminated with both organics, predominantly pentachlorophenol (PCP), inorganics, mainly arsenic, chromium, and copper. Extensive sampling and analyses were performed on the waste both before and after treatment to compare physical, chemical, and leaching characteristics of raw and treated wastes. STC's contaminated soil treatment process was evaluated based on contaminant mobility measured by numerous leaching tests, structural integrity of the solidified material, measured by physical and engineering tests and morphological examinations; and economic analysis, using cost information supplied by STC and the results of the SITE demonstration, the vendor's design and test data, and other laboratory and field applications of the technology. It discusses the advantages, disadvantages, and limitations, as well as estimated costs of the technology.

Groundwater cleanup demonstrations at Complex 34, CCAS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

At Launch Complex 34, Cape Canaveral Air Station, several studies are under way for groundwater cleanup of trichloroethylene at the site. Shown here is monitoring equipment for one of the methods, potassium permanganate oxidation. Concentrations of trichloroethylene solvent have been identified in the soil at the complex as a result of cleaning methods for rocket parts during the Apollo Program in the 60s. The environmental research project involves the Department of Defense, Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Energy and NASA, who formed the Interagency NDAPL Consortium (IDC), to study three contamination cleanup technologies: Six Phase Soil Heating, Steam Injection and In Situ Oxidation with Potassium Permanganate. All three methods may offer a way to remove the contaminants in months instead of decades. KSC hosted a two-day conference that presented information and demonstrations of the three technologies for representatives from environmental and federal agencies.

A History of Soil Science Education in the United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brevik, Eric C.

2017-04-01

The formal study of soil science is a fairly recent undertaking in academics. Fields like biology, chemistry, and physics date back hundreds of years, but the scientific study of soils only dates to the late 1800s. Academic programs to train students in soil science are even more recent, with the first such programs only developing in the USA in the early 1900s. Some of the first schools to offer soil science training at the university level included the University of North Carolina (UNC), Earlham College (EC), and Cornell University. The first modern soil science textbook published in the United States was "Soils, Their Properties and Management" by Littleton Lyon, Elmer Fippin and Harry Buckman in 1909. This has evolved over time into the popular modern textbook "The Nature and Properties of Soils", most recently authored by Raymond Weil and Nyle Brady. Over time soil science education moved away from liberal arts schools such as UNC and EC and became associated primarily with land grant universities in their colleges of agriculture. There are currently about 71 colleges and universities in the USA that offer bachelors level soil science degree programs, with 54 of these (76%) being land grant schools. In the 1990s through the early 2000s enrollment in USA soil science programs was on the decline, even as overall enrollment at USA colleges and universities increased. This caused considerable concern in the soil science community. More recently there is evidence that soil science student numbers may be increasing, although additional information on this potential trend is desirable. One challenge soil science faces in the modern USA is finding an academic home, as soils are taught by a wide range of fields and soils classes are taken by students in many fields of study, including soil science, a range of agricultural programs, environmental science, environmental health, engineering, geology, geography, and others.

Soils under fire: soils research and the Joint Fire Science Program.

Treesearch

Heather E. Erickson; Rachel White

2008-01-01

Soils are fundamental to a healthy and functioning ecosystem. Therefore, forest land managers can greatly benefit from a more thorough understanding of the ecological impacts of fire and fuel management activities on the vital services soils provide. We present a summary of new research on fire effects and soils made possible through the Joint Fire Science Program and...

The Soil Stack: An Interactive Computer Program Describing Basic Soil Science and Soil Degradation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cattle, S. R.; And Others

1995-01-01

A computer program dealing with numerous aspects of soil degradation has a target audience of high school and university students (16-20 year olds), and is presented in a series of cards grouped together as stacks. Describes use of the software in Australia. (LZ)

IRBM for the Rio Conchos Basin as a Restoration and Conservation Tool

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barrios, E.; Rodriguez, J. A.; de La Maza, M.

2007-12-01

The Rio Conchos basin is the main water supply for the people of the State of Chihuahua and the middle and lower Rio Bravo in northern Mexico. Flowing for about 850 km from the highlands of the Sierra Tarahumara towards the wide valleys of the Chihuahuan Desert, the river presents recurrent periods of water stress and its basin of 6.7 million of hectares experiences a wide spectrum of problems such us long drought periods, water over allocation and extraction, water pollution, severe soil use changes. Besides, drastic soil moisture reduction is forecasted by effects of climate change. These natural and anthropological harmful situations impose a serious stress for this important and beautiful river and the rest of the basin hydrological resources. The WWF-Gonzalo Rio Arronte Alliance and its partners USAID, The Coca Cola Company and RICOH are implementing since 2004 an Integrated River Basin Management (IRBM) strategy to recover the natural integrity of the Rio Conchos in the form of environmental flow. The strategy includes the five basic working lines: i) development of river basin scientific knowledge, ii) strengthen of local institutional capacities, iii) development of demonstrative projects, iv) strengthen of indigenous communities, v) education and communication. Although the implementation of the IRBM program is expected to show main results until the year 2050, some interesting results have been obtained. The strategy has provided i) new basic knowledge about the basin dynamic events such as soil change use rates, baseline values of biological integrity, water economic values, among others; ii) strong program acceptance by government and main water users (farmers), and the integration of a working group formed by government, academia and NGO's; iii) local acceptance and understanding of benefits about basin management (soil recovery, reforestation, ecological sanitation) through demonstrative projects; iv) social organization; v) few advances in education and communications have been obtained. Some of the negative results of program implementation are lack of positive acceptance by powerful groups and a couple of NGO's currently working in the basin, and low credibility from indigenous governors (leaders of the Tarahumara group).

APPLICATION, PERFORMANCE, AND COSTS OF ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

A critical review of biological treatment processes for remediation of contaminated soils is presented. The focus of the review is on documented cost and performance of biological treatment technologies demonstrated at full- or field-scale. Some of the data were generated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) Bioremediation in the Field Program, jointly supported by EPA's Office of Research and Development, EPA's Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Waste, and the EPA Regions through the Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation Program (SITE) Program. Military sites proved to be another fertile data source. Technologies reviewed in this report include both ex-situ processes, (land treatment, biopile/biocell treatment, composting, and bioslurry reactor treatment) and in-situ alternatives (conventional bioventing, enhanced or cometabolic bioventing, anaerobic bioventing, bioslurping, phytoremediation, and natural attenuation). Targeted soil contaminants at the documented sites were primarily organic chemicals, including BTEX, petroleum hydrocarbons, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons (CAHs), organic solvents, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), pesticides, dioxin, and energetics. The advantages, limitations, and major cost drivers for each technology are discussed. Box and whisker plots are used to summarize before and after concentrations of important contaminant groups for those technologies consider

Overview of the SMAP Applications and the SMAP Early Adopters Program - NASA's First Mission-Directed Outreach Effort

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Escobar, V. M.; Delgado Arias, S.; Nearing, G.; Entekhabi, D.; Njoku, E.; Yueh, S.; Doorn, B.; Reichle, R.

2016-01-01

Satellite data provide global observations of many of the earths system processes and features. These data are valuable for developing scientific products that increase our understanding of how the earths systems are integrated. The water, energy and carbon cycle exchanges between the land and atmosphere are linked by soil moisture. NASAs Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission provides soil moisture and freeze thaw measurements from space and allows scientists to link the water energy and carbon cycles. In order for SMAP data to be best integrated into decision support systems, the mission has engaged with the stakeholder community since 2009 and has attempted to scale the utility of the data to the thematic societal impacts of the satellite product applications. The SMAP Mission, which launched on January 31, 2015, has actively grown an Early Adopter (EA) community as part of its applications effort and worked with these EAs to demonstrate a scaled thematic impact of SMAP data product in societally relevant decision support applications. The SMAP mission provides global observations of the Earths surface soil moisture, providing high accuracy, resolution and continuous global coverage. Through the Early Adopters Program, the SMAP Applications Team will spend the next 2 years after launch documenting and evaluating the use of SMAP science products in applications related to weather forecasting, drought, agriculture productivity, floods, human health and national security.

Effects of biochar blends on microbial community composition in two coastal plain soils

EPA Science Inventory

The amendment of soil with biochar has been demonstrated to have an effect not only on the soil physicochemical properties, but also on soil microbial community composition and activity. Previous reports have demonstrated significant impacts on soil microbial community structure....

DEMONSTRATION AND QUALITY ASSURANCE PROJECT ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The demonstration of technologies for determining the presence of dioxin in soil and sediment is being conducted under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation Program in Saginaw, Michigan, at Green Point Environmental Learning Center from approximately April 26 to May 6, 2004. The primary purpose of the demonstration is to evaluate innovative monitoring technologies. The technologies listed below will be demonstrated. .AhRC PCRTM Kit, Hybrizyme Corporation .Ah-IMMUNOASSY@ Kit, Paralsian, Inc. .Coplanar PCB Immunoassay Kit, Abraxis LLC .DF-l Dioxin/Furan Immunoassay Kit, CAPE Technologies L.L.C. .CALUX@ by Xenobiotic Detection Systems, Inc- .Dioxin ELISA Kit, Wako Pure Chemical Industries LTD. This demonstration plan describes the procedures that will be used to verify the performance and cost of these technologies. The plan incorporates the quality assurance and quality control elements needed to generate data of sufficient quality to document each technology's performance and cost. A separate innovative technology verification report (ITVR) will.be prepared for each technology. The ITVRs will present the demonstration findings associated with the demonstration objectives. The objective of this program is to promote the acceptance and use of innovative field technologies by providing well-documented performance and cost data obtained from field demonstrations.

Land Application Training Center - A Field Based Classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Godfrey, Jonathan; Lindbo, David L.; McLaughlin, Rich

2015-04-01

More and more professionals have to be licensed or certified to perform activities related to soil and the environment. Many certification programs have been solely based on classroom instruction with no field experience. We saw this as a gap in training that could lead to problems with implementation and job performance. As a result we developed a field based training center to assist with both certification training and continuing education of environmental professionals. The center broke ground in 1997 and has expanded over the years to include soils and waste application, wetland restoration, and sediment and erosion control demonstrations. This presentation describes the individual components and outlines the courses offered at the training center.

Local Contributors and Predictability of Flash Drought at the Marena Oklahoma In Situ Sensor Testbed (MOISST) During 2012

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Basara, J. B.; Otkin, J.; Mahan, H. R.; Anderson, M. C.; Hain, C.; Wagle, P.; Xiao, X.

2014-12-01

The Marena Oklahoma In Situ Sensor Testbed (MOISST) site was installed in May 2010 as part of the calibration and validation program for the NASA Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission. The site includes more than 200 soil, vegetation, and atmospheric sensors installed over an approximately 64 hectare pasture in Central Oklahoma with 4 main stations and multiple sensors installed in profiles. Additional sensors located at the site include a COsmic-ray Soil Moisture Observing System, global position system reflectometers, a passive distributed temperature system, an eddy correlation flux tower, and a phenocam. During 2012, flash drought conditions occurred at the MOISST location as conditions transitioned from no drought in late April to D4 (exceptional drought) in mid August. The array of instruments captured the dramatic transition of land-surface conditions at the MOISST site, in particular during a period spanning approximately six weeks in July and August in whereby drought conditions changed from abnormally dry to exceptional drought and ecosystem collapsed occurred. Results for the analyses demonstrated that both soil moisture and vegetation dynamics were critical components to flash drought development. Further, when the Evaporative Stress Index (ESI) was applied to the MOISST site during 2012, the results demonstrated that the predictability of drought conditions were increased to nearly six weeks prior to flash drought development that began in July.

Soil bacterial and fungal community responses across a conservation reserve program chronosequence in Texas high plains region

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

We investigated changes in soil bacterial and fungal communities with increasing restoration time across a Conservation Reserve Program chronosequence (CRP) on fine sandy loam soils in the Texas high plains region. Soil samples (0-10cm) were collected in 2012 and 2014 from seven dryland croplands (0...

Soil bulk density and soil moisture calculated with a FORTRAN 77 program.

Treesearch

G.L. Starr; J.M. Geist

1988-01-01

This paper presents an improved version of BDEN, an interactive computer program written in FORTRAN 77 that will calculate soil bulk density and moisture percentage by weight and volume. Calculations allow for deducting coarse fragment weight and volume. The program will also summarize the resulting data by giving the mean, standard deviation, and 95-percent confidence...

INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY VERIFICATION REPORT XRF ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The Rigaku ZSX Mini II (ZSX Mini II) XRF Services x-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyzer was demon-strated under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation (SITE) Program. The field portion of the demonstration was conducted in January 2005 at the Kennedy Athletic, Recreational and Social Park (KARS) at Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, Florida. The demonstration was designed to collect reliable performance and cost data for the ZSX Mini II analyzer and seven other commercially available XRF instruments for measuring trace elements in soil and sediment. The performance and cost data were evaluated to document the relative performance of each XRF instrument. This innovative technology verification report describes the objectives and the results of that evaluation and serves to verify the performance and cost of the ZSX Mini II analyzer. Separate reports have been prepared for the other XRF instruments that were evaluated as part of the demonstration. The objectives of the evaluation included determining each XRF instrument’s accuracy, precision, sample throughput, and tendency for matrix effects. To fulfill these objectives, the field demonstration incorporated the analysis of 326 prepared samples of soil and sediment that contained 13 target elements. The prepared samples included blends of environmental samples from nine different sample collection sites as well as spiked samples with certified element con

INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY VERIFICATION REPORT XRF ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The Rontec PicoTAX x-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyzer was demonstrated under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation (SITE) Program. The field portion of the demonstration was conducted in January 2005 at the Kennedy Athletic, Recreational and Social Park (KARS) at Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, Florida. The demonstration was designed to collect reliable performance and cost data for the PicoTAX analyzer and seven other commercially available XRF instruments for measuring trace elements in soil and sediment. The performance and cost data were evaluated to document the relative performance of each XRF instrument. This innovative technology verification report describes the objectives and the results of that evaluation and serves to verify the performance and cost of the PicoTAX analyzer. Separate reports have been prepared for the other XRF instruments that were evaluated as part of the demonstration. The objectives of the evaluation included determining each XRF instrument’s accuracy, precision, sample throughput, and tendency for matrix effects. To fulfill these objectives, the field demonstration incorporated the analysis of 326 prepared samples of soil and sediment that contained 13 target elements. The prepared samples included blends of environmental samples from nine different sample collection sites as well as spiked samples with certified element concentrations. Accuracy was assessed by c

INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY VERIFICATION REPORT XRF ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The Niton XLt 700 Series (XLt) XRF Services x-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyzer was demonstrated under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation (SITE) Program. The field portion of the demonstration was conducted in January 2005 at the Kennedy Athletic, Recreational and Social Park (KARS) at Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, Florida. The demonstration was designed to collect reliable performance and cost data for the XLt analyzer and seven other commercially available XRF instruments for measuring trace elements in soil and sediment. The performance and cost data were evaluated to document the relative performance of each XRF instrument. This innovative technology verification report describes the objectives and the results of that evaluation and serves to verify the performance and cost of the XLt analyzer. Separate reports have been prepared for the other XRF instruments that were evaluated as part of the demonstration. The objectives of the evaluation included determining each XRF instrument’s accuracy, precision, sample throughput, and tendency for matrix effects. To fulfill these objectives, the field demonstration incorporated the analysis of 326 prepared samples of soil and sediment that contained 13 target elements. The prepared samples included blends of environmental samples from nine different sample collection sites as well as spiked samples with certified element concentrations. Accuracy

INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY VERIFICATION REPORT XRF ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The Oxford ED2000 x-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyzer was demonstrated under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation (SITE) Program. The field portion of the demonstration was conducted in January 2005 at the Kennedy Athletic, Recreational and Social Park (KARS) at Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, Florida. The demonstration was designed to collect reliable performance and cost data for the ED2000 analyzer and seven other commercially available XRF instruments for measuring trace elements in soil and sediment. The performance and cost data were evaluated to document the relative performance of each XRF instrument. This innovative technology verification report describes the objectives and the results of that evaluation and serves to verify the performance and cost of the ED2000 analyzer. Separate reports have been prepared for the other XRF instruments that were evaluated as part of the demonstration. The objectives of the evaluation included determining each XRF instrument’s accuracy, precision, sample throughput, and tendency for matrix effects. To fulfill these objectives, the field demonstration incorporated the analysis of 326 prepared samples of soil and sediment that contained 13 target elements. The prepared samples included blends of environmental samples from nine different sample collection sites as well as spiked samples with certified element concentrations. Accuracy was assessed by com

INTERIM REPORT ON THE EVOLUTION AND ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

A demonstration of screening technologies for determining the presence of dioxin and dioxin-like compounds in soil and sediment was conducted under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's(EPA's) Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation Program in Saginaw, Michigan in 2004. The objectives of the demonstration included evaluating each participating technology's accuracy, precision, sensitivity, sample throughput, tendency for matrix effects, and cost. The test also included an assessment of how well the technology's results compared to those generated by established laboratory methods using high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS). The demonstration objectives were accomplished by evaluating the results generated by each technology from 209 soil, sediment, and extract samples. The test samples included performance evaluation (PE) samples (i.e., contaminant concentrations were certified or the samples were spiked with known contaminants) and environmental samples collected from 10 different sampling locations. The PE and environmental samples were distributed to the technology developers in blind, random order. One of the participants in the original SITE demonstration was Hybrizyme Corporation, which demonstrated the use of the AhRC PCR Kit. The AhRC PCR Kit was a technology that reported the concentration of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) binding compounds in a sample, with units reported as Ah Receptor Binding Units (AhRBU). At the time of the original dem

INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY VERIFICATION REPORT XRF ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The Innov-X XT400 Series (XT400) x-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyzer was demonstrated under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation (SITE) Program. The field portion of the demonstration was conducted in January 2005 at the Kennedy Athletic, Recreational and Social Park (KARS) at Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, Florida. The demonstration was designed to collect reliable performance and cost data for the XT400 analyzer and seven other commercially available XRF instruments for measuring trace elements in soil and sediment. The performance and cost data were evaluated to document the relative performance of each XRF instrument. This innovative technology verification report describes the objectives and the results of that evaluation and serves to verify the performance and cost of the XT400 analyzer. Separate reports have been prepared for the other XRF instruments that were evaluated as part of the demonstration. The objectives of the evaluation included determining each XRF instrument’s accuracy, precision, sample throughput, and tendency for matrix effects. To fulfill these objectives, the field demonstration incorporated the analysis of 326 prepared samples of soil and sediment that contained 13 target elements. The prepared samples included blends of environmental samples from nine different sample collection sites as well as spiked samples with certified element concentrations. Accuracy was as

INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY VERIFICATION REPORT XRF ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The Elvatech, Ltd. ElvaX (ElvaX) x-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyzer distributed in the United States by Xcalibur XRF Services (Xcalibur), was demonstrated under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation (SITE) Program. The field portion of the demonstration was conducted in January 2005 at the Kennedy Athletic, Recreational and Social Park (KARS) at Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, Florida. The demonstration was designed to collect reliable performance and cost data for the ElvaX analyzer and seven other commercially available XRF instruments for measuring trace elements in soil and sediment. The performance and cost data were evaluated to document the relative performance of each XRF instrument. This innovative technology verification report describes the objectives and the results of that evaluation and serves to verify the performance and cost of the ElvaX analyzer. Separate reports have been prepared for the other XRF instruments that were evaluated as part of the demonstration. The objectives of the evaluation included determining each XRF instrument’s accuracy, precision, sample throughput, and tendency for matrix effects. To fulfill these objectives, the field demonstration incorporated the analysis of 326 prepared samples of soil and sediment that contained 13 target elements. The prepared samples included blends of environmental samples from nine different sample collection sites as well as s

FIELD DEMONSTRATION AND QUALITY ASSURANCE ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The Demonstration of innovative field devices for the measurement of mercury in soil and sediment is being conducted under the EPA's SITE Program in February 2003 at the United States Department of Energy's (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Oak Ridge, Tennessee and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation's Department of Energy Oversight facility in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The primary purpose of the Demonstration is to evaluate innovative field devices for the measurement of mercury in soil and sediment based on their performance and cost as compared to a conventional, off-site laboratory analytical method. The five field measurement devices listed below will be demonstrated: .Metorex's X-M ET 2000 Metal Master Analyzer, X-Ray Fluorescence Analyzer .Milestone Inc.'s Direct Mercury Analyzer (DMA-80), Thermal Decomposition Instrument.NITON's XL-700 Series Multi-Element Analyzer, X-Ray Fluorescence Analyzer .Ohio Lumex's RA-915+ Portable Mercury Analyzer, Atomic Absorption Spectrometer, Thermal Decompostion Attachment RP 91C .MTI, Inc.'s PDV 5000 Hand Held Instrument, Anodic Stripping Voltamm eter<1). This Demonstration Plan describes the procedures that will be used to verify the performance and cost of each field measurement device. The plan incorporates the quality assurance and quality control elements needed to generate data of sufficient quality to document each device's performance and cost. A separate Innovative Technology Verifica

Morphometry and land cover based multi-criteria analysis for assessing the soil erosion susceptibility of the western Himalayan watershed.

PubMed

Altaf, Sadaff; Meraj, Gowhar; Romshoo, Shakil Ahmad

2014-12-01

Complex mountainous environments such as Himalayas are highly susceptibility to natural hazards particular those that are triggered by the action of water such as floods, soil erosion, mass movements and siltation of the hydro-electric power dams. Among all the natural hazards, soil erosion is the most implicit and the devastating hazard affecting the life and property of the millions of people living in these regions. Hence to review and devise strategies to reduce the adverse impacts of soil erosion is of utmost importance to the planners of watershed management programs in these regions. This paper demonstrates the use of satellite based remote sensing data coupled with the observational field data in a multi-criteria analytical (MCA) framework to estimate the soil erosion susceptibility of the sub-watersheds of the Rembiara basin falling in the western Himalaya, using geographical information system (GIS). In this paper, watershed morphometry and land cover are used as an inputs to the MCA framework to prioritize the sub-watersheds of this basin on the basis of their different susceptibilities to soil erosion. Methodology included the derivation of a set of drainage and land cover parameters that act as the indicators of erosion susceptibility. Further the output from the MCA resulted in the categorization of the sub-watersheds into low, medium, high and very high erosion susceptibility classes. A detailed prioritization map for the susceptible sub-watersheds based on the combined role of land cover and morphometry is finally presented. Besides, maps identifying the susceptible sub-watersheds based on morphometry and land cover only are also presented. The results of this study are part of the watershed management program in the study area and are directed to instigate appropriate measures to alleviate the soil erosion in the study area.

Geochemistry of soils along a transect from Central Mexico to the Pacific Coast: a pilot study for continental-scale geochemical mapping

USGS Publications Warehouse

Chiprés, J.A.; de la Calleja,; Tellez, J.I.; Jiménez, F.; Cruz, Carlos; Guerrero, E.G.; Castro, J.; Monroy, M.G.; Salinas, J.C.

2009-01-01

The Mexican Geological Survey (SGM), the National Institute of Statistics, Geography and Informatics (INEGI) and the Autonomous University of San Luis Potosi (UASLP) have established a multidisciplinary team with the objective of creating a national program of geochemical mapping of soils in Mexico. This is being done as part of the North American Soil Geochemical Landscapes Project in partnership with the US Geological Survey and the Geological Survey of Canada. As the first step, a pilot study was conducted over a transect that extends from the Mexico–US border near Ciudad Juarez in the north to the Pacific Ocean in the south. This pilot transect was conducted in two phases, and this paper presents results from the first phase, which sampled soils at about a 40-km spacing along a 730-km transect beginning in Central Mexico and ending at the Pacific Coast. Samples were collected from the A and C horizons at each site and 60 elements were analyzed. This pilot study demonstrates that geochemical mapping based on a 40-km spacing is adequate to identify broad-scale geochemical patterns. Geologic influence (i.e., soil parent material) was the most important factor influencing the distribution of elements along the transect, followed by the influence of regional mineralization. The study also showed that influence by human activities over the transect is minimal except possibly in large mining districts. A comparison of element abundance in the A horizon with the environmental soil guidelines in Mexico showed that the natural concentrations of the studied soils were lower than the established threshold for soil restoration with the exception of V and As. The former had a median value (75 mg/kg) approximately equal to the value established in Mexico for soil restoration in agricultural and residential lands (78 mg/kg), and the latter had three values higher than the 22 mg/kg threshold for soil restoration in agricultural and residential lands. These cases demonstrate the importance of knowing the national- and regional-scale geochemistry of Mexican soils as a support for the decision-making process, particularly for the proper formulation and application of soil guidelines designed to protect human and ecosystem health.

Stream Flow Prediction by Remote Sensing and Genetic Programming

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chang, Ni-Bin

2009-01-01

A genetic programming (GP)-based, nonlinear modeling structure relates soil moisture with synthetic-aperture-radar (SAR) images to present representative soil moisture estimates at the watershed scale. Surface soil moisture measurement is difficult to obtain over a large area due to a variety of soil permeability values and soil textures. Point measurements can be used on a small-scale area, but it is impossible to acquire such information effectively in large-scale watersheds. This model exhibits the capacity to assimilate SAR images and relevant geoenvironmental parameters to measure soil moisture.

Effects of different mechanized soil fertilization methods on corn soil fertility under continuous cropping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Qingwen; Wang, Huixin; Bai, Chunming; Wu, Di; Song, Qiaobo; Gao, Depeng; Dong, Zengqi; Cheng, Xin; Dong, Qiping; Zhang, Yahao; Mu, Jiahui; Chen, Qinghong; Liao, Wenqing; Qu, Tianru; Zhang, Chunling; Zhang, Xinyu; Liu, Yifei; Han, Xiaori

2017-05-01

Experiments for mechanized soil fertilization for corns were conducted in Faku demonstration zone. On this basis, we studied effects on corn soil fertility under continuous cropping due to different mechanized soil fertilization methods. Our study would serve as a theoretical basis further for mechanized soil fertilization improvement and soil quality improvement in brown soil area. Based on the survey of soil physical characteristics during different corn growth periods, we collected soil samples from different corn growth periods to determine and make statistical analysis accordingly. Stalk returning to field with deep tillage proved to be the most effective on available nutrient improvement for arable soil in the demonstration zone. Different mechanized soil fertilization methods were remarkably effective on total phosphorus improvement for arable soil in the demonstration zone, while less effective on total nitrogen or total potassium, and not so effective on C/N ratio in soil. Stalk returning with deep tillage was more favorable to improve content of organic matter in soil, when compared with surface application, and organic granular fertilizer more favorable when compared with decomposed cow dung for such a purpose, too.

Land degradation, government subsidy, and smallholders' conservation decision: the case of the loess plateau in China.

PubMed

Shi, Min-Jun; Chen, Kevin

2004-12-01

Land degradation is one of the severe environmental problems in China. In order to combat land degradation, a soil conservation program was introduced since 2000 to reduce soil erosion by converting slope-cultivated land into forestry and pasture. This paper represents the first systematic attempt to investigate the impact of the soil conservation program on land degradation in the loess plateau. The results indicate that the soil conservation program to convert slope fields into forest or pasture is an effective way to combat soil erosion. However, a subsidy that is higher than profit of land use activity of slope fields before their conversion into forest and pasture is needed to encourage farmers to join the conservation program. A policy measure to encourage and assist farmers to develop sedentary livestock by using crops produced from fields as well as fodder and forage grass from the converted slope fields might contribute to combat soil erosion. Increase in off-farm job opportunities may encourage households to reduce cultivation in slope fields. That implies a policy measure to encourage rural urbanization might contribute to combat soil erosion.

EPA SITE DEMONSTRATION OF THE BIOTROL SOIL WASHING PROCESS

EPA Science Inventory

A pilot-scale soil washing process, patented by BioTrol, Inc., was demonstrate on soil contaminated by wood treating waste, primarily pentachlorophenol (PCP) and creosote-derived polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Although soil washing was the main object of this demonstra...

Demonstrations in Solute Transport Using Dyes: Part I. Procedures and Results.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Butters, Greg; Bandaranayake, Wije

1993-01-01

Presents the general theory to explain chemical movement in soil. Describes classroom demonstrations with visually stimulating results that show the effects of soil structure, soil texture, soil pH, and soluble organic matter on that movement. (MDH)

Demolition and removal of radioactively contaminated concrete soil: Aerosol control and monitoring

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Newton, G.J.; Hoover, M.D.; Grace, A.C. III

1995-12-01

From 1963 to 1985, two concrete-lined ponds were used to reduce the volume of radioactive liquids from the Institute`s research programs. Following withdrawal of the {open_quotes}hot ponds{close_quotes} from active use, the residual sludges and plastic liners of the ponds were removed and shipped to a radioactive waste disposal site. From 1987 to 1994, the concrete structures remained undisturbed pending environmental restoration on the site. Restoration began in 1994 and was completed in 1995. Restoration involved mechanical breakup and removal of the concrete structures and removal of areas of contaminated soils from the site. This report describes the design and resultsmore » of the aerosol control and monitoring program that was conducted to ensure protection of workers and the environment during the restoration process. The aerosol control and monitoring strategy developed for remediation of the ITRI hot ponds was successful both in preventing dispersion of radioactive dusts and in demonstrating that exposures of workers and offsite releases were within statutory limits.« less

NON-DESTRUCTIVE SOIL CARBON ANALYZER.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wielopolski, Lucian; Hendrey, G.; Orion, I.

2004-02-01

This report describes the feasibility, calibration, and safety considerations of a non-destructive, in situ, quantitative, volumetric soil carbon analytical method based on inelastic neutron scattering (INS). The method can quantify values as low as 0.018 gC/cc, or about 1.2% carbon by weight with high precision under the instrument's configuration and operating conditions reported here. INS is safe and easy to use, residual soil activation declines to background values in under an hour, and no radiological requirements are needed for transporting the instrument. The labor required to obtain soil-carbon data is about 10-fold less than with other methods, and the instrumentmore » offers a nearly instantaneous rate of output of carbon-content values. Furthermore, it has the potential to quantify other elements, particularly nitrogen. New instrumentation was developed in response to a research solicitation from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE LAB 00-09 Carbon Sequestration Research Program) supporting the Terrestrial Carbon Processes (TCP) program of the Office of Science, Biological and Environmental Research (BER). The solicitation called for developing and demonstrating novel techniques for quantitatively measuring changes in soil carbon. The report includes raw data and analyses of a set of proof-of-concept, double-blind studies to evaluate the INS approach in the first phase of developing the instrument. Managing soils so that they sequester massive amounts of carbon was suggested as a means to mitigate the atmospheric buildup of anthropogenic CO{sub 2}. Quantifying changes in the soils' carbon stocks will be essential to evaluating such schemes and documenting their performance. Current methods for quantifying carbon in soil by excavation and core sampling are invasive, slow, labor-intensive and locally destroy the system being observed. Newly emerging technologies, such as Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy and Near-Infrared Spectroscopy, offer soil-carbon analysis; however, these also are invasive and destructive techniques. The INS approach permits quantification in a relatively large volume of soil without disrupting the measurement site. The technique is very fast and provides nearly instantaneous results thereby reducing the cost, and speeding up the rate of analysis. It also has the potential to cover large areas in a mobile scanning mode. These capabilities will significantly advance the tracking carbon sequestration and offer a tool for research in agronomy, forestry, soil ecology and biogeochemistry.« less

SOIL AND FILL LABORATORY SUPPORT - 1991

EPA Science Inventory

The report gives results of soil analysis laboratory work by the University of Florida in Support of the Florida Radon Research Program (FRRP). Analyses were performed on soil and fill samples collected during 1991 by the FRRP Research House program and the New House Evaluation P...

Remote Excavation System technology evaluation report: Buried Waste Robotics Program

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1993-09-01

This document describes the results from the Remote Excavation System demonstration and testing conducted at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory during June and July 1993. The purpose of the demonstration was to ascertain the feasibility of the system for skimming soil and removing various types of buried waste in a safe manner and within all regulatory requirements, and to compare the performances of manual and remote operation of a backhoe. The procedures and goals of the demonstration were previously defined in The Remote Excavation System Test Plan, which served as a guideline for evaluating the various components of the systemmore » and discussed the procedures used to conduct the tests.« less

SOILSOLN: A Program for Teaching Equilibria Modeling of Soil Solution Composition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wolt, Jeffrey D.

1989-01-01

Presents a computer program for use in teaching ion speciation in soil solutions. Provides information on the structure of the program, execution, and software specifications. The program estimates concentrations of ion pairs, hydrolytic species, metal-organic complexes, and free ions in solutions. (Author/RT)

Environmental Assessment: Improvements to Silver Flag Training Area at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-01-01

moderate in magnitude on air quality, noise, Air Installation Compatible Use Zone program soils , wetlands, surface water, floodplains, vegetation, fish...magnitude, on air quality, noise, Air Installation Compatible Use Zone program, soils , wetlands, smf ace water, floodplains, vegetation, fish and wildlife...range from negligible to moderate in magnitude on air quality, noise, Air Installation Compatible Use Zone program, soils , wetlands, surface water

Soil Quality as an Indicator of Forest Health: an Overview and Initial Results from the USFS Forest Inventory and Analysis Soil Indicator Program

Treesearch

Katherine O' Neill; Michael Amacher; Craig Palmer; Barbara Conkling; Greg C. Liknes

2003-01-01

The Montreal Process was formed in 1994 to develop an internationally agreed upon set of criteria and indicators for the conservation and sustainable management of temperate and boreal forests. In response to this effort, the USDA Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) and Forest Health Monitonhg (FHM) programs implemented a national soil monitoring program...

Repeatability of Sugarcane Selection on Sand and Organic Soils

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The Canal Point (CP) Sugarcane Cultivar Development Program (a cooperative program between the USDA-ARS, the University of Florida and the Florida Sugarcane League) has been more successful at breeding for cultivars adapted to organic soils (muck) than for those adapted to sand soils. Currently, onl...

SITE DEMONSTRATION BULLETIN: SOIL RECYCLING TREATMENT TRAIN - THE TORONTO HARBOUR COMMISSIONERS

EPA Science Inventory

The Toronto Harbour Commissioners (THC) have developed a soil treatment train designed to treat inorganic and organic contaminants in soils. THC has conducted a large-scale demonstration of these technologies in an attempt to establish that contaminated soils at the Toronto Port...

DEMONSTRATION BULLETIN: SOIL WASHING SYSTEM - BIOTROL, INC.

EPA Science Inventory

The three component technologies of the BioTrol Soil Washing System (BSWS). Tested in the SITE demonstration were a Soil Washer (SW), and Aqueous Treatment System (ATS), and a Slurry Bio-Reactor (SBR). The Soil Washer operates on the principle that a significant fraction of the...

Soil Health Educational Resources

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hoorman, James J.

2015-01-01

Soil health and cover crops are topics of interest to farmers, gardeners, and students. Three soil health and cover crop demonstrations provide educational resources. Demonstrations one outlines two educational cover crop seed displays, including the advantages and disadvantages. Demonstration two shows how to construct and grow a cover crop root…

ARS NP212 Climate change, soils and emissions program update

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The Agricultural Research Service National Program 212 (Climate Change, Soils, and Emissions) has a significant component focused on air quality studies. Presented here for the Agricultural Air Quality Task Force is an update on the status of ARS programs with focus on air quality. National Program ...

Groundwater cleanup demonstrations at Complex 34, CCAS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

On top of the block house at Launch Complex 34, representatives from environmental and Federal agencies hear from Laymon Gray, with Florida State University, about the environmental research project that involves the Department of Defense, Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Energy and NASA in a groundwater cleanup effort. Concentrations of trichloroethylene solvent have been identified in the soil at the complex as a result of cleaning methods for rocket parts during the Apollo Program, which used the complex, in the 60s. The group formed the Interagency NDAPL Consortium (IDC) to study three contamination cleanup technologies: Six Phase Soil Heating, Steam Injection and In Situ Oxidation with Potassium Permanganate. All three methods may offer a way to remove the contaminants in months instead of decades. In the background (left) can be seen the cement platform and walkway from the block house to the pad. Beyond it is the Atlantic Ocean. KSC hosted a two-day conference that presented information and demonstrations of the three technologies being tested at the site.

Soil microbial community restoration in conservation reserve program semi-arid grasslands

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) in the Southern High Plains (SHP) is known to play a crucial role in maintaining ecosystem health by reducing soil erosion. However, the restoration of its soil biological health (biological community and its function) over time have not been clearly elucidated...

Chapter 7. Assessing soil factors in wildland improvement programs

Treesearch

Arthur R. Tiedemann; Carlos F. Lopez

2004-01-01

Soil factors are an important consideration for successful wildland range development or improvement programs. Even though many soil improvement and amelioration practices are not realistic for wildlands, their evaluation is an important step in selection of adapted plant materials for revegetation. This chapter presents information for wildland managers on: the...

Modeling the hydrologic and economic efficacy of stormwater utility credit programs for US single family residences.

PubMed

Kertesz, Ruben; Green, Olivia Odom; Shuster, William D

2014-01-01

As regulatory pressure to reduce the environmental impact of urban stormwater intensifies, US municipalities increasingly seek a dedicated source of funding for stormwater programs, such as a stormwater utility. In rare instances, single family residences are eligible for utility discounts for installing green infrastructure. This study examined the hydrologic and economic efficacy of four such programs at the parcel scale: Cleveland (OH), Portland (OR), Fort Myers (FL), and Lynchburg (VA). Simulations were performed to model the reduction in stormwater runoff by implementing bioretention on a typical residential property according to extant administrative rules. The EPA National Stormwater Calculator was used to perform pre- vs post-retrofit comparisons and to demonstrate its ease of use for possible use by other cities in utility planning. Although surface slope, soil type and infiltration rate, impervious area, and bioretention parameters were different across cities, our results suggest that modeled runoff volume was most sensitive to percent of total impervious area that drained to the bioretention cell, with soil type the next most important factor. Findings also indicate a persistent gap between the percentage of annual runoff reduced and the percentage of fee reduced.

Prospects for elimination of soil-transmitted helminths.

PubMed

Ásbjörnsdóttir, Kristjana H; Means, Arianna R; Werkman, Marleen; Walson, Judd L

2017-10-01

Soil-transmitted helminths (STH) are endemic in 120 countries and are associated with substantial morbidity and loss of economic productivity. Although current WHO guidelines focus on morbidity control through mass drug administration (MDA), there is global interest in whether a strategy targeting disease elimination might be feasible in some settings. This review summarizes the prospects for switching from control to an elimination strategy. STH control efforts have reduced the intensity of infections in targeted populations with associated reductions in morbidity. However, adults are not frequently targeted and remain important reservoirs for reinfection of treated children. Recent modeling suggests that transmission interruption may be possible through expanded community-wide delivery of MDA, the feasibility of which has been demonstrated by other programs. However, these models suggest that high levels of coverage and compliance must be achieved. Potential challenges include the risk of prematurely dismantling STH programs and the potential increased risk of antihelminthic resistance. Elimination of STH may offer an opportunity to eliminate substantial STH-related morbidity while reducing resource needs of neglected tropical disease programs. Evidence from large community trials is needed to determine the feasibility of interrupting the transmission of STH in some geographic settings.

Technology-Driven and Innovative Training for Sustainable Agriculture in The Face of Climate Change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wishart, D. N.

2015-12-01

Innovative training in 'Sustainable Agriculture' for an increasingly STEM-dependent agricultural sector will require a combination of approaches and technologies for global agricultural production to increase while offsetting climate change. Climate change impacts the water resources of nations as normal global weather patterns are altered during El Nino events. Agricultural curricula must incorporate awareness of 'climate change' in order to find novel ways to (1) assure global food security; (2) improve soil productivity and conservation; (3) improve crop yields and irrigation; (4) inexpensively develop site specific principles of crop management based on variable soil and associated hydrological properties; and (5) improve precision farming. In February 2015, Central State University (CSU), Ohio became an 1890 Land-Grant institution vital to the sustainability of Ohio's agricultural sector. Besides agricultural extension, the agriculture curriculum at CSU integrates multidisciplinary courses in science, technology engineering, agriculture, and mathematics (STEAM). The agriculture program could benefit from a technology-driven, interdisciplinary soil science course that promotes climate change education and climate literacy while being offered in both a blended and collaborative learning environment. The course will focus on the dynamics of microscale to mesoscale processes occurring in farming systems, those of which impact climate change or could be impacted by climate change. Elements of this course will include: climate change webinars; soil-climate interactions; carbon cycling; the balance of carbon fluxes between soil storage and atmosphere; microorganisms and soil carbon storage; paleoclimate and soil forming processes; geophysical techniques used in the characterization of soil horizons; impact of climate change on soil fertility; experiments; and demonstrations.

Effective Classroom Demonstration of Soil Reinforcing Techniques.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, John Wharton; Fox, Dennis James

1986-01-01

Presents a model for demonstrating soil mass stabilization. Explains how this approach can assist students in understanding the various types of soil reinforcement techniques, their relative contribution to increased soil strength, and some of their limitations. A working drawing of the model and directives for construction are included. (ML)

STANDARD MEASUREMENT PROTOCOLS - FLORIDA RADON RESEARCH PROGRAM

EPA Science Inventory

The manual, in support of the Florida Radon Research Program, contains standard protocols for key measurements where data quality is vital to the program. t contains two sections. he first section, soil measurements, contains field sampling protocols for soil gas permeability and...

Evaluating the first Brazilian program of payments for environmental services: An approach for optimizing soil conservation using GIS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zolin, C. A.; Folegatti, M. V.; Mingoti, R.; Paulino, J.; Sánchez-Román, R. M.; González, A. M.

2013-12-01

Brazil possesses one of the most important water assets in the world, however, the country experiences vast differences among its hydrographic regions. Although Brazil has the largest water reserves in the world, those reserves are not distributed according to the concentration of the population. In addition, the largest portions of these water reserves are not always located where the highest urban concentrations and demands occur, which causes serious problems in maintaining water supply within the country's most populous regions (Zolin et al. 2011). It has become evident that policies aimed at mitigating the growing water resources and water use conflicts in Brazil are crucial. The municipality of Extrema in Minas Gerais state in Brazil pioneered the first Brazilian municipal PES initiative (Conservador das Águas program), based on the relationship between forests and the benefits they provide. This study aimed to assess soil loss in the Posses sub-basin, where the Conservador das Águas program began. Additionally, we aimed to determine the potential that this PES initiative has for soil conservation, as well as to optimize the environmental services provided as a function of forest area size and location. In this sense, considering the prescribed conservation practices, land use situation, and soil cover in the Posses sub-basin, we analyzed the effectiveness of the Conservador das Águas program before and after implementation in relation to reduced soil loss under different land use and soil cover scenarios. We used a geographic information system (GIS) for spatializing and producing different information plans and the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) for estimating soil loss. As a result, we found that optimized soil conservation may be obtained by adopting pasture conservation practices. Additionally the expected average soil loss in the Posses sub-basin under conditions of land use and soil cover, before and after implementing the water conservation program, was 30.63 and 7.06 Mg ha-1 year-1, respectively.

Sugarcane Genotype Selection on Muck and Sand Soils in Florida — a Case for Dedicated Environments

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Traditionally, the cooperative sugarcane breeding program at Canal Point, Florida has selected genotypes exclusively on muck soils in the early to middle stages of the program, resulting in the possibility that many genotypes adapted to sand soils are discarded. The objective of this study was to de...

Soil particulate organic matter dynamics after conservation reserve program land is converted to cropland

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The objective of this project is to compare the soil C quality in Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) vs. land under Sorghum cropping or rangeland in the Southern High Plains. Whole soils as well as light fraction particulate organic matter (lfPOM) was assessed using diffuse reflectance Fourier trans...

Soil organic matter composition from correlated thermal analysis and nuclear magnetic resonance data in Australian national inventory of agricultural soils

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moore, T. S.; Sanderman, J.; Baldock, J.; Plante, A. F.

2016-12-01

National-scale inventories typically include soil organic carbon (SOC) content, but not chemical composition or biogeochemical stability. Australia's Soil Carbon Research Programme (SCaRP) represents a national inventory of SOC content and composition in agricultural systems. The program used physical fractionation followed by 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. While these techniques are highly effective, they are typically too expensive and time consuming for use in large-scale SOC monitoring. We seek to understand if analytical thermal analysis is a viable alternative. Coupled differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and evolved gas analysis (CO2- and H2O-EGA) yields valuable data on SOC composition and stability via ramped combustion. The technique requires little training to use, and does not require fractionation or other sample pre-treatment. We analyzed 300 agricultural samples collected by SCaRP, divided into four fractions: whole soil, coarse particulates (POM), untreated mineral associated (HUM), and hydrofluoric acid (HF)-treated HUM. All samples were analyzed by DSC-EGA, but only the POM and HF-HUM fractions were analyzed by NMR. Multivariate statistical analyses were used to explore natural clustering in SOC composition and stability based on DSC-EGA data. A partial least-squares regression (PLSR) model was used to explore correlations among the NMR and DSC-EGA data. Correlations demonstrated regions of combustion attributable to specific functional groups, which may relate to SOC stability. We are increasingly challenged with developing an efficient technique to assess SOC composition and stability at large spatial and temporal scales. Correlations between NMR and DSC-EGA may demonstrate the viability of using thermal analysis in lieu of more demanding methods in future large-scale surveys, and may provide data that goes beyond chemical composition to better approach quantification of biogeochemical stability.

Phytoremediation: using green plants to clean up contaminate soil, groundwater, and wastewater

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Negri, M.C.; Hinchman, R.R.; Gatliff, E.G.

1996-07-01

Phytoremediation, an emerging cleanup technology for contaminated soils, groundwater, and wastewater that is both low-tech and low-cost, is defined as the engineered use of green plants (including grasses, forbs, and woody species) to remove, contain, or render harmless such environmental contaminants as heavy metals, trace elements, organic compounds and radioactive compounds in soil or water. Our research includes a successful field demonstration of a plant bioreactor for processing the salty wastewater from petroleum wells; the demonstration is currently under way at a natural gas well site in Oklahoma, in cooperation with Devon Energy Corporation. A greenhouse experiment on zinc uptakemore » in hybrid poplar (Populus sp.) was initiated in 1995. These experiments are being conducted to confirm and extend field data indicating high levels of zinc (4,200 ppm) in leaves of hybrid poplar growing as a cleanup system at a site with zinc contamination in the root zone of some of the trees. Analyses of soil water from experimental pots that had received several doses of zinc indicated that the zinc was totally sequestered by the plants in about 4 hours during a single pass through the root system. The data also showed concentrations of sequestered metal of >38,000 ppm Zn in the dry root tissue. These levels of sequestered zinc exceed the levels found in either roots or tops of many of the known ``hyperaccumulator`` species. Because the roots sequester most of the contaminant taken up in most plants, a major objective of this program is to determine the feasibility of root harvesting as a method to maximize the removal of contaminants from soils. Available techniques and equipment for harvesting plant roots, including young tree roots, are being evaluated and modified as necessary for use with phytoremediation plants.« less

Numerical Simulation of Rocket Exhaust Interaction with Lunar Soil

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liever, Peter; Tosh, Abhijit; Curtis, Jennifer

2012-01-01

This technology development originated from the need to assess the debris threat resulting from soil material erosion induced by landing spacecraft rocket plume impingement on extraterrestrial planetary surfaces. The impact of soil debris was observed to be highly detrimental during NASA s Apollo lunar missions and will pose a threat for any future landings on the Moon, Mars, and other exploration targets. The innovation developed under this program provides a simulation tool that combines modeling of the diverse disciplines of rocket plume impingement gas dynamics, granular soil material liberation, and soil debris particle kinetics into one unified simulation system. The Unified Flow Solver (UFS) developed by CFDRC enabled the efficient, seamless simulation of mixed continuum and rarefied rocket plume flow utilizing a novel direct numerical simulation technique of the Boltzmann gas dynamics equation. The characteristics of the soil granular material response and modeling of the erosion and liberation processes were enabled through novel first principle-based granular mechanics models developed by the University of Florida specifically for the highly irregularly shaped and cohesive lunar regolith material. These tools were integrated into a unique simulation system that accounts for all relevant physics aspects: (1) Modeling of spacecraft rocket plume impingement flow under lunar vacuum environment resulting in a mixed continuum and rarefied flow; (2) Modeling of lunar soil characteristics to capture soil-specific effects of particle size and shape composition, soil layer cohesion and granular flow physics; and (3) Accurate tracking of soil-borne debris particles beginning with aerodynamically driven motion inside the plume to purely ballistic motion in lunar far field conditions. In the earlier project phase of this innovation, the capabilities of the UFS for mixed continuum and rarefied flow situations were validated and demonstrated for lunar lander rocket plume flow impingement under lunar vacuum conditions. Applications and improvements to the granular flow simulation tools contributed by the University of Florida were tested against Earth environment experimental results. Requirements for developing, validating, and demonstrating this solution environment were clearly identified, and an effective second phase execution plan was devised. In this phase, the physics models were refined and fully integrated into a production-oriented simulation tool set. Three-dimensional simulations of Apollo Lunar Excursion Module (LEM) and Altair landers (including full-scale lander geometry) established the practical applicability of the UFS simulation approach and its advanced performance level for large-scale realistic problems.

Three dimensional, non-linear, finite element analysis of compactable soil interaction with a hyperelastic wheel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chiroux, Robert Charles

The objective of this research was to produce a three dimensional, non-linear, dynamic simulation of the interaction between a hyperelastic wheel rolling over compactable soil. The finite element models developed to produce the simulation utilized the ABAQUS/Explicit computer code. Within the simulation two separate bodies were modeled, the hyperelastic wheel and a compactable soil-bed. Interaction between the bodies was achieved by allowing them to come in contact but not to penetrate the contact surface. The simulation included dynamic loading of a hyperelastic, rubber tire in contact with compactable soil with an applied constant angular velocity or torque, including a tow load, applied to the wheel hub. The constraints on the wheel model produced a straight and curved path. In addition the simulation included a shear limit between the tire and soil allowing for the introduction of slip. Soil properties were simulated using the Drucker-Prager, Cap Plasticity model available within the ABAQUS/Explicit program. Numerical results obtained from the three dimensional model were compared with related experimental data and showed good correlation for similar conditions. Numerical and experimental data compared well for both stress and wheel rut formation depth under a weight of 5.8 kN and a constant angular velocity applied to the wheel hub. The simulation results provided a demonstration of the benefit of three-dimensional simulation in comparison to previous two-dimensional, plane strain simulations.

SITE Technology Capsule. Demonstration of Rocky Mountain Remediation Services Soil Amendment

EPA Science Inventory

This report briefly summarizes the Rocky Mountain Remediation Services treatment technology demonstration of a soil amendment process for lead contaminated soil at Roseville, OH. The evaluation included leaching, bioavailability, geotechnical, and geochemical methods.

Contaminant concentration in environmental samples using LIBS and CF-LIBS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pandhija, S.; Rai, N. K.; Rai, A. K.; Thakur, S. N.

2010-01-01

The present paper deals with the detection and quantification of toxic heavy metals like Cd, Co, Pb, Zn, Cr, etc. in environmental samples by using the technique of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and calibration-free LIBS (CF-LIBS). A MATLABTM program has been developed based on the CF-LIBS algorithm given by earlier workers and concentrations of pollutants present in industrial area soil have been determined. LIBS spectra of a number of certified reference soil samples with varying concentrations of toxic elements (Cd, Zn) have been recorded to obtain calibration curves. The concentrations of Cd and Zn in soil samples from the Jajmau area, Kanpur (India) have been determined by using these calibration curves and also by the CF-LIBS approach. Our results clearly demonstrate that the combination of LIBS and CF-LIBS is very useful for the study of pollutants in the environment. Some of the results have also been found to be in good agreement with those of ICP-OES.

Documentation for Program SOILSIM: A computer program for the simulation of heat and moisture flow in soils and between soils, canopy and atmosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Field, Richard T.

1990-01-01

SOILSIM, a digital model of energy and moisture fluxes in the soil and above the soil surface, is presented. It simulates the time evolution of soil temperature and moisture, temperature of the soil surface and plant canopy the above surface, and the fluxes of sensible and latent heat into the atmosphere in response to surface weather conditions. The model is driven by simple weather observations including wind speed, air temperature, air humidity, and incident radiation. The model intended to be useful in conjunction with remotely sensed information of the land surface state, such as surface brightness temperature and soil moisture, for computing wide area evapotranspiration.

Estimation of liquefaction-induced lateral spread from numerical modeling and its application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meng, Xianhong

A noncoupled numerical procedure was developed using a scheme of pore water generation that causes shear modulus degradation and shear strength degradation resulting from earthquake cyclic motion. The designed Fast Lagrangian Analysis of Continua (FLAC) model procedure was tested using the liquefaction-induced lateral spread and ground response for Wildlife and Kobe sites. Sixteen well-documented case histories of lateral spread were reviewed and modeled using the modeling procedure. The dynamic residual strength ratios were back-calculated by matching the predicted displacement with the measured lateral spread, or with the displacement predicted by the Yound et al. model. Statistical analysis on the modeling results and soil properties show that most significant parameters governing the residual strength of the liquefied soil are the SPT blow count, fine content and soil particle size of the lateral spread layer. A regression equation was developed to express the residual strength values with these soil properties. Overall, this research demonstrated that a calibrated numerical model can predict the first order effectiveness of liquefaction-induced lateral spread using relatively simple parameters obtained from routine geotechnical investigation. In addition, the model can be used to plan a soil improvement program for cases where liquefaction remediation is needed. This allows the model to be used for design purposes at bridge approaches structured on liquefiable materials.

Remote Sensing for Agriculture, Ecosystems and Hydrology III

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Engman, Edwin T.

1999-01-01

The science need for remotely sensed soil moisture has been well established in the hydrologic, climate change and weather forecasting communities. In spite of this well documented science need there are currently no satellite missions flying or funded to make this very important geophysical measurement. There have been a number of experimental aircraft programs that have demonstrated the feasibility of using long wave microwave sensors for estimating soil moisture. Unfortunately, this science driver, soil moisture, imposes very difficult technical requirements for a satellite sensor system. Global soil moisture is driven by a spatial resolution on the order of 20 to 30 km and measurements need to be taken every two to three days to be useful to the science community. The principal sensor to accomplish the soil moisture measurements is an L- band passive microwave radiometer and achieving the spatial and temporal requirements requires a very large antenna. This paper describes the several alternatives to solve the very large antenna challenge and still meet the radiometer sensitivity requirement. The paper also discusses the alternatives considered to obtain the necessary ancillary data for characterizing the surface roughness, the surface temperature and the attenuation affects of vegetation needed to derive the geophysical parameter. Finally, the paper discusses proposed missions and how well they will meet the science requirements.

A Smart Irrigation Approach Aided by Monitoring Surface Soil Moisture using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wienhold, K. J.; Li, D.; Fang, N. Z.

2017-12-01

Soil moisture is a critical component in the optimization of irrigation scheduling in water resources management. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) equipped with multispectral sensors represent an emerging technology capable of detecting and estimating soil moisture for irrigation and crop management. This study demonstrates a method of using a UAV as an optical and thermal remote sensing platform combined with genetic programming to derive high-resolution, surface soil moisture (SSM) estimates. The objective is to evaluate the feasibility of spatially-variable irrigation management for a golf course (about 50 acres) in North Central Texas. Multispectral data is collected over the course of one month in the visible, near infrared and longwave infrared spectrums using a UAV capable of rapid and safe deployment for daily estimates. The accuracy of the model predictions is quantified using a time domain reflectometry (TDR) soil moisture sensor and a holdout validation test set. The model produces reasonable estimates for SSM with an average coefficient of correlation (r) = 0.87 and coefficient of determination of (R2) = 0.76. The study suggests that the derived SSM estimates be used to better inform irrigation scheduling decisions for lightly vegetated areas such as the turf or native roughs found on golf courses.

Developing a Foundation for Constructing New Curricula in Soil, Crop, and Turfgrass Sciences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jarvis, Holly D.; Collett, Ryan; Wingenbach, Gary; Heilman, James L.; Fowler, Debra

2012-01-01

Some soil and crop science university programs undergo curricula revision to maintain relevancy with their profession and/or to attract the best students to such programs. The Department of Soil and Crop Sciences at Texas A&M University completed a thorough data gathering process as part of its revision of the undergraduate curriculum and…

An Exercise to Demonstrate Soil Microbial Diversity in Introductory Environmental Science Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yarwood, Stephanie A.; Sulzman, Elizabeth W.

2008-01-01

High diversity of microorganisms in the soil matrix has been the focus of extensive research in the fields of soil biology and microbial ecology, and is a key concept that students in the environmental or biological sciences should understand. Two activities to demonstrate diversity and highlight the challenges faced in studying soil microbial…

Long-term use of biosolids as organic fertilizers in agricultural soils: potentially toxic elements occurrence and mobility.

PubMed

Marguí, E; Iglesias, M; Camps, F; Sala, L; Hidalgo, M

2016-03-01

The presence of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) may hinder a more widespread application of biosolids in agriculture. At present, the European Directive 86/278/CEE limit the total concentrations of seven metals (Cu, Cr, Ni, Pb, Zn, Cd and Hg) in agricultural soils and in sewage sludges used as fertilizers but it has not taken into consideration the potential impacts of other emerging micropollutants that may be present in the biosolids as well as their mobility. The aim of this study was to evaluate the accumulation and mobility of 13 elements (including regulated metals and other inorganic species) in agricultural soils repeatedly amended with biosolids for 15 years. Firstly, three digestions programs using different acid mixtures were tested to evaluate the most accurate and efficient method for analysis of soil and sludge. Results demonstrated that sewage sludge application increased concentrations of Pb and Hg in soil, but values did not exceed the quality standard established by legislation. In addition, other elements (As, Co, Sb, Ag, Se and Mn) that at present are not regulated by the Spanish and European directives were identified in the sewage sludge, and significant differences were found between Ag content in soils amended with biosolids in comparison with control soils. This fact can be related to the increasing use of silver nanoparticles in consumer products due to their antibacterial properties. Results from the leaching tests show up that, in general, the mobility degree for both regulated and non-regulated elements in soils amended with biosolids was quite low (<10 %).

[Monitoring and SWOT analysis of Ascaris eggs pollution in soil of rural China].

PubMed

Zhu, Hui-hui; Zhou, Chang-hai; Zang, Wei; Zhang, Xue-qiang; Chen, Ying-dan

2014-06-01

To understand the status of Ascaris eggs pollution in soil at national monitoring spots of soil-transmitted nematodiasis, so as to provide the evidence for making countermeasures and evaluating the control effect. Ten households were selected from each of the 22 national monitoring spots annually according to the National Surveillance Program of Soil-Transmitted Nematodiasis (Trial), and the soil samples from vegetable gardens, toilet periphery, courtyards and kitchens were collected and examined by using the modified floatation test with saturated sodium nitrate. Fertilized or unfertilized eggs as well as live or dead fertilized eggs were discriminated and identified. In addition, a SWOT analysis of monitoring of Ascaris eggs pollution in the soil of rural China was carried out. A total of 1 090 households were monitored in 22 monitoring spots from 2006 to 2010. The total detection rate of Ascaris eggs in the soil was 30.73%, and the detection rates of fertilized, unfertilized and live fertilized eggs were 13.21%, 26.42% and 20.28%, respectively. The total detection rates of Ascaris eggs in the vegetable garden, toilet periphery, courtyard and kitchen were 16.51%, 13.49%, 14.22% and 10.73% respectively. The SWOT analysis demonstrated that the monitoring work had both advantages and disadvantages, and was faced with opportunities as well as threats. The pollution status of Ascaris eggs in the soil is still quite severe at some national monitoring spots, and the counter-measures such as implementing hazard-free treatment of stool, improving water supply and sanitation and reforming environment should be taken to protect people from being infected.

The Effects of Tree Species on Soil Organic Carbon Content and Distribution in South Korea.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oh, N. H.; Cha, J. Y.; Cha, Y. K.

2016-12-01

Soil organic carbon (SOC) content of forests is controlled by the dynamic balance between photosynthesis and respiration. Changes of tree species can affect the SOC content both directly by alteration in quantity and quality of newly photosynthesized inputs, and indirectly by changes in soil conditions such as root distribution and soil microbial communities. Although many studies have been conducted on the effects of tree species on SOC, the results are mixed possibly due to the locality and the scales of the studies. This can be overcome by systematic analysis on extensively collected samples of forest floors and soils. We investigated the impacts of tree species, dominantly pines (Pinus) and oaks (Quercus), on SOC stock and distribution in South Korea by conducting ANOVA and GLM analyses using the Korean National Forest Inventory data collected from 640 plots during 2007-2010. The trees used in the data were relatively young with 67% of them being less than 40 years old because of a nation-wide reforestation program started in the 1970s. The results demonstrated a clear contrast between Pinus and Quercus, depending on soil horizons. Forest floor SOC under Pinus was 6.98 ton C/ha, significantly higher than 5.30 ton C/ha under Quercus. In contrast, SOC in mineral soils was 51.31 ton C/ha under Pinus, significantly lower than 64.76 ton C/ha under Quercus. The total SOC content including both forest floor and mineral soils was significantly higher under Quercus than Pinus, suggesting that Quercus has a potential to sequester more atmospheric CO2 in the forests in Korea.

Lateral transport of soil carbon and land−atmosphere CO2 flux induced by water erosion in China

PubMed Central

Yue, Yao; Ni, Jinren; Ciais, Philippe; Piao, Shilong; Wang, Tao; Huang, Mengtian; Borthwick, Alistair G. L.; Li, Tianhong; Wang, Yichu; Chappell, Adrian; Van Oost, Kristof

2016-01-01

Soil erosion by water impacts soil organic carbon stocks and alters CO2 fluxes exchanged with the atmosphere. The role of erosion as a net sink or source of atmospheric CO2 remains highly debated, and little information is available at scales larger than small catchments or regions. This study attempts to quantify the lateral transport of soil carbon and consequent land−atmosphere CO2 fluxes at the scale of China, where severe erosion has occurred for several decades. Based on the distribution of soil erosion rates derived from detailed national surveys and soil carbon inventories, here we show that water erosion in China displaced 180 ± 80 Mt C⋅y−1 of soil organic carbon during the last two decades, and this resulted a net land sink for atmospheric CO2 of 45 ± 25 Mt C⋅y−1, equivalent to 8–37% of the terrestrial carbon sink previously assessed in China. Interestingly, the “hotspots,” largely distributed in mountainous regions in the most intensive sink areas (>40 g C⋅m−2⋅y−1), occupy only 1.5% of the total area suffering water erosion, but contribute 19.3% to the national erosion-induced CO2 sink. The erosion-induced CO2 sink underwent a remarkable reduction of about 16% from the middle 1990s to the early 2010s, due to diminishing erosion after the implementation of large-scale soil conservation programs. These findings demonstrate the necessity of including erosion-induced CO2 in the terrestrial budget, hence reducing the level of uncertainty. PMID:27247397

Lateral transport of soil carbon and land-atmosphere CO2 flux induced by water erosion in China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yue, Yao; Ni, Jinren; Ciais, Philippe; Piao, Shilong; Wang, Tao; Huang, Mengtian; Borthwick, Alistair G. L.; Li, Tianhong; Wang, Yichu; Chappell, Adrian; Van Oost, Kristof

2016-06-01

Soil erosion by water impacts soil organic carbon stocks and alters CO2 fluxes exchanged with the atmosphere. The role of erosion as a net sink or source of atmospheric CO2 remains highly debated, and little information is available at scales larger than small catchments or regions. This study attempts to quantify the lateral transport of soil carbon and consequent land-atmosphere CO2 fluxes at the scale of China, where severe erosion has occurred for several decades. Based on the distribution of soil erosion rates derived from detailed national surveys and soil carbon inventories, here we show that water erosion in China displaced 180 ± 80 Mt Cṡy-1 of soil organic carbon during the last two decades, and this resulted a net land sink for atmospheric CO2 of 45 ± 25 Mt Cṡy-1, equivalent to 8-37% of the terrestrial carbon sink previously assessed in China. Interestingly, the “hotspots,” largely distributed in mountainous regions in the most intensive sink areas (>40 g Cṡm-2ṡy-1), occupy only 1.5% of the total area suffering water erosion, but contribute 19.3% to the national erosion-induced CO2 sink. The erosion-induced CO2 sink underwent a remarkable reduction of about 16% from the middle 1990s to the early 2010s, due to diminishing erosion after the implementation of large-scale soil conservation programs. These findings demonstrate the necessity of including erosion-induced CO2 in the terrestrial budget, hence reducing the level of uncertainty.

Site characterization and analysis penetrometer system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heath, Jeff

1995-04-01

The site characterization and analysis penetrometer system (SCAPS) with laser induced fluorescence (LIF) sensors is being demonstrated as a quick field screening technique to determine the physical and chemical characteristics of subsurface soil and contaminants at hazardous waste sites SCAPS is a collaborative development effort of the Navy, Army, and Air Force under the Tri-Service SCAPS Program. The current SCAPS configuration is designed to quickly and cost-effectively distinguish areas contaminated with petroleum products (hydrocarbons) from unaffected areas.

Soil Fumigant Training for Certified Applicators

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This page includes the soil fumigant training programs developed by pesticide registrants and approved by EPA, as well as EPA-approved alternatives to the registrant training programs that are available for specific states.

7 CFR 14.2 - Applicability.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1288(j)). (2) The rural abandoned mine program authorized by section 406 of... conservation program authorized by the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act (16 U.S.C. 590a). (6) The Great Plains conservation program authorized by section 16 of the Soil Conservation and Domestic...

KSC-00pp0102

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-01-25

At Launch Complex 34, representatives from environmental and Federal agencies head for the block house during presentations about the environmental research project that involves the Department of Defense, Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Energy and NASA in a groundwater cleanup effort. Concentrations of trichloroethylene solvent have been identified in the soil at the complex as a result of cleaning methods for rocket parts during the Apollo Program, which used the complex, in the 60s. The group formed the Interagency NDAPL Consortium (IDC) to study three contamination cleanup technologies: Six Phase Soil Heating, Steam Injection and In Situ Oxidation with Potassium Permanganate. All three methods may offer a way to remove the contaminants in months instead of decades. KSC hosted a two-day conference that presented information and demonstrations of the three technologies being tested at the site

KSC00pp0101

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-01-25

At Launch Complex 34, Greg Beyke, with Current Environmental Solutions, talks to representatives from environmental and federal agencies about the environmental research project that involves the Department of Defense, Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Energy and NASA in a groundwater cleanup effort. Concentrations of trichloroethylene solvent have been identified in the soil at the complex as a result of cleaning methods for rocket parts during the Apollo Program, which used the complex, in the 60s. The group formed the Interagency NDAPL Consortium (IDC) to study three contamination cleanup technologies: Six Phase Soil Heating, Steam Injection and In Situ Oxidation with Potassium Permanganate. All three methods may offer a way to remove the contaminants in months instead of decades. KSC hosted a two-day conference that presented information and demonstrations of the three technologies being tested at the site

KSC-00pp0101

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-01-25

At Launch Complex 34, Greg Beyke, with Current Environmental Solutions, talks to representatives from environmental and federal agencies about the environmental research project that involves the Department of Defense, Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Energy and NASA in a groundwater cleanup effort. Concentrations of trichloroethylene solvent have been identified in the soil at the complex as a result of cleaning methods for rocket parts during the Apollo Program, which used the complex, in the 60s. The group formed the Interagency NDAPL Consortium (IDC) to study three contamination cleanup technologies: Six Phase Soil Heating, Steam Injection and In Situ Oxidation with Potassium Permanganate. All three methods may offer a way to remove the contaminants in months instead of decades. KSC hosted a two-day conference that presented information and demonstrations of the three technologies being tested at the site

KSC00pp0102

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-01-25

At Launch Complex 34, representatives from environmental and Federal agencies head for the block house during presentations about the environmental research project that involves the Department of Defense, Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Energy and NASA in a groundwater cleanup effort. Concentrations of trichloroethylene solvent have been identified in the soil at the complex as a result of cleaning methods for rocket parts during the Apollo Program, which used the complex, in the 60s. The group formed the Interagency NDAPL Consortium (IDC) to study three contamination cleanup technologies: Six Phase Soil Heating, Steam Injection and In Situ Oxidation with Potassium Permanganate. All three methods may offer a way to remove the contaminants in months instead of decades. KSC hosted a two-day conference that presented information and demonstrations of the three technologies being tested at the site

An evaluation of soil sampling for 137Cs using various field-sampling volumes.

PubMed

Nyhan, J W; White, G C; Schofield, T G; Trujillo, G

1983-05-01

The sediments from a liquid effluent receiving area at the Los Alamos National Laboratory and soils from an intensive study area in the fallout pathway of Trinity were sampled for 137Cs using 25-, 500-, 2500- and 12,500-cm3 field sampling volumes. A highly replicated sampling program was used to determine mean concentrations and inventories of 137Cs at each site, as well as estimates of spatial, aliquoting, and counting variance components of the radionuclide data. The sampling methods were also analyzed as a function of soil size fractions collected in each field sampling volume and of the total cost of the program for a given variation in the radionuclide survey results. Coefficients of variation (CV) of 137Cs inventory estimates ranged from 0.063 to 0.14 for Mortandad Canyon sediments, whereas CV values for Trinity soils were observed from 0.38 to 0.57. Spatial variance components of 137Cs concentration data were usually found to be larger than either the aliquoting or counting variance estimates and were inversely related to field sampling volume at the Trinity intensive site. Subsequent optimization studies of the sampling schemes demonstrated that each aliquot should be counted once, and that only 2-4 aliquots out of as many as 30 collected need be assayed for 137Cs. The optimization studies showed that as sample costs increased to 45 man-hours of labor per sample, the variance of the mean 137Cs concentration decreased dramatically, but decreased very little with additional labor.

[Evaluation on effectiveness of comprehensive control model for soil-transmitted nematodiasis].

PubMed

Hong-Chun, Tian; Meng, Tang; Hong, Xie; Han-Gang, Li; Xiao-Ke, Zhou; Chang-Hua, Liu; De-Fu, Zheng; Zhong-Jiu, Tang; Ming-Hui, Li; Cheng-Yu, Wu; Yi-Zhu, Ren

2011-10-01

To evaluate the effect of a comprehensive control model for soil-transmitted nematodiasis. Danling County was selected as a demonstration county carrying out the comprehensive prevention model centering on health education, nematode deworming, and drinking water and lavatories changing. On the other side, Hejiang was selected as a control. The effects were evaluated by comparing some indicators such as the infection rates of soil-transmitted nematodiasis and so on. The infection rates of soil-transmitted nematodiasis declined obviously from 2006 to 2009 in the demonstration county. The infection rates of Ascaris lumbricoides, hookworms, Trichiuris trichiura decreased by 91.14%, 81.65% and 65.77%. In the control county, those rates did not have downward tendency. In 2006, those rates in the demonstration county were higher than those in the control, but in 2009 those rates in the demonstration county were lower than those in the control. Through the three-year comprehensive prevention, the infection rates of soil-transmitted nematodiasis declined obviously in the demonstration county. The epidemic situation of soil-transmitted nematodiasis could be controlled effectively by the comprehensive prevention model.

The soil indicator of forest health in the Forest Inventory and Analysis Program

Treesearch

Michael C. Amacher; Charles H. Perry

2010-01-01

Montreal Process Criteria and Indicators (MPCI) were established to monitor forest conditions and trends to promote sustainable forest management. The Soil Indicator of forest health was developed and implemented within the USFS Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program to assess condition and trends in forest soil quality in U.S. forests regardless of ownership. The...

Piezo-resistivity electric cone penetration technology investigation of the M-basin at the Savannah River Site, Aiken, South Carolina. Progress report, May 1, 1992--October 31, 1992

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bowers, B.; Rossabi, J.; Shinn, J.D. II

1997-05-01

This report documents the results of a combined field and laboratory investigation program to: (1) delineate the geologic layering and (2) determine the location of a dense non-aqueous liquid-phase (DNAPL) contaminated plume beneath the M Area Hazardous Waste Management Facility at the Savannah River Plant. During April of 1991, DNAPLs were detected in monitoring well (MSB-3D), located adjacent to the capped M-Area Settling Basin. Solvents in the well consisted mainly of tetrachloroethylene and trichloroethylene, which are also the main solvents found in groundwater in the M Area. In permeable soils, DNAPLs move downward rapidly due to their high density andmore » low viscosity as compared to water. Within the vadose zone, DNAPLs tend to be held by the less permeable clay and silts by capillary force. In the saturated zone, the downward movement is slowed by clays and silts and the DNAPL tends to pool on this layer, then spread laterally. The lateral movement continues until a permeable layer is encountered, which can be a sand lens, fracture or other high conductivity seam. The DNAPL then moves downward, until another low permeability layer is encountered. Applied Research Associates was contracted to conduct a program to: (1) field demonstrate the utility of Cone Penetration Technology to investigate DOE contaminant sites and, (2) conduct a laboratory and field program to evaluate the use of electric resistivity surveys to locate DNAPL contaminated soils. The field program was conducted in the M-Basin and laboratory tests were conducted on samples from the major stratigraphy units as identified in Eddy et. al. Cone Penetration Technology was selected to investigate the M-Basin as it: (1) is minimally invasive, (2) generates minimal waste, (3) is faster and less costly than drilling, (4) provides continuous, detailed in situ characterization data, (5) permits real-time data processing, and (6) can obtain soil, soil gas, and water samples without the need for a boring.« less

Assessment of Dioxin-Like Soil Contamination in Mexico by Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay

PubMed Central

Nichkova, M.; Yáñez, L.; Costilla-Salazar, R.; Torres-Dosal, A.; Gee, S. J.; Hammock, B. D.; Juárez-Santacruz, L.; Díaz-Barriga, F.

2011-01-01

In this work, we describe the results of a preliminary soil assessment program for the detection of dioxins at different sites in Mexico performed by immunoassay. We studied five different sectors considered relevant sources of dioxins: Anaversa and Tekchem industrial areas where organochlorine pesticides were manufactured and released by accidental explosions, secondary smelters, brick kilns, and rural dwellings. In the context of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) guidelines, only the brick kilns sites can be considered as low-risk areas. The dioxin concentrations detected in the vicinity of the Anaversa and Tekchem chemical plants and secondary smelters exceed the screening level of 0.05 ppb set by the ATSDR, and therefore further site-specific studies are needed. The dioxin levels found in all soot samples from indigenous dwellings where wood is used for indoor cooking were above the evaluation level. Considering that the studied areas are representative examples of dioxin sources in less developed countries, our work demonstrates the useful application of dioxin immunoassays as a tool for dioxin screening for environmental assessment programs in developing countries. PMID:20091164

Soil vital signs: A new Soil Quality Index (SQI) for assessing forest soil health

Treesearch

Michael C. Amacher; Katherine P. O' Neil; Charles H. Perry

2007-01-01

The Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program measures a number of chemical and physical properties of soils to address specific questions about forest soil quality or health. We developed a new index of forest soil health, the soil quality index (SQI), that integrates 19 measured physical and chemical properties of forest soils into a single number that serves as...

Soil Segregation Methods for Reducing Transportation and Disposal Costs - 13544

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Frothingham, David; Andrews, Shawn; Barker, Michelle

2013-07-01

At Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP) sites where the selected alternative for contaminated soil is excavation and off-site disposal, the most significant budget items of the remedial action are the costs for transportation and disposal of soil at an off-site facility. At these sites, the objective is to excavate and dispose of only those soils that exceed derived concentration guideline levels. In situ soil segregation using gross gamma detectors to guide the excavation is often challenging at sites where the soil contamination is overlain by clean soil or where the contaminated soil is located in isolated, subsurface pockets.more » In addition, data gaps are often identified during the alternative evaluation and selection process, resulting in increased uncertainty in the extent of subsurface contamination. In response, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District is implementing ex situ soil segregation methods. At the remediated Painesville Site, soils were excavated and fed through a conveyor-belt system, which automatically segregated them into above- and below-cleanup criteria discharge piles utilizing gamma spectroscopy. At the Linde Site and the Shallow Land Disposal Area (SLDA) Site, which are both in the remediation phase, soils are initially segregated during the excavation process using gross gamma detectors and then transported to a pad for confirmatory manual surveying and sampling. At the Linde Site, the ex situ soils are analyzed on the basis of a site-specific method, to establish compliance with beneficial reuse criteria that were developed for the Linde remediation. At the SLDA Site, the ex situ soils are surveyed and sampled based on Multi-Agency Radiation Survey and Site Investigation Manual (MARSSIM) final status survey guidance to demonstrate compliance with the derived concentration guideline levels. At all three sites, the ex situ soils that meet the site- specific DCGLs are retained on-site and used as backfill material. This paper describes the ex situ soil segregation methods, the considerations of each method, and the estimated cost savings from minimizing the volume of soil requiring transportation and off-site disposal. (authors)« less

Nutrient Tracking Tool - A user-friendly tool for evaluating the water and air quality and quantity as affected by various agricultural management practices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saleh, A.; Niraula, R.; Gallego, O.; Osei, E.; Kannan, N.

2017-12-01

The Nutrient Tracking Tool (NTT) is a user-friendly web-based computer program that estimate nutrient (nitrogen and phosphorus) and sediment losses from fields managed under a variety of cropping patterns and management practices. The NTT includes a user-friendly web-based interface and is linked to the Agricultural Policy Environmental eXtender (APEX) model. It also accesses USDA-NRCS's Web Soil Survey to obtain field, weather, and soil information. NTT provides producers, government officials, and other users with a fast and efficient method of estimating the nutrient, sediment, and atmosphoric gases (N2o, Co2, and NH4) losses, and crop production under different conservation practices regims at the farm-level. The information obtained from NTT can help producers to determine the most cost-effective conservation practice(s) to reduce the nutrient and sediment losses while optimizing the crop production. Also, the recent version of NTT (NTTg3) has been developed for those coutries without access to national databasis, such as soils and wether. The NTTg3 also has been designed as easy to use APEX interface. NTT is currently being evaluated for trading and other programs at Cheaseapea Bay regions and numerous states in US. During this presentation the new capabilities of NTTg3 will be described and demonstrated.

The Soil Program of the Restoration Seedbank Initiative: addressing knowledge gaps in degraded soils for use in dryland restoration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muñoz-Rojas, Miriam; Bateman, Amber; Erickson, Todd E.; Turner, Shane; Merritt, David J.

2017-04-01

Global environmental changes and other anthropogenic impacts are rapidly transforming the structure and functioning of ecosystems worldwide. These changes are leading to land degradation with an estimated 25 % of the global land surface being affected. Landscape-scale restoration of these degraded ecosystems has therefore been recognised globally as an international priority. In the resource-rich biodiverse semi-arid Pilbara region of north-west Western Australia hundreds of thousands of hectares are disturbed due to established and emerging iron-ore mine operations. At this scale, the need to develop cost-effective large-scale solutions to restore these landscapes becomes imperative to preserve biodiversity and achieve functionality and sustainability of these ecosystems. The Restoration Seedbank Initiative (RSB) (http://www.plants.uwa.edu.au/ research/restoration-seedbank-initiative) is a five-year multidisciplinary research project that aims to build knowledge and design strategies to restore mine-impacted landscapes in the Pilbara and other arid and semi-arid landscapes worldwide (Kildiseheva et al., 2016). The RSB comprises four research programs that focus on seedbank management and curation, seed storage, seed enhancement, and the use of alternative soil substrates (soil or growing medium program) respectively. These multi-disciplinary programs address the significant challenges of landscape scale restoration in arid systems. In the soil program we follow an integrated approach that includes the characterization of undisturbed ecosystems, assessment of restored soils with the use of soil quality indicators, and design of alternative soil substrates to support the establishment of native plant communities. A series of glasshouse studies and field trials have been conducted in the last three years to advance our knowledge on soil limitations and to provide solutions to effectively overcome these challenges in arid ecosystem restoration. These studies include (i) the determination of ecophysiological indicators influencing drought responses of arid native plants in reconstructed soils (Bateman et al, 2016), ii) the analysis of the influence of climate and edaphic factors in the recruitment of arid zone seedlings (Muñoz-Rojas et al., 2016a) and (ii) the evaluation of soil physicochemical and microbiological indicators to assess functionality of restored soils in degraded semiarid ecosystems (Muñoz-Rojas et al., 2016b). Here, we summarize our latest results in the soil program of the RSB, and propose recommendations for integrating soil science in cost-effective landscape-scale restoration practices in ecosystems worldwide. References Bateman A, Lewandrowski W, Stevens J, Muñoz-Rojas M (2016b) Ecophysiological indicators to assess drought responses of arid zone native seedlings in reconstructed soils. Land Degradation & Development, in press, DOI: 10.1002/ldr.2660. Kildisheva OA, Erickson TE, Merritt DJ, Dixon KW (2016), Setting the scene for dryland recovery: an overview and key findings from a workshop targeting seed-based restoration. Restoration Ecology 24, S36-S42. Muñoz-Rojas M, Erickson TE, Dixon KW, Merritt DJ (2016) Soil quality indicators to assess functionality of restored soils in degraded semiarid ecosystems. Restoration Ecology 24, S43-S52. DOI: 10.1111/rec.12368 Muñoz-Rojas M, Erickson TE, Martini DC, Dixon KW, Merritt DJ (2016a) Climate and soil factors influencing seedling recruitment of plant species used for dryland restoration. SOIL 2, 287-298. DOI: 10.5194/soil-2016-25

Determination of microbial carbon sources and cycling during remediation of petroleum hydrocarbon impacted soil using natural abundance (14)C analysis of PLFA.

PubMed

Cowie, Benjamin R; Greenberg, Bruce M; Slater, Gregory F

2010-04-01

In a petroleum impacted land-farm soil in Sarnia, Ontario, compound-specific natural abundance radiocarbon analysis identified biodegradation by the soil microbial community as a major pathway for hydrocarbon removal in a novel remediation system. During remediation of contaminated soils by a plant growth promoting rhizobacteria enhanced phytoremediation system (PEPS), the measured Delta(14)C of phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) biomarkers ranged from -793 per thousand to -897 per thousand, directly demonstrating microbial uptake and utilization of petroleum hydrocarbons (Delta(14)C(PHC) = -1000 per thousand). Isotopic mass balance indicated that more than 80% of microbial PLFA carbon was derived from petroleum hydrocarbons (PHC) and a maximum of 20% was obtained from metabolism of more modern carbon sources. These PLFA from the contaminated soils were the most (14)C-depleted biomarkers ever measured for an in situ environmental system, and this study demonstrated that the microbial community in this soil was subsisting primarily on petroleum hydrocarbons. In contrast, the microbial community in a nearby uncontaminated control soil maintained a more modern Delta(14)C signature than total organic carbon (Delta(14)C(PLFA) = +36 per thousand to -147 per thousand, Delta(14)C(TOC) = -148 per thousand), indicating preferential consumption of the most modern plant-derived fraction of soil organic carbon. Measurements of delta(13)C and Delta(14)C of soil CO(2) additionally demonstrated that mineralization of PHC contributed to soil CO(2) at the contaminated site. The CO(2) in the uncontaminated control soil exhibited substantially more modern Delta(14)C values, and lower soil CO(2) concentrations than the contaminated soils, suggesting increased rates of soil respiration in the contaminated soils. In combination, these results demonstrated that biodegradation in the soil microbial community was a primary pathway of petroleum hydrocarbon removal in the PEPS system. This study highlights the power of natural abundance radiocarbon for determining microbial carbon sources and identifying biodegradation pathways in complex remediation systems.

Fire vs. Metal: A Laboratory Study Demonstrating Microbial Responses to Soil Disturbances

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stromberger, Mary E.

2005-01-01

Incubation studies are traditionally used in soil microbiology laboratory classes to demonstrate microbial respiration and N mineralization-immobilization processes. Sometimes these exercises are done to calculate a N balance in N fertilizer-amended soils. However, examining microbial responses to environmental perturbations would appeal to soil…

Processing Protocol for Soil Samples Potentially ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Method Operating Procedures This protocol describes the processing steps for 45 g and 9 g soil samples potentially contaminated with Bacillus anthracis spores. The protocol is designed to separate and concentrate the spores from bulk soil down to a pellet that can be used for further analysis. Soil extraction solution and mechanical shaking are used to disrupt soil particle aggregates and to aid in the separation of spores from soil particles. Soil samples are washed twice with soil extraction solution to maximize recovery. Differential centrifugation is used to separate spores from the majority of the soil material. The 45 g protocol has been demonstrated by two laboratories using both loamy and sandy soil types. There were no significant differences overall between the two laboratories for either soil type, suggesting that the processing protocol would be robust enough to use at multiple laboratories while achieving comparable recoveries. The 45 g protocol has demonstrated a matrix limit of detection at 14 spores/gram of soil for loamy and sandy soils.

Processing protocol for soil samples potentially contaminated with Bacillus anthracis spores [HS7.52.02 - 514

USGS Publications Warehouse

Silvestri, Erin E.; Griffin, Dale W.

2017-01-01

This protocol describes the processing steps for 45 g and 9 g soil samples potentially contaminated with Bacillus anthracis spores. The protocol is designed to separate and concentrate the spores from bulk soil down to a pellet that can be used for further analysis. Soil extraction solution and mechanical shaking are used to disrupt soil particle aggregates and to aid in the separation of spores from soil particles. Soil samples are washed twice with soil extraction solution to maximize recovery. Differential centrifugation is used to separate spores from the majority of the soil material. The 45 g protocol has been demonstrated by two laboratories using both loamy and sandy soil types. There were no significant differences overall between the two laboratories for either soil type, suggesting that the processing protocol would be robust enough to use at multiple laboratories while achieving comparable recoveries. The 45 g protocol has demonstrated a matrix limit of detection at 14 spores/gram of soil for loamy and sandy soils.

BDEN: A timesaving computer program for calculating soil bulk density and water content.

Treesearch

Lynn G. Starr; Michael J. Geist

1983-01-01

This paper presents an interactive computer program written in BASIC language that will calculate soil bulk density and moisture percentage by weight and volume. Coarse fragment weights are required. The program will also summarize the resulting data giving mean, standard deviation, and 95-percent confidence interval on one or more groupings of data.

Exploring Patterns of Soil Organic Matter Decomposition with Students and the Public Through the Global Decomposition Project (GDP)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wood, J. H.; Natali, S.

2014-12-01

The Global Decomposition Project (GDP) is a program designed to introduce and educate students and the general public about soil organic matter and decomposition through a standardized protocol for collecting, reporting, and sharing data. This easy-to-use hands-on activity focuses on questions such as "How do environmental conditions control decomposition of organic matter in soil?" and "Why do some areas accumulate organic matter and others do not?" Soil organic matter is important to local ecosystems because it affects soil structure, regulates soil moisture and temperature, and provides energy and nutrients to soil organisms. It is also important globally because it stores a large amount of carbon, and when microbes "eat", or decompose organic matter they release greenhouse gasses such as carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere, which affects the earth's climate. The protocol describes a commonly used method to measure decomposition using a paper made of cellulose, a component of plant cell walls. Participants can receive pre-made cellulose decomposition bags, or make decomposition bags using instructions in the protocol and easily obtained materials (e.g., window screen and lignin-free paper). Individual results will be shared with all participants and the broader public through an online database. We will present decomposition bag results from a research site in Alaskan tundra, as well as from a middle-school-student led experiment in California. The GDP demonstrates how scientific methods can be extended to educate broader audiences, while at the same time, data collected by students and the public can provide new insight into global patterns of soil decomposition. The GDP provides a pathway for scientists and educators to interact and reach meaningful education and research goals.

Closing the Knowledge Gap: Effects of Land Use Conversion on Belowground Carbon near the 100th Meridian

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Waldron, S. E.; Phillips, R. L.; Dell, R.; Suddick, E. C.

2012-12-01

Native prairie of the northern Great Plains near the 100th meridian is currently under land use conversion pressure due to high commodity prices. From 2002 to 2007, approximately 303,515 hectares of prairie were converted to crop production in the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) from Montana to the Dakotas. The spatiotemporal effects of land-use conversion on soil organic matter are still unclear for the PPR. Effects will vary with management, soil properties and time, making regional experiments and simulation modeling necessary. Grassland conservationists are interested in soil carbon data and soil carbon simulation models to inform potential voluntary carbon credit programs. These programs require quantification of changes in soil carbon associated with land-use conversion and management. We addressed this issue by 1) designing a regional-scale experiment, 2) collecting and analyzing soil data, and 3) interviewing producers about land management practices, as required for regional, process-based biogeochemical models. We selected farms at random within a 29,000 km2 area of interest and measured soil properties at multiple depths for native prairie and adjacent annual crop fields. The cores were processed at six different depths (between 0 and 100 cm) for bulk density, pH, texture, total carbon, inorganic carbon, and total nitrogen. We found that the largest difference in soil organic carbon occurred at the 0-10 cm depth, but the magnitude of the effect of land use varied with soil properties and land management. Results from this project, coupled with regional model simulations (Denitrification-Decomposition, DNDC) represent the baseline data needed for future voluntary carbon credit programs and long-term carbon monitoring networks. Enrollment in such programs could help ranchers and farmers realize a new income stream from maintaining their native prairie and the carbon stored beneath it.

UNSODA UNSATURATED SOIL HYDRAULIC DATABASE USER'S MANUAL VERSION 1.0

EPA Science Inventory

This report contains general documentation and serves as a user manual of the UNSODA program. UNSODA is a database of unsaturated soil hydraulic properties (water retention, hydraulic conductivity, and soil water diffusivity), basic soil properties (particle-size distribution, b...

Method for Implementing Subsurface Solid Derived Concentration Guideline Levels (DCGL) - 12331

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lively, J.W.

2012-07-01

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and other federal agencies currently approve the Multi-Agency Radiation Site Survey and Investigation Manual (MARSSIM) as guidance for licensees who are conducting final radiological status surveys in support of decommissioning. MARSSIM provides a method to demonstrate compliance with the applicable regulation by comparing residual radioactivity in surface soils with derived concentration guideline levels (DCGLs), but specifically discounts its applicability to subsurface soils. Many sites and facilities undergoing decommissioning contain subsurface soils that are potentially impacted by radiological constituents. In the absence of specific guidance designed to address the derivation of subsurface soil DCGLs andmore » compliance demonstration, decommissioning facilities have attempted to apply DCGLs and final status survey techniques designed specifically for surface soils to subsurface soils. The decision to apply surface soil limits and surface soil compliance metrics to subsurface soils typically results in significant over-excavation with associated cost escalation. MACTEC, Inc. has developed the overarching concepts and principles found in recent NRC decommissioning guidance in NUREG 1757 to establish a functional method to derive dose-based subsurface soil DCGLs. The subsurface soil method developed by MACTEC also establishes a rigorous set of criterion-based data evaluation metrics (with analogs to the MARSSIM methodology) that can be used to demonstrate compliance with the developed subsurface soil DCGLs. The method establishes a continuum of volume factors that relate the size and depth of a volume of subsurface soil having elevated concentrations of residual radioactivity with its ability to produce dose. The method integrates the subsurface soil sampling regime with the derivation of the subsurface soil DCGL such that a self-regulating optimization is naturally sought by both the responsible party and regulator. This paper describes the concepts and basis used by MACTEC to develop the dose-based subsurface soil DCGL method. The paper will show how MACTEC's method can be used to demonstrate that higher concentrations of residual radioactivity in subsurface soils (as compared with surface soils) can meet the NRC's dose-based regulations. MACTEC's method has been used successfully to obtain the NRC's radiological release at a site with known radiological impacts to subsurface soils exceeding the surface soil DCGL, saving both time and cost. Having considered the current NRC guidance for consideration of residual radioactivity in subsurface soils during decommissioning, MACTEC has developed a technically based approach to the derivation of and demonstration of compliance with subsurface soil DCGLs for radionuclides. In fact, the process uses the already accepted concepts and metrics approved for surface soils as the foundation for deriving scaling factors used to calculate subsurface soil DCGLs that are at least equally protective of the decommissioning annual dose standard. Each of the elements identified for consideration in the current NRC guidance is addressed in this proposed method. Additionally, there is considerable conservatism built into the assumptions and techniques used to arrive at subsurface soil scaling factors and DCGLs. The degree of conservatism embodied in the approach used is such that risk managers and decision makers approving and using subsurface soil DCGLs derived in accordance with this method can be confident that the future exposures will be well below permissible and safe levels. The technical basis for the method can be applied to a broad variety of sites with residual radioactivity in subsurface soils. Given the costly nature of soil surveys, excavation, and disposal of soils as low-level radioactive waste, MACTEC's method for deriving and demonstrating compliance with subsurface soil DCGLs offers the possibility of significant cost savings over the traditional approach of applying surface soil DCGLs to subsurface soils. Furthermore, while yet untested, MACTEC believes that the concepts and methods embodied in this approach could readily be applied to other types of contamination found in subsurface soils. (author)« less

The fascinating side of dirt: Soil and the global environment course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grand, S.; Krzic, M.; Crowley, C.; Lascu, G.; Rosado, J.

2012-04-01

Soil has recently been attracting some renewed public attention due to its inextricable link to current environmental challenges such as climate change, food security and water resource protection. It is increasingly acknowledged that the world's future will require a better understanding of soil science. Yet enrolment in soil related programs at universities in North America and around the world has been declining. One of the proposed causes for this drop is the tendency for soil science education to emphasize the agricultural side of soil science, while our increasingly urban and environmentally conscious student population is more interested in environmental sciences. To address this issue, in 2011 we created an on-line, first-year soil science course designed specifically to communicate the significance of soil science to global environmental questions. We propose that this type of course is an effective way to help increase interest in higher level soil courses and reverse the downward trend in enrolments. The course content was centered on prominent environmental issues, which were used to introduce basic concepts of soil science. Course materials emphasized integration with other natural resources disciplines such as ecology, biogeochemistry and hydrology. The online format allowed for a seamless integration of multimedia components and web content into course materials, and is believed to be appealing to technologically savvy new generations of students. Online discussion boards were extensively used to maintain strong student engagement in the course. Discussion topics were based on soil-related news stories that helped demonstrate the relevance of soils to society and illustrate the complex and often controversial nature of environmental issues. Students also made significant use of an online bulletin board to post information about environmental events and share news stories related to the course. This course was offered for the first time in term 1 of the 2011/12 academic year. Preliminary student feedback was very positive. In the presentation, we will evaluate the overall course performance in generating enthusiasm for soil. We will also present the lesson learned, particularly regarding facilitating student's transition from this introductory course to more quantitative soil science courses.

Physical properties of forest soils

Treesearch

Charles H. Perry; Michael C. Amacher

2007-01-01

Why Are Physical Properties of the Soil Important? The soil quality indicator, when combined with other data collected by the FIA program, can indicate the current rates of soil erosion, the extent and intensity of soil compaction, and some basic physical properties of the forest floor and the top 20 cm of soil. In this report, two particular physical properties of the...

Assessing soil compaction on Forest Inventory & Analysis phase 3 field plots using a pocket penetrometer

Treesearch

Michael C. Amacher; Katherine P. O' Neill

2004-01-01

Soil compaction is an important indicator of soil quality, yet few practical methods are available to quantitatively measure this variable. Although an assessment of the areal extent of soil compaction is included as part of the soil indicator portion of the Forest Inventory & Analysis (FIA) program, no quantitative measurement of the degree of soil compaction...

KSC00pp0100

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-01-25

At Launch Complex 34, Cape Canaveral Air Station, several studies are under way for groundwater cleanup of trichloroethylene at the site. Shown here is monitoring equipment for one of the methods, potassium permanganate oxidation. Concentrations of trichloroethylene solvent have been identified in the soil at the complex as a result of cleaning methods for rocket parts during the Apollo Program in the 60s. The environmental research project involves the Department of Defense, Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Energy and NASA, who formed the Interagency NDAPL Consortium (IDC), to study three contamination cleanup technologies: Six Phase Soil Heating, Steam Injection and In Situ Oxidation with Potassium Permanganate. All three methods may offer a way to remove the contaminants in months instead of decades. KSC hosted a two-day conference that presented information and demonstrations of the three technologies for representatives from environmental and federal agencies

KSC-00pp0100

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-01-25

At Launch Complex 34, Cape Canaveral Air Station, several studies are under way for groundwater cleanup of trichloroethylene at the site. Shown here is monitoring equipment for one of the methods, potassium permanganate oxidation. Concentrations of trichloroethylene solvent have been identified in the soil at the complex as a result of cleaning methods for rocket parts during the Apollo Program in the 60s. The environmental research project involves the Department of Defense, Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Energy and NASA, who formed the Interagency NDAPL Consortium (IDC), to study three contamination cleanup technologies: Six Phase Soil Heating, Steam Injection and In Situ Oxidation with Potassium Permanganate. All three methods may offer a way to remove the contaminants in months instead of decades. KSC hosted a two-day conference that presented information and demonstrations of the three technologies for representatives from environmental and federal agencies

Soil conservation applications with C-band SAR

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brisco, B.; Brown, R. J.; Naunheimer, J.; Bedard, D.

1992-01-01

Soil conservation programs are becoming more important as the growing human population exerts greater pressure on this non-renewable resource. Indeed, soil degradation affects approximately 10 percent of Canada's agricultural land with an estimated loss of 6,000 hectares of topsoil annually from Ontario farmland alone. Soil loss not only affects agricultural productivity but also decreases water quality and can lead to siltation problems. Thus, there is a growing demand for soil conservation programs and a need to develop an effective monitoring system. Topography and soil type information can easily be handled within a geographic information system (GIS). Information about vegetative cover type and surface roughness, which both experience considerable temporal change, can be obtained from remote sensing techniques. For further development of the technology to produce an operational soil conservation monitoring system, an experiment was conducted in Oxford County, Ontario which investigated the separability of fall surface cover type using C-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data.

Planning and programing in the soil conservation service

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gray, R. M.

1972-01-01

The historical base is presented for the framework plan for soil conservation. Conservation effects, resource management systems, and accomplishments, activities, and costs of the Soil Conservation Service are discussed.

North Carolina State Agencies Working to Prevent Agricultural Injuries and Illnesses.

PubMed

Langley, Ricky; Hirsch, Anne; Cullen, Regina; Allran, John; Woody, Renee; Bell, Derrick

2017-01-01

Over the past 25 years, the North Carolina Departments of Labor, Agriculture and Consumer Services, and Health and Human Services have worked with farmers, farmworkers, commodity and trade associations, universities, and cooperative extension agents to develop programs to decrease the occurrence of injuries and illnesses among agricultural workers and their families. The Bureau of Agricultural Safety and Health in the North Carolina Department of Labor helped craft the Migrant Housing Act, created the Gold Star program, and developed numerous projects promoting rural highway safety and farm safety. The Structural Pest Control & Pesticides Division in the North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services administers programs funded by the Pesticide Environmental Trust Fund (PETF), including the Pesticide Container Recycling Program, Pesticide Disposal Assistance Program (PDAP), and Soil Fumigation Training. The Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch (OEEB) in the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services developed public health surveillance programs for pesticide incidents and carbon monoxide poisoning. These projects, programs, and policies demonstrate the work that North Carolina state agencies are doing to improve the health of agricultural workers and their families.

LET'S DEMONSTRATE SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION FOR BETTER FARMING, BETTER LIVING.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

LEYENDECKER, PHILIP J.

EIGHTEEN DEMONSTRATIONS ON THE SUBJECT OF SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION ARE PRESENTED. THESE DEMONSTRATIONS UTILIZE SIMPLE AND INEXPENSIVE EQUIPMENT AND ARE SUITABLE FOR CLASSROOM OR OTHER GROUP USE, ALTHOUGH THEY WERE DESIGNED FOR 4-H CLUBS. LISTED ARE THE EQUIPMENT AND MATERIALS NEEDED, PREVIOUS PREPARATION, STEPS IN THE DEMONSTRATION, AND…

On the role of soil fauna in providing soil functions - a meta study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lang, Birgit; Russell, David J.; Vogel, Hans-Jörg; Wollschläger, Ute

2017-04-01

Fertile soils are fundamental for the production of biomass and therefore for the provision of goods such as food or fuel. However, soils are threatened by e.g. land degradation, but once lost their functionality cannot simply be replaced as soils are complex systems developed over long time periods. Thus, to develop strategies for sustainable soil use and management, we need a comprehensive functional understanding of soil systems. To this end, the interdisciplinary research program "Soil as a Natural Resource for the Bio-Economy - BonaRes" was launched by the German Federal Government in 2015. One part of this program is the development of a Knowledge Centre for soil functions and services. As part of the Knowledge Centre, we focus on the identification and quantification of biological drivers of soil functions. Based on a systematic review of existing literature, we assess the importance of different soil faunal groups for the soil functions and processes most relevant to agricultural production (i.e. decomposition, mineralization, soil structuring. Additionally, we investigate direct impacts of soil fauna on soil properties (e.g. aggregation, pore volume). As site specific conditions such as climate, soil type or management practices affect soil fauna and their performance, these responses must also be taken into account. In the end, our findings will be used in the development of modeling tools aiming to predict the impacts of different management measures on soil ecosystem services and functions.

40 CFR 265.278 - Unsaturated zone (zone of aeration) monitoring.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... soils nearby; this background monitoring must be conducted before or in conjunction with the monitoring... a minimum: (1) Soil monitoring using soil cores, and (2) Soil-pore water monitoring using devices... demonstrate in his unsaturated zone monitoring plan that: (1) The depth at which soil and soil-pore water...

40 CFR 265.278 - Unsaturated zone (zone of aeration) monitoring.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... soils nearby; this background monitoring must be conducted before or in conjunction with the monitoring... a minimum: (1) Soil monitoring using soil cores, and (2) Soil-pore water monitoring using devices... demonstrate in his unsaturated zone monitoring plan that: (1) The depth at which soil and soil-pore water...

40 CFR 265.278 - Unsaturated zone (zone of aeration) monitoring.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... soils nearby; this background monitoring must be conducted before or in conjunction with the monitoring... a minimum: (1) Soil monitoring using soil cores, and (2) Soil-pore water monitoring using devices... demonstrate in his unsaturated zone monitoring plan that: (1) The depth at which soil and soil-pore water...

40 CFR 265.278 - Unsaturated zone (zone of aeration) monitoring.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... soils nearby; this background monitoring must be conducted before or in conjunction with the monitoring... a minimum: (1) Soil monitoring using soil cores, and (2) Soil-pore water monitoring using devices... demonstrate in his unsaturated zone monitoring plan that: (1) The depth at which soil and soil-pore water...

40 CFR 265.278 - Unsaturated zone (zone of aeration) monitoring.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... soils nearby; this background monitoring must be conducted before or in conjunction with the monitoring... a minimum: (1) Soil monitoring using soil cores, and (2) Soil-pore water monitoring using devices... demonstrate in his unsaturated zone monitoring plan that: (1) The depth at which soil and soil-pore water...

A Laboratory Exercise Relating Soil Energy Budgets to Soil Temperature

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koenig, Richard T.; Cerny-Koenig, Teresa; Kotuby-Amacher, Janice; Grossl, Paul R.

2008-01-01

Enrollment by students in degree programs other than traditional horticulture, agronomy, and soil science has increased in basic plant and soil science courses. In order to broaden the appeal of these courses to students from majors other than agriculture, we developed a hands-on laboratory exercise relating the basic concepts of a soil energy…

DITT: a computer program for Data Interpretation for Torsional Tests

USGS Publications Warehouse

Chen, Albert T.F.

1979-01-01

Measurements of the helium concentration of soil samples collected and stored in Vacutainer-brand evacuated glass tubes show that Vacutainers are reliable containers for soil collection. Within the limits of reproducibility, helium content of soils appears to be independent of variations in soil temperature, barometric pressure, and quantity of soil moisture present in the sample.

Botswana water and surface energy balance research program. Part 2: Large scale moisture and passive microwaves

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vandegriend, A. A.; Owe, M.; Chang, A. T. C.

1992-01-01

The Botswana water and surface energy balance research program was developed to study and evaluate the integrated use of multispectral satellite remote sensing for monitoring the hydrological status of the Earth's surface. The research program consisted of two major, mutually related components: a surface energy balance modeling component, built around an extensive field campaign; and a passive microwave research component which consisted of a retrospective study of large scale moisture conditions and Nimbus scanning multichannel microwave radiometer microwave signatures. The integrated approach of both components are explained in general and activities performed within the passive microwave research component are summarized. The microwave theory is discussed taking into account: soil dielectric constant, emissivity, soil roughness effects, vegetation effects, optical depth, single scattering albedo, and wavelength effects. The study site is described. The soil moisture data and its processing are considered. The relation between observed large scale soil moisture and normalized brightness temperatures is discussed. Vegetation characteristics and inverse modeling of soil emissivity is considered.

SUPPLEMENT TO: STANDARD MEASUREMENT PROTOCOLS - FLORIDA RADON RESEARCH PROGRAM

EPA Science Inventory

The report supplements earlier published standard protocols for key measurements where data quality is vital to the Florida Radon Research Program. The report adds measurements of small canister radon flux and soil water potential to the section on soil measurements. It adds indo...

Comparative evaluation of subgrade resilient modulus from non-destructive, in-situ, and laboratory methods.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2007-08-01

Field and laboratory testing programs were conducted to develop models that predict the resilient modulus of subgrade soils from : the test results of DCP, CIMCPT, FWD, Dynaflect, and soil properties. The field testing program included DCP, CIMCPT, F...

Can next-generation soil data products improve soil moisture modelling at the continental scale? An assessment using a new microclimate package for the R programming environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kearney, Michael R.; Maino, James L.

2018-06-01

Accurate models of soil moisture are vital for solving core problems in meteorology, hydrology, agriculture and ecology. The capacity for soil moisture modelling is growing rapidly with the development of high-resolution, continent-scale gridded weather and soil data together with advances in modelling methods. In particular, the GlobalSoilMap.net initiative represents next-generation, depth-specific gridded soil products that may substantially increase soil moisture modelling capacity. Here we present an implementation of Campbell's infiltration and redistribution model within the NicheMapR microclimate modelling package for the R environment, and use it to assess the predictive power provided by the GlobalSoilMap.net product Soil and Landscape Grid of Australia (SLGA, ∼100 m) as well as the coarser resolution global product SoilGrids (SG, ∼250 m). Predictions were tested in detail against 3 years of root-zone (3-75 cm) soil moisture observation data from 35 monitoring sites within the OzNet project in Australia, with additional tests of the finalised modelling approach against cosmic-ray neutron (CosmOz, 0-50 cm, 9 sites from 2011 to 2017) and satellite (ASCAT, 0-2 cm, continent-wide from 2007 to 2009) observations. The model was forced by daily 0.05° (∼5 km) gridded meteorological data. The NicheMapR system predicted soil moisture to within experimental error for all data sets. Using the SLGA or the SG soil database, the OzNet soil moisture could be predicted with a root mean square error (rmse) of ∼0.075 m3 m-3 and a correlation coefficient (r) of 0.65 consistently through the soil profile without any parameter tuning. Soil moisture predictions based on the SLGA and SG datasets were ≈ 17% closer to the observations than when using a chloropleth-derived soil data set (Digital Atlas of Australian Soils), with the greatest improvements occurring for deeper layers. The CosmOz observations were predicted with similar accuracy (r = 0.76 and rmse of ∼0.085 m3 m-3). Comparisons at the continental scale to 0-2 cm satellite data (ASCAT) showed that the SLGA/SG datasets increased model fit over simulations using the DAAS soil properties (r ∼ 0.63 &rmse 15% vs. r 0.48 &rmse 18%, respectively). Overall, our results demonstrate the advantages of using GlobalSoilMap.net products in combination with gridded weather data for modelling soil moisture at fine spatial and temporal resolution at the continental scale.

SOIL QUALITY RECOVERY IN PREVIOUSLY FARMED FIELDS SEEDED TO PERENNIAL WARM SEASON NATIVE GRASS

EPA Science Inventory

A study of twelve Conservation Reserve Program sites in northeastern Kansas was conducted to determine native grass species and selected soil textures influence on soil quality recovery.
Plant productivity, plant carbon and nitrogen concentrations, total soil nitrogen and car...

Estimation of soil organic carbon in forests of the United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Domke, G. M.; Perry, C. H.; Walters, B. F.; Woodall, C. W.; Nave, L. E.; Swanston, C.

2015-12-01

Soil organic carbon (SOC) is the largest terrestrial carbon (C) sink on earth and management of this pool is a critical component of global efforts to mitigate atmospheric C concentrations. Soil organic carbon is also a key indicator of soil quality as it affects essential biological, chemical, and physical soil functions such as nutrient cycling, water retention, and soil structure maintenance. Much of the SOC on earth is found in forest ecosystems and is thought to be relatively stable. That said, there is growing evidence that SOC may be sensitive to disturbance and global change drivers. In the United States (US), SOC in forests is monitored by the national forest inventory (NFI) conducted by the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program within the US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. The FIA program currently uses SOC predictions based on SSURGO/STATSGO data to populate the NFI. Most of estimates of SOC in forests from the SSURGO/STATSGO data are based primarily upon expert opinion and lack systematic field observations. The FIA program has been consistently measuring soil attributes as part of the NFI since 2001 and has amassed an extensive inventory of SOC in forests in the conterminous US and coastal Alaska. Here we present estimates of SOC obtained using data from the NFI and International Soil Carbon Network and describe the modeling framework used to compile estimates for United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change reporting.

Method for analyzing soil structure according to the size of structural elements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wieland, Ralf; Rogasik, Helmut

2015-02-01

The soil structure in situ is the result of cropping history and soil development over time. It can be assessed by the size distribution of soil structural elements such as air-filled macro-pores, aggregates and stones, which are responsible for important water and solute transport processes, gas exchange, and the stability of the soil against compacting and shearing forces exerted by agricultural machinery. A method was developed to detect structural elements of the soil in selected horizontal slices of soil core samples with different soil structures in order for them to be implemented accordingly. In the second step, a fitting tool (Eureqa) based on artificial programming was used to find a general function to describe ordered sets of detected structural elements. It was shown that all the samples obey a hyperbolic function: Y(k) = A /(B + k) , k ∈ { 0 , 1 , 2 , … }. This general behavior can be used to develop a classification method based on parameters {A and B}. An open source software program in Python was developed, which can be downloaded together with a selection of soil samples.

Predicting available water of soil from particle-size distribution and bulk density in an oasis-desert transect in northwestern China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Danfeng; Gao, Guangyao; Shao, Ming'an; Fu, Bojie

2016-07-01

A detailed understanding of soil hydraulic properties, particularly the available water content of soil, (AW, cm3 cm-3), is required for optimal water management. Direct measurement of soil hydraulic properties is impractical for large scale application, but routinely available soil particle-size distribution (PSD) and bulk density can be used as proxies to develop various prediction functions. In this study, we compared the performance of the Arya and Paris (AP) model, Mohammadi and Vanclooster (MV) model, Arya and Heitman (AH) model, and Rosetta program in predicting the soil water characteristic curve (SWCC) at 34 points with experimental SWCC data in an oasis-desert transect (20 × 5 km) in the middle reaches of the Heihe River basin, northwestern China. The idea of the three models emerges from the similarity of the shapes of the PSD and SWCC. The AP model, MV model, and Rosetta program performed better in predicting the SWCC than the AH model. The AW determined from the SWCCs predicted by the MV model agreed better with the experimental values than those derived from the AP model and Rosetta program. The fine-textured soils were characterized by higher AW values, while the sandy soils had lower AW values. The MV model has the advantages of having robust physical basis, being independent of database-related parameters, and involving subclasses of texture data. These features make it promising in predicting soil water retention at regional scales, serving for the application of hydrological models and the optimization of soil water management.

Developing Soil Models for Dynamic Impact Simulations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fasanella, Edwin L.; Lyle, Karen H.; Jackson, Karen E.

2009-01-01

This paper describes fundamental soils characterization work performed at NASA Langley Research Center in support of the Subsonic Rotary Wing (SRW) Aeronautics Program and the Orion Landing System (LS) Advanced Development Program (ADP). LS-DYNA(Registered TradeMark)1 soil impact model development and test-analysis correlation results are presented for: (1) a 38-ft/s vertical drop test of a composite fuselage section, outfitted with four blocks of deployable energy absorbers (DEA), onto sand, and (2) a series of impact tests of a 1/2-scale geometric boilerplate Orion capsule onto soil. In addition, the paper will discuss LS-DYNA contact analysis at the soil/structure interface, methods used to estimate frictional forces, and the sensitivity of the model to density, moisture, and compaction.

Phytoremediation: Using green plants to clean up contaminated soil, groundwater, and wastewater

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Negri, M.C.; Hinchman, R.R.

1996-05-01

Phytoremediation, an emerging cleanup technology for contaminated soils, groundwater, and wastewater that is both low-tech and low-cost, is defined as the engineered use of green plants (including grasses, forbs, and woody species) to remove, contain, or render harmless such environmental contaminants as heavy metals, trace elements, organic compounds ({open_quotes}organics{close_quotes}), and radioactive compounds in soil or water. Current research at Argonne National Laboratory includes a successful field demonstration of a plant bioreactor for processing the salty wastewater from petroleum wells; the demonstration is currently under way at a natural gas well site in Oklahoma, in cooperation with Devon Energy Corporation. Amore » greenhouse experiment on zinc uptake in hybrid poplar (Populus sp.) was initiated in 1995. These experiments are being conducted to confirm and extend field data from Applied Natural Sciences, Inc. (our CRADA partner), indicating high levels of zinc (4,200 ppm) in leaves of hybrid poplar growing as a cleanup system at a site with zinc contamination in the root zone of some of the trees. Analyses of soil water from experimental pots that had received several doses of zinc indicated that the zinc was totally sequestered by the plants in about 4 hours during a single pass through the root system. The data also showed concentrations of sequestered metal of >38,000 ppm Zn in the dry root tissue. These levels of sequestered zinc exceed the levels found in either roots or tops of many of the known {open_quotes}hyperaccumulator{close_quotes} species. Because the roots sequester most of the contaminant taken up in most plants, a major objective of this program is to determine the feasibility of root harvesting as a method to maximize the removal of contaminants from soils. Available techniques and equipment for harvesting plant roots, including young tree roots, are being evaluated and modified as necessary for use with phytoremediation plants.« less

Description of a user-oriented geographic information system - The resource analysis program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tilmann, S. E.; Mokma, D. L.

1980-01-01

This paper describes the Resource Analysis Program, an applied geographic information system. Several applications are presented which utilized soil, and other natural resource data, to develop integrated maps and data analyses. These applications demonstrate the methods of analysis and the philosophy of approach used in the mapping system. The applications are evaluated in reference to four major needs of a functional mapping system: data capture, data libraries, data analysis, and mapping and data display. These four criteria are then used to describe an effort to develop the next generation of applied mapping systems. This approach uses inexpensive microcomputers for field applications and should prove to be a viable entry point for users heretofore unable or unwilling to venture into applied computer mapping.

Technology evaluation report: SITE (Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation) program demonstration test. The American Combustion Pyretron Thermal Destruction System at the US EPA's (Environmental Protection Agency's) combustion research facility

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Waterland, L.; Lee, J.W.

1989-04-01

A series of demonstration tests of the American Combustion, Inc., Thermal Destruction System was performed under the SITE program. This oxygen-enhanced combustion system was retrofit to the rotary-kiln incinerator at EPA's Combustion Research Facility. The system's performance was tested firing contaminated soil from the Stringfellow Superfund Site, both alone and mixed with a coal tar waste (KO87). Comparative performance with conventional incinerator operation was also tested. Compliance with the incinerator performance standards of 99.99% principal organic hazardous constituents (POHC) destruction and removal efficiency and particulate emissions of less than 180 mg/dscm at 7% O2 was measured for all tests. Themore » Pyretron system was capable of in-compliance performance at double the mixed waste feedrate and at a 60% increase in batch waste charge mass than possible with conventional incineration. Scrubber blowdown and kiln ash contained no detectable levels of any of the POHCs chosen.« less

Soil moisture and temperature algorithms and validation

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Passive microwave remote sensing of soil moisture has matured over the past decade as a result of the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR) program of JAXA. This program has resulted in improved algorithms that have been supported by rigorous validation. Access to the products and the valida...

Soils and Foundations: A Syllabus.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Long, Melvin J.

The teaching guide and course outline for a 12-week course in soils and foundations is designed to help student technicians in a two-year associate degree civil engineering technology program to obtain entry level employment as highway engineering aides, soil testing technicians, soil mappers, or construction inspectors. The seven teaching units…

Sorption, desorption, and speciation of Cd, Ni, and Fe by four calcareous soils as affected by pH.

PubMed

Tahervand, Samaneh; Jalali, Mohsen

2016-06-01

The sorption, desorption, and speciation of cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni), and iron (Fe) in four calcareous soils were investigated at the pH range of 2-9. The results indicated that sorption of Fe by four soils was higher than 80 % at pH 2, while in the case of Cd and Ni was less than 30 %. The most common sequence of metal sorption at pH 2-9 for four soils was in the order of Fe ≫ Ni > Cd. Cadmium and Ni sorption as a function of pH showed the predictable trend of increasing metal sorption with increase in equilibrium pH, while the Fe sorption trend was different and characterized by three phases. With regard to the order of Cd, Ni, and Fe sorption on soils, Cd and Ni showed high affinity for organic matter (OM), whereas Fe had high tendency for calcium carbonate (CaCO3). Results of metal desorption using 0.01 M NaCl demonstrated that metal sorption on soils containing high amounts of CaCO3 was less reversible in comparison to soils containing high OM. In general, Cd and Ni desorption curves were characterized by three phases; (1) the greatest desorption at pH 2, (2) the low desorption at pH 3-7, and (3) the least desorption at pH > 7. The MINTEQ speciation solubility program showed that the percentage of free metals declined markedly with increase of pH, while the percentage of carbonate and hydroxyl species increased. Furthermore, MINTEQ predicted that saturation index (SI) of metals increased with increasing pH.

A Manual on Conservation of Soil and Water. Appropriate Technologies for Development. R-38.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peace Corps, Washington, DC. Information Collection and Exchange Div.

In order to keep the land productive, a good conservation program is imperative. The primary purpose of soil and water conservation is to prevent soil erosion and heal its scars. This handbook explains the causes, processes, and consequences of soil erosion and depletion, and describes major soil- and water-conservation measures. This book was…

Public-Private Partnerships Working Beyond Scale Challenges toward Water Quality Improvements from Private Lands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Enloe, Stephanie K.; Schulte, Lisa A.; Tyndall, John C.

2017-10-01

In recognition that Iowa agriculture must maintain long-term production of food, fiber, clean water, healthy soil, and robust rural economies, Iowa recently devised a nutrient reduction strategy to set objectives for water quality improvements. To demonstrate how watershed programs and farmers can reduce nutrient and sediment pollution in Iowa waters, the Iowa Water Quality Initiative selected the Boone River Watershed Nutrient Management Initiative as one of eight demonstration projects. For over a decade, diverse public, private, and non-profit partner organizations have worked in the Boone River Watershed to engage farmers in water quality management efforts. To evaluate social dynamics in the Boone River Watershed and provide partners with actionable recommendations, we conducted and analyzed semi-structured interviews with 33 program leaders, farmers, and local agronomists. We triangulated primary interview data with formal analysis of Boone River Watershed documents such as grant applications, progress reports, and outreach materials. Our evaluation suggests that while multi-stakeholder collaboration has enabled partners to overcome many of the traditional barriers to watershed programming, scale mismatches caused by external socio-economic and ecological forces still present substantial obstacles to programmatic resilience. Public funding restrictions and timeframes, for example, often cause interruptions to adaptive management of water quality monitoring and farmer engagement. We present our findings within a resilience framework to demonstrate how multi-stakeholder collaboration can help sustain adaptive watershed programs to improve socio-ecological function in agricultural watersheds such as the Boone River Watershed.

Thermal Conductivity Prediction of Soil in Complex Plant Soil System using Artificial Neural Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wardani, A. K.; Purqon, A.

2016-08-01

Thermal conductivity is one of thermal properties of soil in seed germination and plants growth. Different soil types have different thermal conductivity. One of soft-computing promising method to predict thermal conductivity of soil types is Artificial Neural Network (ANN). In this study, we estimate the thermal conductivity of soil prediction in a soil-plant complex systems using ANN. With a feed-forward multilayer trained with back-propagation with 4, 10 and 1 on the input, hidden and output layers respectively. Our input are heating time, temperature and thermal resistance with thermal conductivity of soil as a target. ANN prediction demonstrates a good agreement with Mean Squared Error-testing (MSEte) of 9.56 x 10-7 for soils with green beans and those of bare soils is 7.00 × 10-7 respectively Green beans grow only on black-clay soil with a thermal conductivity of 0.7 W/m K with a sufficient water content. Our results demonstrate that temperature, moisture content, colour, texture and structure of soil are greatly affect to the thermal conductivity of soil in seed germination and plant growth. In future, it is potentially applied to estimate more complex compositions of plant-soil systems.

On the role of "internal variability" on soil erosion assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Jongho; Ivanov, Valeriy; Fatichi, Simone

2017-04-01

Empirical data demonstrate that soil loss is highly non-unique with respect to meteorological or even runoff forcing and its frequency distributions exhibit heavy tails. However, all current erosion assessments do not describe the large associated uncertainties of temporal erosion variability and make unjustified assumptions by relying on central tendencies. Thus, the predictive skill of prognostic models and reliability of national-scale assessments have been repeatedly questioned. In this study, we attempt to reveal that the high variability in soil losses can be attributed to two sources: (1) 'external variability' referring to the uncertainties originating at macro-scale, such as climate, topography, and land use, which has been extensively studied; (2) 'geomorphic internal variability' referring to the micro-scale variations of pedologic properties (e.g., surface erodibility in soils with multi-sized particles), hydrologic properties (e.g., soil structure and degree of saturation), and hydraulic properties (e.g., surface roughness and surface topography). Using data and a physical hydraulic, hydrologic, and erosion and sediment transport model, we show that the geomorphic internal variability summarized by spatio-temporal variability in surface erodibility properties is a considerable source of uncertainty in erosion estimates and represents an overlooked but vital element of geomorphic response. The conclusion is that predictive frameworks of soil erosion should embed stochastic components together with deterministic assessments, if they do not want to largely underestimate uncertainty. Acknowledgement: This study was supported by the Basic Science Research Program of the National Research Foundation of Korea funded by the Ministry of Education (2016R1D1A1B03931886).

Cost studies of thermally enhanced in situ soil remediation technologies

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bremser, J.; Booth, S.R.

1996-05-01

This report describes five thermally enhanced technologies that may be used to remediate contaminated soil and water resources. The standard methods of treating these contaminated areas are Soil Vapor Extraction (SVE), Excavate & Treat (E&T), and Pump & Treat (P&T). Depending on the conditions at a given site, one or more of these conventional alternatives may be employed; however, several new thermally enhanced technologies for soil decontamination are emerging. These technologies are still in demonstration programs which generally are showing great success at achieving the expected remediation results. The cost savings reported in this work assume that the technologies willmore » ultimately perform as anticipated by their developers in a normal environmental restoration work environment. The five technologies analyzed in this report are Low Frequency Heating (LF or Ohmic, both 3 and 6 phase AC), Dynamic Underground Stripping (DUS), Radio Frequency Heating (RF), Radio Frequency Heating using Dipole Antennae (RFD), and Thermally Enhanced Vapor Extraction System (TEVES). In all of these technologies the introduction of heat to the formation raises vapor pressures accelerating contaminant evaporation rates and increases soil permeability raising diffusion rates of contaminants. The physical process enhancements resulting from temperature elevations permit a greater percentage of volatile organic compound (VOC) or semi- volatile organic compound (SVOC) contaminants to be driven out of the soils for treatment or capture in a much shorter time period. This report presents the results of cost-comparative studies between these new thermally enhanced technologies and the conventional technologies, as applied to five specific scenarios.« less

A design program for the estimation and abatement of soil losses from highway slopes.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1974-01-01

A manual was prepared for use in estimating soil losses and designing adequate abatement structures along the ditch lines of roadways. These tasks were to be accomplished by a computer program intended to be used on the IBM Model 370 computer. The ma...

GCOM-W soil moisture and temperature algorithms and validation

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Passive microwave remote sensing of soil moisture has matured over the past decade as a result of the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR) program of JAXA. This program has resulted in improved algorithms that have been supported by rigorous validation. Access to the products and the valida...

Use of coal fly ash and other waste products in soil stabilization and road construction including non-destructive testing of roadways.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-06-01

An extensive laboratory testing program was performed on subgrade soils stabilized using fly ash and : lime kiln dust. The laboratory program included measurements of: compaction curves, small strain elastic moduli, : resilient modulus (Mr), Briaud C...

Use of coal fly ash and other waste products in soil stabilization and road construction-including non-destructive testing of roadways.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-02-01

An extensive laboratory testing program was performed on subgrade soils stabilized using fly ash and lime kiln dust. The laboratory : program included measurements of: compaction curves, small strain elastic moduli, resilient modulus (Mr), Briaud Com...

Diurnal Soil Temperature Effects within the Globe[R] Program Dataset

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Witter, Jason D.; Spongberg, Alison L.; Czajkowski, Kevin P.

2007-01-01

Long-term collection of soil temperature with depth is important when studying climate change. The international program GLOBE[R] provides an excellent opportunity to collect such data, although currently endorsed temperature collection protocols need to be refined. To enhance data quality, protocol-based methodology and automated data logging,…

Notes: Water Flow and Chemical Retardation in Soils: A Simple Effective Laboratory Demonstration.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bowman, R. S.; And Others

1988-01-01

Describes a laboratory demonstration that illustrates principles of miscible displacement and chemical retardation in soils. Discusses how the experimental apparatus can be constructed from readily available materials. (TW)

CHEMICALLY BONDED CEMENTS FROM BOILER ASH AND SLUDGE WASTES. PHASE II REPORT, SEPT.1998-JULY 1999.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

SUGAMA,T.YAGER,K.A.BLANKENHORN,D.

1999-08-01

Based upon the previous Phase I research program aimed at looking for ways of recycling the KeySpan-generated wastes, such as waste water treatment sludge (WWTS) and bottom ash (BA), into the potentially useful cementitious materials called chemically bonded cement (CBC) materials, the emphasis of this Phase II program done at Brookhaven National Laboratory, in a period of September 1998 through July 1999, was directed towards the two major subjects: One was to assess the technical feasibility of WWTS-based CBC material for use as Pb-exchange adsorbent (PEA) which remediates Pb-contaminated soils in the field; and the other was related to themore » establishment of the optimum-packaging storage system of dry BA-based CBC components that make it a promising matrix material for the steam-cured concrete products containing sand and coarse aggregate. To achieve the goal of the first subject, a small-scale field demonstration test was carried out. Using the PEA material consisting of 30 wt% WWTS, 13 wt% Type I cement and 57 wt% water, the PES slurry was prepared using a rotary shear concrete mixer, and then poured on the Pb-contaminated soil. The PEA-to-soil ratio by weight was a factor of 2.0. The placed PEA slurry was blended with soil using hand mixing tools such as claws and shovels. The wettability of soils with the PEA was very good, thereby facilitating the soil-PEA mix procedures. A very promising result was obtained from this field test; in fact, the mount of Pb leached out from the 25-day-aged PEA-treated soil specimen was only 0.74 mg/l, meeting the requirement for EPA safe regulation of < 5 mg/l. In contrast, a large amount (26.4 mg/l) of Pb was detected from the untreated soil of the same age. Thus, this finding demonstrated that the WWTS-based CBC has a potential for use as PEA material. Regarding the second subject, the dry-packed storage system consisting of 68.7 wt% BA, 13.0 wt% calcium aluminate cement (CAC), 13.0 wt% Type I portland cement and 5.3 wt% sodium polyphosphate (NaP), was designed in response to the identification of the most effective CBC formulation in strengthening the steam-cured concrete specimens. Using this storage system with the material cost of 6.32 cents/lb, the 80 C-20 hour-steam-cured concrete specimens displayed the compressive strength of 3980 psi, tensile splitting of 416 psi, flexural strength of 808 psi, and modulus of elasticity of 3.16 x 10{sup 6} psi. Furthermore, the specimens had a good resistance to acid erosion and a lower permeability of water, compared with those of the conventional Type I cement concrete specimens. Consequently, the cost-effective BA-based CBC gave the promise of being a potentially useful material for fabricating high-performance precast concrete products, such as building blocks, pipes, and slabs.« less

UAVSAR Program: Initial Results from New Instrument Capabilities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lou, Yunling; Hensley, Scott; Moghaddam, Mahta; Moller, Delwyn; Chapin, Elaine; Chau, Alexandra; Clark, Duane; Hawkins, Brian; Jones, Cathleen; Marks, Phillip;

Review of Soil Models and Their Implementation in Multibody System Algorithms

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-02-01

models for use with ABAQUS . The constitutive models of the user defined materials can be programmed in the user subroutine UMAT. Many user defined...mechanical characteristics of mildly or moderately expansive unsaturated soils. As originally proposed by Alonso, utilizing a critical state framework...review of some of these programs is presented. ABAQUS ABAQUS is a popular FE analysis program that contains a wide variety of material models and

Understanding Soil Moisture

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Understanding soil moisture is critical for landscape irrigation management. This landscaep irrigation seminar will compare volumetric and matric potential soil-moisture sensors, discuss the relationship between their readings and demonstrate how to use these data. Soil water sensors attempt to sens...

Soil moisture and properties estimation by assimilating soil temperatures using particle batch smoother: A new perspective for DTS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, J.; Steele-Dunne, S. C.; Ochsner, T. E.; Van De Giesen, N.

2015-12-01

Soil moisture, hydraulic and thermal properties are critical for understanding the soil surface energy balance and hydrological processes. Here, we will discuss the potential of using soil temperature observations from Distributed Temperature Sensing (DTS) to investigate the spatial variability of soil moisture and soil properties. With DTS soil temperature can be measured with high resolution (spatial <1m, and temporal < 1min) in cables up to kilometers in length. Soil temperature evolution is primarily controlled by the soil thermal properties, and the energy balance at the soil surface. Hence, soil moisture, which affects both soil thermal properties and the energy that participates the evaporation process, is strongly correlated to the soil temperatures. In addition, the dynamics of the soil moisture is determined by the soil hydraulic properties.Here we will demonstrate that soil moisture, hydraulic and thermal properties can be estimated by assimilating observed soil temperature at shallow depths using the Particle Batch Smoother (PBS). The PBS can be considered as an extension of the particle filter, which allows us to infer soil moisture and soil properties using the dynamics of soil temperature within a batch window. Both synthetic and real field data will be used to demonstrate the robustness of this approach. We will show that the proposed method is shown to be able to handle different sources of uncertainties, which may provide a new view of using DTS observations to estimate sub-meter resolution soil moisture and properties for remote sensing product validation.

Deciphering biodegradable chelant-enhanced phytoremediation through microbes and nitrogen transformation in contaminated soils.

PubMed

Fang, Linchuan; Wang, Mengke; Cai, Lin; Cang, Long

2017-06-01

Biodegradable chelant-enhanced phytoremediation offers an alternative treatment technique for metal contaminated soils, but most studies to date have addressed on phytoextraction efficiency rather than comprehensive understanding of the interactions among plant, soil microbes, and biodegradable chelants. In the present study, we investigated the impacts of biodegradable chelants, including nitrilotriacetate, S,S-ethylenediaminedisuccinic acid (EDDS), and citric acid on soil microbes, nitrogen transformation, and metal removal from contaminated soils. The EDDS addition to soil showed the strongest ability to promote the nitrogen cycling in soil, ryegrass tissue, and microbial metabolism in comparison with other chelants. Both bacterial community-level physiological profiles and soil mass specific heat rates demonstrated that soil microbial activity was inhibited after the EDDS application (between day 2 and 10), but this effect completely vanished on day 30, indicating the revitalization of microbial activity and community structure in the soil system. The results of quantitative real-time PCR revealed that the EDDS application stimulated denitrification in soil by increasing nitrite reductase genes, especially nirS. These new findings demonstrated that the nitrogen release capacity of biodegradable chelants plays an important role in accelerating nitrogen transformation, enhancing soil microbial structure and activity, and improving phytoextraction efficiency in contaminated soil.

U.S.-MEXICO BORDER PROGRAM ARIZONA BORDER STUDY--METALS IN SOIL ANALYTICAL RESULTS

EPA Science Inventory

The Metals in Soil data set contains analytical results for measurements of up to 11 metals in 91 soil samples over 91 households. Samples were taken by collecting surface soil in the yard of each residence. The primary metals of interest include lead (CAS# 7439-92-1), arsenic ...

DEMONSTRATION BULLETIN: IN-SITU STEAM/HOT AIR SOIL STRIPPING TOXIC TREATMENT (USA) INC.

EPA Science Inventory

This technology uses steam and hot air to strip volatile organics from contaminated soil. The treatment equipment is mobile and treats the soil in-situ without need for soil excavation or transportation. The organic contaminants volatilized from the soil are condensed and col...

Soil C and N storage and microbial biomass in US southern pine forests: Influence of forest management

Treesearch

J.A. Foote; T.W. Boutton; D.A. Scott

2015-01-01

Land management practices have strong potential to modify the biogeochemistry of forest soils, with implications for the long-term sustainability and productivity of forestlands. The Long-Term Soil Productivity (LTSP) program, a network of 62 sites across the USA and Canada, was initiated to address concerns over possible losses of soil productivity due to soil...

Soil Moisture Data Assimilation in the NASA Land Information System for Local Modeling Applications and Improved Situational Awareness

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Case, Jonathan L.; Blakenship, Clay B.; Zavodsky, Bradley T.

2014-01-01

As part of the NASA Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) Early Adopter (EA) program, the NASA Shortterm Prediction Research and Transition (SPoRT) Center has implemented a data assimilation (DA) routine into the NASA Land Information System (LIS) for soil moisture retrievals from the European Space Agency's Soil Moisture Ocean Salinity (SMOS) satellite. The SMAP EA program promotes application-driven research to provide a fundamental understanding of how SMAP data products will be used to improve decision-making at operational agencies. SPoRT has partnered with select NOAA/NWS Weather Forecast Offices (WFOs) that use output from a real-time regional configuration of LIS, without soil moisture DA, to initialize local numerical weather prediction (NWP) models and enhance situational awareness. Improvements to local NWP with the current LIS have been demonstrated; however, a better representation of the land surface through assimilation of SMOS (and eventually SMAP) retrievals is expected to lead to further model improvement, particularly during warm-season months. SPoRT will collaborate with select WFOs to assess the impact of soil moisture DA on operational forecast situations. Assimilation of the legacy SMOS instrument data provides an opportunity to develop expertise in preparation for using SMAP data products shortly after the scheduled launch on 5 November 2014. SMOS contains a passive L-band radiometer that is used to retrieve surface soil moisture at 35-km resolution with an accuracy of 0.04 cu cm cm (exp -3). SMAP will feature a comparable passive L-band instrument in conjunction with a 3-km resolution active radar component of slightly degraded accuracy. A combined radar-radiometer product will offer unprecedented global coverage of soil moisture at high spatial resolution (9 km) for hydrometeorological applications, balancing the resolution and accuracy of the active and passive instruments, respectively. The LIS software framework manages land surface model (LSM) simulations and includes an Ensemble Kalman Filter for conducting land surface DA. SPoRT has added a module to read, quality-control and bias-correct swaths of Level II SMOS soil moisture retrievals prior to assimilation within LIS. The impact of SMOS DA is being tested using the Noah LSM. Experiments are being conducted to examine the impacts of SMOS soil moisture DA on the resulting LISNoah fields and subsequent NWP simulations using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model initialized with LIS-Noah output. LIS-Noah soil moisture will be validated against in situ observations from Texas A&M's North American Soil Moisture Database to reveal the impact and possible improvement in soil moisture trends through DA. WRF model NWP case studies will test the impacts of DA on the simulated near-surface and boundary-layer environments, and precipitation during both quiescent and disturbed weather scenarios. Emphasis will be placed on cases with large analysis increments, especially due to contributions from regional irrigation patterns that are not represented by precipitation input in the baseline LIS-Noah run. This poster presentation will describe the soil moisture DA methodology and highlight LIS-Noah and WRF simulation results with and without assimilation.

Warming and increased precipitation frequency on the Colorado Plateau: Implications for biological soil crusts and soil processes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Zelikova, Tamara J.; Housman, David C.; Grote, Ed E.; Neher, Deborah A.; Belnap, Jayne

2012-01-01

Taken together, our results highlight the limited effects of warming alone on biological soil crust communities and soil chemistry, but demonstrate the substantially larger effects of altered summertime precipitation.

Determination of resilient modulus values for typical plastic soils in Wisconsin.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-09-01

"The objectives of this research are to establish a resilient modulus test results database and to develop : correlations for estimating the resilient modulus of Wisconsin fine-grained soils from basic soil properties. A : laboratory testing program ...

Delineation of soil temperature regimes from HCMM data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Day, R. L.; Petersen, G. W. (Principal Investigator)

1982-01-01

The subsetting of HCMM data into ORSER format was completed for four dates using a modified SUBSET program. Large areas (approximately 2500 scan lines, 1680 elements) were selected to increase the occurrence of suitable control points for registration. Average daily temperatures (ADT) were calculated for each date. The MERGE program combined registered daytime temperature (DAY-IR) with nighttime temperature (NIGHT-IR) to form a separate two-channel data set. The SUBTRAN program averaged the DAY-IR and NIGHT-IR creating a third ADT channel. Registration equations for the four ADT data sets were generated. A one dimensional soil heat flow equation was modified to allow for mean annual soil temperature predictions using merged ADT data sets.

The Soil Is Alive!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Science and Children, 1989

1989-01-01

Describes activities which demonstrate the abundance of organisms living underground. Provides outlined directions, lists of materials, and a soil ecosystem transparency for delving into the properties of soil. (RT)

Installation-restoration program environmental technology development. Task Order 12. Field demonstration - composting of propellant-contaminated sediments at the Badger Army Ammunition Plant (BAAP). Final report, Jul 87-Mar 89

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Williams, R.T.; Ziegenfuss, P.S.; Marks, P.J.

1989-03-01

A field-scale demonstration of composting propellants-contaminated sediment was conducted at the Badger Army Ammunition Plant (BAAP). Composting, as used at BAAP, is a treatment process in which organic-chemical contaminated soils or sediments are mixed with organic materials such as manure to enhance the role of microbial metabolism in degrading and stabilizing soil/sediment contaminants. Sediments contaminated with the propellant nitrocellulose (NC) were mixed with manure, alfalfa, livestock feed, and wood chips and composted in four static piles. Negative pressure aeration was used to maintain aerobiosis and remove excess heat. Experimental variables investigated during the study were temperature (mesophilic, 35 C vs.more » thermophilic, 55 C), sediment loading (19 to 32 weight percent), and NC loading. Small aliquots of compost (approximately 400 cu cm) were spiked with pure NC, placed in porous nylon bags and buried in compost piles. These bagged compost samples were used to determine if high levels of NC could be successfully composted. Thermophilic temperatures resulted in the highest percent reduction in NC concentration.« less

TECHNOLOGIES FOR MONITORING AND MEASUREMENT ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

A demonstration of technologies for determining the presence of dioxin and dioxin-like compounds in soil and sediment was conducted under EPA's Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation Program in Saginaw, Michigan in April 2004. This report describes the performance evaluation of CAPE Technologies DF-1 Dioxin/Furan and PCB TEQ Immunoassay Kits. The kits are immunoassay techniques that report the total toxicity equivalents (TEQ) of dioxin/furans and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs. The technology results were compared to high resolution mass spectrometry TEQ results generated using EPA Methods 1613B and 1668A.The CAPE Technologies kits generally reported data higher than the certified PE and reference laboratory values. The technologys estimated MDL was 12 to 33 pg/g TEQ. Results from this demonstration suggest that the CAPE Technologies kits could be an effective screening tool for determining sample results above and below 20 pg/g TEQ and even more effective as a screen for sample above and below 50 pg/g TEQ, particularly considering that both the cost ($59,234 vs. $398,029) and the time (3 weeks vs. 8 months) to analyze the 209 demonstration samples were significantly less than those of the reference laboratory. The objective of this program is to promote the acceptance and use of innovative field technologies by providing well-documented performance and cost data obtained from field demonstrations.

TECHNOLOGIES FOR MONITORING AND MEASUREMENT ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

A demonstration of technologies for determining the presence of dioxin and dioxin-like compounds in soil and sediment was conducted under EPA's Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation Program in Saginaw, Michigan in April 2004. This report describes the performance evaluation of the Abraxis LLC Coplanar PCB Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) kit. The kit is an immunoassay technique that reports the total toxicity equivalents (TEQ) of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). The technology results were compared to high resolution mass spectrometry TEQ results generated using EPA Method 1668A.Abraxis generally reported data that were higher than the reference laboratory TEQPCB values, with the exception of ultra-high level PCB samples [> 10,000 picogram/gram (pg/g) TEQ] where Abraxis reported values lower than the reference method. The technologys estimated MDL was 6 to 31 pg/g TEQPCB. Results from this demonstration suggest that the Abraxis kit could be an effective screening tool for screening sample concentrations above and below 50 pg/g TEQPCB, particularly considering that the cost ($22,668 vs. $184,449) and the time to analyze the 209 demonstration samples were significantly less than those of the reference laboratory. The objective of this program is to promote the acceptance and use of innovative field technologies by providing well-documented performance and cost data obtained from field demonstrations.

Nuclear facility decommissioning and site remedial actions: A selected bibliography, Volume 18. Part 1B: Citations with abstracts, sections 10 through 16

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

1997-09-01

This bibliography contains 3,638 citations with abstracts of documents relevant to environmental restoration, nuclear facility decontamination and decommissioning (D and D), uranium mill tailings management, and site remedial actions. The bibliography contains scientific, technical, financial, and regulatory information that pertains to DOE environmental restoration programs. The citations are separated by topic into 16 sections, including (1) DOE Environmental Restoration Program; (2) DOE D and D Program; (3) Nuclear Facilities Decommissioning; (4) DOE Formerly Utilized sites Remedial Action Program; (5) NORM-Contaminated Site Restoration; (6) DOE Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action Project; (7) Uranium Mill Tailings Management; (8) DOE Site-Wide Remedial Actions;more » (9) DOE Onsite Remedial Action Projects; (10) Contaminated Site Remedial Actions; (11) DOE Underground Storage Tank Remediation; (12) DOE Technology Development, Demonstration, and Evaluation; (13) Soil Remediation; (14) Groundwater Remediation; (15) Environmental Measurements, Analysis, and Decision-Making; and (16) Environmental Management Issues.« less

In situ assessment of pesticide genotoxicity in an integrated pest management program I--Tradescantia micronucleus assay.

PubMed

Rodrigues, G S; Pimentel, D; Weinstein, L H

1998-02-13

The genotoxicity induced by pesticides applied in an integrated pest management (IPM) program was evaluated with the Tradescantia micronucleus assay (Trad-MCN). Three pesticide application rates were prescribed as follows: (a) Low, no field pesticide spray; (b) Medium, IPM test rate: banded cyanazine plus metolachlor (2.7 kg a.i. and 2.3 l a.i./ha of herbicides, respectively); and (c) High, a preventative pesticide application program: broadcast cyanazine plus metolachlor (same application rates as above) plus chlorpyrifos (1 kg a.i./ha of insecticide). The Trad-MCN was employed for the assessment of (a) the formulated compounds, singly and in combinations; (b) pesticide residues extracted from soils sampled before and after application, and (c) in situ exposures (14-h exposure to pesticide-sprayed field). All pesticides showed clastogenic potency at doses between 10 and 50 ppm. Aqueous extracts of the two pesticide-sprayed soils were clastogenic, but the unsprayed soil extracts were not. Plants exposed in situ to pesticide-sprayed soils (inside a chamber receiving vapors from the soil) also showed significant increases in micronuclei frequency in relation to controls exposed to unsprayed soil. In general, there was no significant reduction in the genotoxic effects from the High to the Medium treatment levels of the IPM program. This suggests that the reduction in pesticide application rates attained with the implementation of the proposed IPM program was not sufficient to abate the genotoxicity of the pesticides, as perceived with the sensitive assays employed. The results indicate that replacing genotoxic compounds may be the only effective remediation measure to eliminate the risks imposed by mutagenic compounds in the agricultural environment.

A Simple Approach for Demonstrating Soil Water Retention and Field Capacity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Howard, A.; Heitman, J. L.; Bowman, D.

2010-01-01

It is difficult to demonstrate the soil water retention relationship and related concepts because the specialized equipment required for performing these measurements is unavailable in most classrooms. This article outlines a low-cost, easily visualized method by which these concepts can be demonstrated in most any classroom. Columns (62.5 cm…

Estimated Annual Net Change in Soil Carbon per US County, 1990-2004

DOE Data Explorer

West, Tristram O.; Brandt, Craig C.; Wilson, Bradly S.; Hellwinckel, Chap M.; Tyler, Donald D.; Marland, Gregg; De La Torre Ugarte, Daniel D.; Larson, James A.; Nelson, Richard G.

2008-01-01

These data represent the estimated net change (Megagram per year) in soil carbon due to changes in the crop type and tillage intensity. Estimated accumulation of soil carbon under Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)lands is included in these estimates. Negative values represent a net flux from the atmosphere to the soil; positive values represent a net flux from the soil to the atmosphere. As such, soil carbon sequestration is represented here as a negative value.

Computer Programs for Settlement Analysis.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-10-01

sieer ,d if - ... ly and identity by &ock .. mbr ) C(ohesiv’ soils Load tests (Foundations) Computer programs Set t l ement Embanikments Settlement...and stress conditions that are altered by a changing water table and settlement-dependent submergence of the soil. 9. FD31 is a specialized program...are saturated and have submerged unit weights of 50 lb/ft 3 The clay is linearly elastic and the consolidation curve passes through 2 2 the points (e, a

Sugarcane Genotype Selection on Muck and Sand Soils in Florida — a Case for Dedicated Environments

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Traditionally, the cooperative sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) breeding program located at Canal Point has selected genotypes exclusively on muck soils in the early to middle stages of the program. Only about 0.20% of genotypes are ever tested on sand, resulting in the possibility that many sand-adapted ...

Validation of the GCOM-W SCA and JAXA soil moisture algorithms

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Satellite-based remote sensing of soil moisture has matured over the past decade as a result of the Global Climate Observing Mission-Water (GCOM-W) program of JAXA. This program has resulted in improved algorithms that have been supported by rigorous validation. Access to the products and the valida...

Multisensor fusion remote sensing technology for assessing multitemporal responses in ecohydrological systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Makkeasorn, Ammarin

This study aims at presenting a systematic soil moisture estimation method for the Choke Canyon Reservoir Watershed (CCRW), a semiarid watershed with an area of over 14,200 km2 in south Texas. With the aid of five corner reflectors, the RADARSAT-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imageries of the study area acquired in April and September 2004 were processed by both radiometric and geometric calibrations at first. New soil moisture estimation models derived by genetic programming (GP) technique were then developed and applied to support the soil moisture distribution analysis. The GP-based nonlinear function derived in the evolutionary process uniquely links a series of crucial topographic and geographic features. Included in this process are slope, aspect, vegetation cover, and soil permeability to compliment the well-calibrated SAR data. Research indicates that the novel application of GP proved useful for generating a highly nonlinear structure in regression regime, which exhibits very strong correlations statistically between the model estimates and the ground truth measurements (volumetric water content) on the basis of the unseen data sets. In an effort to produce the soil moisture distributions over seasons, it eventually leads to characterizing local- to regional-scale soil moisture variability and performing the possible estimation of water storages of the terrestrial hydrosphere. A new evolutionary computational, supervised classification scheme ( Riparian Classification Algorithm, RICAL) was developed and used to identify the change of riparian zones in a semi-arid watershed temporally and spatially. The case study uniquely demonstrates an effort to incorporating both vegetation index and soil moisture estimates based on Landsat 5 TM and RADARSAT-1 imageries while trying to improve the riparian classification in the Choke Canyon Reservoir Watershed (CCRW), South Texas. The estimation of soil moisture based on RADARSAT-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite imagery as previously developed was used. Eight commonly used vegetation indices were calculated from the reflectance obtained from Landsat 5 TM satellite images. The vegetation indices were individually used to classify vegetation cover in association with genetic programming algorithm. The soil moisture and vegetation indices were integrated into Landsat TM images based on a pre-pixel channel approach for riparian classification. Two different classification algorithms were used including genetic programming, and a combination of ISODATA and maximum likelihood supervised classification. The white box feature of genetic programming revealed the comparative advantage of all input parameters. The GP algorithm yielded more than 90% accuracy, based on unseen ground data, using vegetation index and Landsat reflectance band 1, 2, 3, and 4. The detection of changes in the buffer zone was proved to be technically feasible with high accuracy. Overall, the development of the RICAL algorithm may lead to the formulation of more effective management strategies for the handling of non-point source pollution control, bird habitat monitoring, and grazing and live stock management in the future. Geo-environmental information amassed in this study includes soil permeability, surface temperature, soil moisture, precipitation, leaf area index (LAI) and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). With the aid of a remote sensing-based GIP analysis, only five locations out of more than 800 candidate sites were selected by the spatial analysis, and then confirmed by a field investigation. The methodology developed in this remote sensing-based GIP analysis will significantly advance the state-of-the-art technology in optimum arrangement/distribution of water sensor platforms for maximum sensing coverage and information-extraction capacity. To more efficiently use the limited amount of water or to resourcefully provide adequate time for flood warning, the results have led us to seek advanced techniques for improving streamflow forecasting. The objective of this section of research is to incorporate sea surface temperature (SST), Next Generation Radar (NEXRAD) and meteorological characteristics with historical stream data to forecast the actual streamflow using genetic programming. This study case concerns the forecasting of stream discharge of a complex-terrain, semi-arid watershed. This study elicits microclimatological factors and the resultant stream flow rate in river system given the influence of dynamic basin features such as soil moisture, soil temperature, ambient relative humidity, air temperature, sea surface temperature, and precipitation. Evaluations of the forecasting results are expressed in terms of the percentage error (PE), the root-mean-square error (RMSE), and the square of the Pearson product moment correlation coefficient (r-squared value). The developed models can predict streamflow with very good accuracy with an r-square of 0.84 and PE of 1% for a 30-day prediction. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

Characterizing near-surface CO2 conditions before injection - Perspectives from a CCS project in the Illinois Basin, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Locke, R.A.; Krapac, I.G.; Lewicki, J.L.; Curtis-Robinson, E.

2011-01-01

The Midwest Geological Sequestration Consortium is conducting a large-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) project in Decatur, Illinois, USA to demonstrate the ability of a deep saline formation to store one million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) from an ethanol facility. Beginning in early 2011, CO2 will be injected at a rate of 1,000 tonnes/day for three years into the Mount Simon Sandstone at a depth of approximately 2,100 meters. An extensive Monitoring, Verification, and Accounting (MVA) program has been undertaken for the Illinois Basin Decatur Project (IBDP) and is focused on the 0.65 km2 project site. Goals include establishing baseline conditions to evaluate potential impacts from CO2 injection, demonstrating that project activities are protective of human health and the environment, and providing an accurate accounting of stored CO2. MVA efforts are being conducted pre-, during, and post- CO2 injection. Soil and net CO2 flux monitoring has been conducted for more than one year to characterize near-surface CO2 conditions. More than 2,200 soil CO2 flux measurements have been manually collected from a network of 118 soil rings since June 2009. Three ring types have been evaluated to determine which type may be the most effective in detecting potential CO 2 leakage. Bare soil, shallow-depth rings were driven 8 cm into the ground and were prepared to minimize surface vegetation in and near the rings. Bare soil, deep-depth rings were prepared similarly, but were driven 46 cm. Natural-vegetation, shallow-depth rings were driven 8 cm and are most representative of typical vegetation conditions. Bare-soil, shallow-depth rings had the smallest observed mean flux (1.78 ??mol m-2 s-1) versus natural-vegetation, shallow-depth rings (3.38 ??mol m-2 s-1). Current data suggest bare ring types would be more sensitive to small CO2 leak signatures than natural ring types because of higher signal to noise ratios. An eddy covariance (EC) system has been in use since June 2009. Baseline data from EC monitoring is being used to characterize pre-injection conditions, and may then be used to detect changes in net exchange CO2 fluxes (Fc) that could be the result of CO2 leakage into the near-surface environment during or following injection. When injection at IBDP begins, soil and net CO2 monitoring efforts will have established a baseline of near-surface conditions that will be important to help demonstrate the effectiveness of storage activities. ?? 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

A coactive interdisciplinary research program with NASA

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rouse, J. W., Jr.

1972-01-01

The applications area of the Texas A&M University remote sensing program consists of a series of coactive projects with NASA/MSC personnel. In each case, the Remote Sensing Center has served to complement and enhance the research capability within the Manned Spacecraft Center. In addition to the applications study area, the Texas A&M University program includes coordinated projects in sensors and data analysis. Under the sensors area, an extensive experimental study of microwave radiometry for soil moisture determination established the effect of soil moisture on the measured brightness temperature for several different soil types. The data analysis area included a project which ERTS-A and Skylab data were simulated using aircraft multispectral scanner measurements at two altitudes. This effort resulted in development of a library of computer programs which provides an operational capability in classification analysis of multispectral data.

78 FR 48035 - Conservation Reserve Program, Re-Enrollment

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-07

... purpose of CRP is to cost- effectively assist producers in conserving and improving soil, water, wildlife... producers in conserving and improving soil, water, wildlife, and other natural resources by converting..., Reporting and recordkeeping requirements, Soil conservation, Technical assistance, Water resources, Wildlife...

Soil pollution in the railway junction Niš (Serbia) and possibility of bioremediation of hydrocarbon-contaminated soil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jovanovic, Larisa; Aleksic, Gorica; Radosavljevic, Milan; Onjia, Antonije

2015-04-01

Mineral oil leaking from vehicles or released during accidents is an important source of soil and ground water pollution. In the railway junction Niš (Serbia) total 90 soil samples polluted with mineral oil derivatives were investigated. Field work at the railway Niš sites included the opening of soil profiles and soil sampling. The aim of this work is the determination of petroleum hydrocarbons concentration in the soil samples and the investigation of the bioremediation technique for treatment heavily contaminated soil. For determination of petroleum hydrocarbons in the soil samples method of gas-chromatography was carried out. On the basis of measured concentrations of petroleum hydrocarbons in the soil it can be concluded that: Obtained concentrations of petroleum hydrocarbons in 60% of soil samples exceed the permissible values (5000 mg/kg). The heavily contaminated soils, according the Regulation on the program of systematic monitoring of soil quality indicators for assessing the risk of soil degradation and methodology for development of remediation programs, Annex 3 (Official Gazette of RS, No.88 / 2010), must be treated using some of remediation technologies. Between many types of phytoremediation of soil contaminated with mineral oils and their derivatives, the most suitable are phytovolatalisation and phytostimulation. During phytovolatalisation plants (poplar, willow, aspen, sorgum, and rye) absorb organic pollutants through the root, and then transported them to the leaves where the reduced pollutants are released into the atmosphere. In the case of phytostimulation plants (mulberry, apple, rye, Bermuda) secrete from the roots enzymes that stimulates the growth of bacteria in the soil. The increase in microbial activity in soil promotes the degradation of pollutants. Bioremediation is performed by composting the contaminated soil with addition of composting materials (straw, manure, sawdust, and shavings), moisture components, oligotrophs and heterotrophs bacteria.

A multimedia and interactive approach to teach soil science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Badía-Villas, D.; Martí-Dalmau, C.; Iñiguez-Remón, E.

2012-04-01

Soil Science is a discipline concerned with a material that has unique features and behaviours (Churchman, 2010). Thus, teachers of Soil Science need to be experienced with Soil Science practices and must appreciate the complexities and relationships inherent within the discipline (Field et al, 2011). But when soil science had to be taught not by specialists, for instance in the introductory courses of earth and environmental sciences Degrees or in Secondary School, adequate material cannot be found. For this reason, multimedia and interactive programmes have been developed and showed here. EDAFOS is an e-learning resource that provides a comprehensive review of the fundamental concepts on soil science and reveals it as the living skin of planet Earth (European Commission, 2006). This programme is available via website (www.cienciadelsuelo.es) both in Spanish and, more recently, also in English. Edafos is a programme with different modules, which after outlining the study of soil components goes on to examine the main factors and processes of soil genesis explaining the mechanisms of soil processes. By the use of animations, the vital functions of soil are explained. The program ends with a section of multiple-choice exercises with self-assessment. To complement this program, virtual visits to the field are showed in the program iARASOL (www.suelosdearagon.es), in a time when field trips are gradually diminishing due to insufficiency in time and budget, as well as safety concerns (Çaliskan, 2011). In this case, the objective of iARASOL is to set out that soil vary from place to place not randomly, but in a systematic way, according to landscape units; therefore, graduates can classify the soils using the WRB system (IUSS, 2007). It presents diverse types of data and images instantly, from a variety of viewpoints, at many different scales and display non-visual information in the field. Both programs provide an additional source of information to supplement lectures, real field visits and other learning activities on soil sciences. The development of these programmes has been sponsored by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (Fundación Española para la Ciencia y la Tecnología, FECYT) and it has won the "Félix de Azara" Award (2011). Çaliskan, O. (2011). Virtual field trips in education of earth and environmental sciences. Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences, 15: 3229-3243. Churchman, G. J. (2010). The philosophical status of soil science. Geoderma 157, 214-221. European Commission (2006). Thematic strategy for soil protection. COM (2006) 231. Field D.J., A. J. Koppi, L. E. Jarrett, L. K. Abbott, S. R. Cattle, C. D. Grant, A. B. McBratney, N. W. Menzies, A. J. Weatherley (2011). Soil Science teaching principles. Geoderma, 167-168: 9-14. IUSS Working Group WRB (2007). World Reference Base for Soil Resources 2006, fist update 2007. World Soil Resources Reports n° 103. FAO. Rome.

Vineyard soil bacterial diversity and composition revealed by 16S rRNA genes: Differentiation by vineyard management

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Here, we demonstrate how vineyard management practices influence shifts in soil resources, which in turn affects shifts in soil-borne bacterial communities. The objective is to determine the hierarchical effects of management practices, soil attributes and location factors on the structure of soil-b...

Interpreting diel hysteresis between soil respiration and temperature

Treesearch

C. Phillips; N. Nickerson; D. Risk; B.J. Bond

2011-01-01

Increasing use of automated soil respiration chambers in recent years has demonstrated complex diel relationships between soil respiration and temperature that are not apparent from less frequent measurements. Soil surface flux is often lagged from soil temperature by several hours, which results in semielliptical hysteresis loops when surface flux is plotted as a...

Land Application of Wastes: An Educational Program. Soil as a Treatment Medium - Module 3, Objectives, Script and Booklet.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clarkson, W. W.; And Others

This module examines the basic properties of soil which have an influence on the success of land treatment of wastes. These relevant properties include soil texture, soil structure, permeability, infiltration, available water capacity, and cation exchange capacity. Biological, chemical and physical mechanisms work to remove and renovate wastes…

MICHIGAN SOIL VAPOR EXTRACTION REMEDIATION (MISER) MODEL: A COMPUTER PROGRAM TO MODEL SOIL VAPOR EXTRACTION AND BIOVENTING OF ORGANIC CHEMICALS IN UNSATURATED GEOLOGICAL MATERIAL

EPA Science Inventory

Soil vapor extraction (SVE) and bioventing (BV) are proven strategies for remediation of unsaturated zone soils. Mathematical models are powerful tools that can be used to integrate and quantify the interaction of physical, chemical, and biological processes occurring in field sc...

Generation and mobility of radon in soil

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rose, A.W.; Jester, W.A.; Ciolkosz, E.J.

This study has confirmed large seasonal and daily variations of Rn in soil gas, developed models for the effects of temperature and moisture on air-water Rn partition, inhibited Rn diffusion from wet soil into sparse large air-filled pores and effects of diffusion into bedrock, demonstrated that organic matter is a major host for 226Ra in soils and that organic-bound Ra largely determines the proportion of 222Rn emanated to pore space, shown that in contrast 220Rn is emanated mainly from 224Ra in Fe-oxides, detected significant disequilibrium between 226Ra and 238U in organic matter and in some recent glacial soils, demonstrated bymore » computer models that air convection driven by temperature differences is expected in moderately permeable soils on hillsides.« less

Generation and mobility of radon in soil. Technical report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rose, A.W.; Jester, W.A.; Ciolkosz, E.J.

This study has confirmed large seasonal and daily variations of Rn in soil gas, developed models for the effects of temperature and moisture on air-water Rn partition, inhibited Rn diffusion from wet soil into sparse large air-filled pores and effects of diffusion into bedrock, demonstrated that organic matter is a major host for 226Ra in soils and that organic-bound Ra largely determines the proportion of 222Rn emanated to pore space, shown that in contrast 220Rn is emanated mainly from 224Ra in Fe-oxides, detected significant disequilibrium between 226Ra and 238U in organic matter and in some recent glacial soils, demonstrated bymore » computer models that air convection driven by temperature differences is expected in moderately permeable soils on hillsides.« less

Building a co-created citizen science program with gardeners neighboring a superfund site: The Gardenroots case study

PubMed Central

Ramirez-Andreotta, Monica D; Brusseau, Mark L; Artiola, Janick; Maier, Raina M; Gandolfi, A Jay

2014-01-01

A research project that is only expert-driven may ignore the role of local knowledge in research, give low priority to the development of a comprehensive communication strategy to engage the community, and may not deliver the results of the study to the community in an effective way. Objective To demonstrate how a research program can respond to a community research need, establish a community-academic partnership, and build a co-created citizen science program. Methods A place-based, community-driven project was designed where academics and community members maintained a reciprocal dialogue, and together, we: 1) defined the question for study, 2) gathered information, 3) developed hypotheses, 3) designed data collection methodologies, 4) collected environmental samples (soil, irrigation water, and vegetables), 5) interpreted data, 6) disseminated results and translated results into action, and 7) discussed results and asked new questions. Results The co-created environmental research project produced new data and addressed an additional exposure route (consumption of vegetables grown in soils with elevated arsenic levels). Public participation in scientific research improved environmental health assessment, information transfer, and risk communication efforts. Furthermore, incorporating the community in the scientific process produced both individual learning outcomes and community-level outcomes. Conclusions This approach illustrates the benefits of a community-academic co-created citizen-science program in addressing the complex problems that arise in communities neighboring a contaminated site. Such a project can increase the community's involvement in risk communication and decision-making, which ultimately has the potential to help mitigate exposure and thereby reduce associated risk. PMID:25954473

Building a co-created citizen science program with gardeners neighboring a superfund site: The Gardenroots case study.

PubMed

Ramirez-Andreotta, Monica D; Brusseau, Mark L; Artiola, Janick; Maier, Raina M; Gandolfi, A Jay

2015-01-01

A research project that is only expert-driven may ignore the role of local knowledge in research, give low priority to the development of a comprehensive communication strategy to engage the community, and may not deliver the results of the study to the community in an effective way. To demonstrate how a research program can respond to a community research need, establish a community-academic partnership, and build a co-created citizen science program. A place-based, community-driven project was designed where academics and community members maintained a reciprocal dialogue, and together, we: 1) defined the question for study, 2) gathered information, 3) developed hypotheses, 3) designed data collection methodologies, 4) collected environmental samples (soil, irrigation water, and vegetables), 5) interpreted data, 6) disseminated results and translated results into action, and 7) discussed results and asked new questions. The co-created environmental research project produced new data and addressed an additional exposure route (consumption of vegetables grown in soils with elevated arsenic levels). Public participation in scientific research improved environmental health assessment, information transfer, and risk communication efforts. Furthermore, incorporating the community in the scientific process produced both individual learning outcomes and community-level outcomes. This approach illustrates the benefits of a community-academic co-created citizen-science program in addressing the complex problems that arise in communities neighboring a contaminated site. Such a project can increase the community's involvement in risk communication and decision-making, which ultimately has the potential to help mitigate exposure and thereby reduce associated risk.

Guidance: Demonstrating Compliance with the Land Disposal Restrictions (LDR) Alternative Soil Treatment Standards

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This guidance provides suggestions and perspectives on how members of the regulated community, states, and the public can demonstrate compliance with the alternative treatment standards for certain contaminated soils that will be land disposed.

Soil profile property estimation with field and laboratory VNIR spectroscopy

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) soil sensors have the potential to provide rapid, high-resolution estimation of multiple soil properties. Although many studies have focused on laboratory-based visible and near-infrared (VNIR) spectroscopy of dried soil samples, previous work has demonstrated ...

SITE EVALUATION OF SOIL AMENDMENT TECHNOLOGIES AT THE CROOKSVILLE/ROSEVILLE POTTERY AREA OF CONCERN - STAR ORGANICS SOIL RESCUE CAPSULE

EPA Science Inventory

This report briefly summarizes Star Organics treatment technology demonstration of a soil amendment process for lead contaminated soil at Roseville, OH. The evaluation included leaching, bioavailability, geotechnical, and geochemical testing methods.

Data Quality Objectives Supporting the Environmental Soil Monitoring Program for the Idaho National Laboratory Site

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Haney, Thomas Jay

This document describes the process used to develop data quality objectives for the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Environmental Soil Monitoring Program in accordance with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency guidance. This document also develops and presents the logic that was used to determine the specific number of soil monitoring locations at the INL Site, at locations bordering the INL Site, and at locations in the surrounding regional area. The monitoring location logic follows the guidance from the U.S. Department of Energy for environmental surveillance of its facilities.

Landing Gear/Soil Interaction Development of Criteria for Aircraft Operation on Soil During Turning and Multipass Operations

DTIC Science & Technology

1975-10-01

AFFDL-TR-75-78 LANDING GEAR/ SOIL INTERACTION DEVELOPMENT OF CRITERIA FOR AIRCRAFT "OPERATION ON SOIL DURING TURNING #"q AND MULTIPASS OPERATIONS cc...braking. Limited start-up force data were examined to determine a preliminary estimate of start-up drag ratios. A soft tire/ soil computer program was...distance, landing rollout, turning perfor nance, and number of allowable passes for a particular vehicle and select soil . .. 4 UNCLASSIFIED -i SECURITY

Effects of different mechanized soil fertilization methods on corn nutrient accumulation and yield

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Qingwen; Bai, Chunming; Wang, Huixin; Wu, Di; Song, Qiaobo; Dong, Zengqi; Gao, Depeng; Dong, Qiping; Cheng, Xin; Zhang, Yahao; Mu, Jiahui; Chen, Qinghong; Liao, Wenqing; Qu, Tianru; Zhang, Chunling; Zhang, Xinyu; Liu, Yifei; Han, Xiaori

2017-05-01

Aim: Experiments for mechanized corn soil fertilization were conducted in Faku demonstration zone. On this basis, we studied effects on corn nutrient accumulation and yield traits at brown soil regions due to different mechanized soil fertilization measures. We also evaluated and optimized the regulation effects of mechanized soil fertilization for the purpose of crop yield increase and production efficiency improvement. Method: Based on the survey of soil background value in the demonstration zone, we collected plant samples during different corn growth periods to determine and make statistical analysis. Conclusions: Decomposed cow dung, when under mechanical broadcasting, was able to remarkably increase nitrogen and potassium accumulation content of corns at their ripe stage. Crushed stalk returning combined with deep tillage would remarkably increase phosphorus accumulation content of corn plants. When compared with top application, crushed stalk returning combined with deep tillage would remarkably increase corn thousand kernel weight (TKW). Mechanized broadcasting of granular organic fertilizer and crushed stalk returning combined with deep tillage, when compared with surface application, were able to boost corn yield in the in the demonstration zone.

Automated analysis of two-dimensional positions and body lengths of earthworms (Oligochaeta); MimizuTrack.

PubMed

Kodama, Naomi; Kimura, Toshifumi; Yonemura, Seiichiro; Kaneda, Satoshi; Ohashi, Mizue; Ikeno, Hidetoshi

2014-01-01

Earthworms are important soil macrofauna inhabiting almost all ecosystems. Their biomass is large and their burrowing and ingestion of soils alters soil physicochemical properties. Because of their large biomass, earthworms are regarded as an indicator of "soil heath". However, primarily because the difficulties in quantifying their behavior, the extent of their impact on soil material flow dynamics and soil health is poorly understood. Image data, with the aid of image processing tools, are a powerful tool in quantifying the movements of objects. Image data sets are often very large and time-consuming to analyze, especially when continuously recorded and manually processed. We aimed to develop a system to quantify earthworm movement from video recordings. Our newly developed program successfully tracked the two-dimensional positions of three separate parts of the earthworm and simultaneously output the change in its body length. From the output data, we calculated the velocity of the earthworm's movement. Our program processed the image data three times faster than the manual tracking system. To date, there are no existing systems to quantify earthworm activity from continuously recorded image data. The system developed in this study will reduce input time by a factor of three compared with manual data entry and will reduce errors involved in quantifying large data sets. Furthermore, it will provide more reliable measured values, although the program is still a prototype that needs further testing and improvement. Combined with other techniques, such as measuring metabolic gas emissions from earthworm bodies, this program could provide continuous observations of earthworm behavior in response to environmental variables under laboratory conditions. In the future, this standardized method will be applied to other animals, and the quantified earthworm movement will be incorporated into models of soil material flow dynamics or behavior in response to chemical substances present in the soil.

Estimation of soil profile properties using field and laboratory VNIR spectroscopy

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) soil sensors have the potential to provide rapid, high-resolution estimation of multiple soil properties. Although many studies have focused on laboratory-based visible and near-infrared (VNIR) spectroscopy of dried soil samples, previous work has demonstrated ...

Anerobic soil disinfestation efficacy associated with altered soil microbiome and metabolome

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Anaerobic soil disinfestation (ASD) has demonstrated potential to control numerous soil-borne pathogens in a diversity of production systems. A variety of environmental, biological and application attributes have potential to determine the overall capacity of ASD to provide effective disease control...

Sorption-desorption of indaziflam in selected agricultural soils

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Sorption and desorption of indaziflam in 6 soils from Brazil and 3 soils from the USA, with different physical chemical properties, were investigated using the batch equilibration method. Sorption kinetics demonstrated that soil-solution equilibrium was attained in a 24-h period. The Freundlich equa...

DEMONSTRATION BULLETIN: BIOGENESIS SOIL WASHING TECHNOLOGY - BIOGENESIS

EPA Science Inventory

The BioGenesisSM soil washing technology was developed by BioGenesis Enterprises, Inc. to remove organic compounds from soil. The technology uses a proprietary solution (BioGenesisSM cleaner) to transfer organic compounds from the soil matrix to a liquid phase. BioGenesis claims...

TORONTO HARBOUR COMMISSIONERS (THC) SOIL RECYCLE TREATMENT TRAIN - APPLICATIONS ANALYSIS REPORT

EPA Science Inventory

The Toronto Harbour Commissioners (THC) have developed a soil treatment train designed to treat inorganic and organic contaminants in soils. THC has conducted a large-scale demonstration of these technologies in an attempt to establish that contaminated soils at the Toronto Port ...

Investigating biochar as a tool for mine soil remediation

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Biochar is a cost-effective, carbon negative soil amendment that can lead to improved soil quality. Research has also demonstrated the efficacy of biochar to sorb heavy metals and agricultural chemicals from contaminated soils, thus effectively reducing the potential for metal and chemical contamin...

Learning class descriptions from a data base of spectral reflectance of soil samples

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kimes, D. S.; Irons, J. R.; Levine, E. R.; Horning, N. A.

1993-01-01

Consideration is given to a program developed to learn class descriptions from positive and negative training examples of spectral reflectance data of bare soils. It is a combination of 'learning by example' and the generate-and-test paradigm and is designed to provide a robust learning environment that can handle error-prone data. The program was tested by having it learn class descriptions of various categories of organic carbon content, iron oxide content, and particle size distribution in soils. These class descriptions were then used to classify an array of targets. The program found the sequence of relationships between bands that contained the most important information to distinguish the classes. Physical explanations for the class descriptions obtained are presented.

SITE DEMONSTRATION OF THE TORONTO HARBOUR COMMISSIONERS SOIL RECYCLING PROJECT

EPA Science Inventory

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in cooperation with the Toronto Harbour Commissioners (THC), conducted a Superfund InnovativeTechnology Evaluation (SITE) demonstration of the THC Soil Recycle Treatment Train. The treatment train consists of three technologies op...

Test plan for the soils facility demonstration: A petroleum contaminated soil bioremediation facility

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lombard, K.H.

1994-08-01

The objectives of this test plan are to show the value added by using bioremediation as an effective and environmentally sound method to remediate petroleum contaminated soils (PCS) by: demonstrating bioremediation as a permanent method for remediating soils contaminated with petroleum products; establishing the best operating conditions for maximizing bioremediation and minimizing volatilization for SRS PCS during different seasons; determining the minimum set of analyses and sampling frequency to allow efficient and cost-effective operation; determining best use of existing site equipment and personnel to optimize facility operations and conserve SRS resources; and as an ancillary objective, demonstrating and optimizing newmore » and innovative analytical techniques that will lower cost, decrease time, and decrease secondary waste streams for required PCS assays.« less

Glass and Glass-Ceramic Materials from Simulated Composition of Lunar and Martian Soils: Selected Properties and Potential Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ray, C. S.; Sen, S.; Reis, S. T.; Kim, C. W.

2005-01-01

In-situ resource processing and utilization on planetary bodies is an important and integral part of NASA's space exploration program. Within this scope and context, our general effort is primarily aimed at developing glass and glass-ceramic type materials using lunar and martian soils, and exploring various applications of these materials for planetary surface operations. Our preliminary work to date have demonstrated that glasses can be successfully prepared from melts of the simulated composition of both lunar and martian soils, and the melts have a viscosity-temperature window appropriate for drawing continuous glass fibers. The glasses are shown to have the potential for immobilizing certain types of nuclear wastes without deteriorating their chemical durability and thermal stability. This has a direct impact on successfully and economically disposing nuclear waste generated from a nuclear power plant on a planetary surface. In addition, these materials display characteristics that can be manipulated using appropriate processing protocols to develop glassy or glass-ceramic magnets. Also discussed in this presentation are other potential applications along with a few selected thermal, chemical, and structural properties as evaluated up to this time for these materials.

Cyber Shovels in High School: An Online Soil Science Resource for Educators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krzic, M.; Basiliko, N.; Bedard-Haughn, A.; Humphreys, E.; Price, G.; Dampier, L.; Grand, S.; Dynatkar, S.; Crowley, C.

2012-04-01

Declining enrolment in soil science courses at post-secondary institutions in Canada and around the world tells us that fewer high school students are considering a career in this discipline than ever before. This may be due to soil science programs losing visibility as they are incorporated into other, larger programs; a lack of awareness of what opportunities exist for soil science professionals; or a disinclination of high school educators to use soil science scenarios as examples in their science curriculum. In 2010, we initiated a three-year, multi-institutional project aimed at introducing soil science concepts into high school curricula across Canada. The goals of this project are to promote learning about the importance of soil as a natural resource, provide useful tools that high school educators can incorporate into their lesson plans, and encourage students to pursue soil science in their higher education. The tool (http://soilweb.landfood.ubc.ca/youth/) features five main themes: (1) descriptions of soil research projects currently undertaken by faculty at five universities across Canada; (2) links to age-appropriate soil related resources that provide exercises and examples teachers can easily use; (3) profiles of soil scientists "at work" in a diverse range of careers to motivate future soil scientists; (4) examples of recent news stories about soil to highlight its relevance in our day to day lives; and (5) a soil forum for students and teachers to ask questions. This tool will be further refined by incorporating feedback obtained from high school teachers and students.

36 CFR 230.7 - Program practices.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... soil erosion. (5) Soil and Water Protection and Improvement (SIP5), which includes the maintenance or improvement of water quality and soil productivity on forest land. (6) Riparian and Wetland Protection and...) Forest and Agroforest Improvement (SIP3), which includes the improvement of forest and agroforest stand...

7 CFR 636.3 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... out a local soil and water conservation program. Such district or unit of government may be referred to as a “conservation district,” “soil conservation district,” “soil and water conservation district... name. Conservation practice means one or more conservation improvements and activities, including...

7 CFR 12.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... improvement in soil conditions on a field or group of fields containing highly erodible cropland when compared...: Agricultural commodity means any crop planted and produced by annual tilling of the soil, including tilling by... and implement soil and water conservation activities or programs. Conservation plan means the document...

7 CFR 12.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... improvement in soil conditions on a field or group of fields containing highly erodible cropland when compared...: Agricultural commodity means any crop planted and produced by annual tilling of the soil, including tilling by... and implement soil and water conservation activities or programs. Conservation plan means the document...

Investigation of the applicability of intrusion technology to estimate the resilient modulus of subgrade soil.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2000-04-01

An innovative and simple approach is presented for estimation of the resilient modulus of subgrade soils utilizing the cone penetration test. Field and laboratory testing programs were carried out at seven sites that comprise three common soil types ...

Long term chemo-hydro-mechanical behavior of compacted soil bentonite polymer complex submitted to synthetic leachate.

PubMed

Razakamanantsoa, Andry Rico; Djeran-Maigre, Irini

2016-07-01

An experimental program is carried out to investigate the long term hydro-mechanical behavior correlated with chemical one of compacted soils with low concentration of Ca-bentonite and Ca-bentonite polymer mixture. The effect of prehydration on the hydraulic performance is compared to the polymer adding effect. All specimens are submitted to synthetic leachate (LS) under different permeation conditions. Several issues are studied: mechanical stability, hydraulic performance, chemical exchange of cations validated with microstructure observations. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) observations demonstrate two distinct behaviors: dispersive for Bentonite (B) and B with Polymer P1 (BP1) and flocculated for B with Polymer P2 (BP2). Direct shear tests show that bentonite adding increases the Soil (S) cohesion and decreases the friction angle. Polymer adding behaves similarly by maintaining the soil cohesion and increasing the friction angle. Hydraulic conductivity of prehydrated soil bentonite (SB) and direct permeation of polymer added soil bentonite are studied (SBP1 and SBP2). Hydraulic test duration are in range of 45days to 556days long. Prehydration allows to delay the aggressive effect of the LS in short term but seems to increase its negative effect on the hydraulic conductivity value in long term exposure. SB and SBP1 behave similarly and seem to act in the long term as a granular filler effect. SBP2 presents positive results comparing to the other mixtures: it maintains the hydraulic conductivity and the chemical resistance. Chemical analysis confirms that all specimens are subjected to Na(+) dissolution and Ca(2+) retention which are more pronounced for prehydrated specimen. The short term effect of prehydration and the positive effect of SBP2 are also confirmed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

RESULTS FROM EPA FUNDED RESEARCH PROGRAMS ON THE IMPORTANCE OF PURGE VOLUME, SAMPLE VOLUME, SAMPLE FLOW RATE AND TEMPORAL VARIATIONS ON SOIL GAS CONCENTRATIONS

EPA Science Inventory

Two research studies funded and overseen by EPA have been conducted since October 2006 on soil gas sampling methods and variations in shallow soil gas concentrations with the purpose of improving our understanding of soil gas methods and data for vapor intrusion applications. Al...

Lodgepole pine site index in relation to synoptic measures of climate, soil moisture and soil nutrients.

Treesearch

G. Geoff Wang; Shongming Huang; Robert A. Monserud; Ryan J. Klos

2004-01-01

Lodgepole pine site index was examined in relation to synoptic measures of topography, soil moisture, and soil nutrients in Alberta. Data came from 214 lodgepole pine-dominated stands sampled as a part of the provincial permanent sample plot program. Spatial location (elevation, latitude, and longitude) and natural subregions (NSRs) were topographic variables that...

MICHIGAN SOIL VAPOR EXTRACTION REMEDIATION (MISER) MODEL: A COMPUTER PROGRAM TO MODEL SOIL VAPORT EXTRACTION AND BIOVENTING OF ORGANIC MATERIALS IN UNSATURATED GEOLO-GICAL MATERIAL (EPA/600/SR-97/099)

EPA Science Inventory

Soil vapor extraction (SVE) and bioventing (BV) are proven strategies for remediation of unsaturated zone soils. Mathematical models are powerful tools that can be used to integrate and quantify the interaction of physical, chemical, and biological processes occurring in field sc...

Soils as an indicator of forest health: a guide to the collection, analysis, and interpretation of soil indicator data in the Forest Inventory and Analysis program

Treesearch

Katherine P O' Neill; Michael C. Amacher; Charles H. Perry

2005-01-01

Documents the types of data collected as part of the Forest Inventory and Analysis soil indicator, the field and laboratory methods used, and the rationale behind these data collection procedures. Guides analysts and researchers on incorporating soil indicator data into reports and research studies.

Demonstration/Validation of Incremental Sampling at Two Diverse Military Ranges and Development of an Incremental Sampling Tool

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-06-01

Sampling (MIS)? • Technique of combining many increments of soil from a number of points within exposure area • Developed by Enviro Stat (Trademarked...Demonstrating a reliable soil sampling strategy to accurately characterize contaminant concentrations in spatially extreme and heterogeneous...into a set of decision (exposure) units • One or several discrete or small- scale composite soil samples collected to represent each decision unit

Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation - Demonstration Bulletin: In-Situ Soil Stabilization

EPA Science Inventory

In-situ stabilization technology immobilizes organics and inorganic compounds in wet or dry soils by using reagents (additives) to polymerize with the soils and sludges producing a cement-like mass. Two basic components of this technology are the Geo-Con/DSM Deep Soil Mixing Sy...

Soil bioindicators as a usefull tools for land management and spatial planning processes: a case-study of prioritization of contaminated soil remediation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grand, Cécile; Pauget, Benjamin; Villenave, Cécile; Le Guédard, Marina; Piron, Denis; Nau, Jean-François; Pérès, Guénola

2017-04-01

When setting up new land management, contaminated site remediation or soil use change are sometimes necessary to ensure soil quality and the restoration of the ecosystem services. The biological characterization of the soil can be used as complementary information to chemical data in order to better define the conditions for operating. Then, in the context of urban areas, elements on the soil biological quality can be taken into consideration to guide the land development. To assess this "biological state of soil health", some biological tools, called bioindicators, could provide comprehensive information to understand and predict the functioning of the soil ecosystem. In this context, a city of 200 thousand inhabitants has decided to integrate soil bioindicators in their soil diagnostic for their soil urban management. This city had to elaborate a spatial soil management in urban areas which presented soil contamination linked to a complex industrial history associated with bad uses of gardens not always safe for the environment. The project will lead to establish a Natural Urban Park (PNU) in order to develop recreational and leisure activities in a quality environment. In order to complete the knowledge of soil contamination and to assess the transfer of contaminants to the terrestrial ecosystem, a biological characterization of soils located in different areas was carried out using six bioindicators: bioindicators of accumulation which allowed to evaluate the transfers of soil contaminants towards the first 2 steps of a trophic chain (plants and soil fauna, e.g. snails), bioindicators of effects (Omega 3 index was used to assess the effects of soil contamination and to measure their impact on plants), bioindicators of soil functioning (measurement of microbial biomass, nematodes and earthworm community) ; the interest of these last bioindicators is that they also act on the functioning of ecosystems as on the dynamics of organic matter (mineralization) but also on the structuring of the soils. The results from 14 measurement points demonstrated the relatively low average transfers towards the plants and soil fauna although the transfers can be changing a lot in relation to heterogeneity of soil contamination. Results obtained from other bioindicators (nematodes, earthworms and bacterial biomass) showed that the different soils are on average of good biological quality and can benefit from a diversity and abundance of communities of soil organisms. The data obtained in this program underline that these tools can be used to evaluate soil functions (habitat for biodiversity, soil capacity to store contaminants, etc.) and, consequently, the services that the soil can give to humans. Moreover, these biological tools allowed to assess the biological quality of soils and their compatibility with the soil use and the necessity of soil remediation (excavation of hot-spots, surface cover etc ..).Taking into account not only the behavior of soil contaminants but also the environmental factors that influence the biological functioning of the soil, these tools can be useful for land management of large-scale sites and for brownfield conquest.

Uncertainty indication in soil function maps - transparent and easy-to-use information to support sustainable use of soil resources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greiner, Lucie; Nussbaum, Madlene; Papritz, Andreas; Zimmermann, Stephan; Gubler, Andreas; Grêt-Regamey, Adrienne; Keller, Armin

2018-05-01

Spatial information on soil function fulfillment (SFF) is increasingly being used to inform decision-making in spatial planning programs to support sustainable use of soil resources. Soil function maps visualize soils abilities to fulfill their functions, e.g., regulating water and nutrient flows, providing habitats, and supporting biomass production based on soil properties. Such information must be reliable for informed and transparent decision-making in spatial planning programs. In this study, we add to the transparency of soil function maps by (1) indicating uncertainties arising from the prediction of soil properties generated by digital soil mapping (DSM) that are used for soil function assessment (SFA) and (2) showing the response of different SFA methods to the propagation of uncertainties through the assessment. For a study area of 170 km2 in the Swiss Plateau, we map 10 static soil sub-functions for agricultural soils for a spatial resolution of 20 × 20 m together with their uncertainties. Mapping the 10 soil sub-functions using simple ordinal assessment scales reveals pronounced spatial patterns with a high variability of SFF scores across the region, linked to the inherent properties of the soils and terrain attributes and climate conditions. Uncertainties in soil properties propagated through SFA methods generally lead to substantial uncertainty in the mapped soil sub-functions. We propose two types of uncertainty maps that can be readily understood by stakeholders. Cumulative distribution functions of SFF scores indicate that SFA methods respond differently to the propagated uncertainty of soil properties. Even where methods are comparable on the level of complexity and assessment scale, their comparability in view of uncertainty propagation might be different. We conclude that comparable uncertainty indications in soil function maps are relevant to enable informed and transparent decisions on the sustainable use of soil resources.

Environmental sciences information storage and retrieval system

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Engstrom, D.E.; White, M.G.; Dunaway, P.B.

Reynolds Electrical and Engineering Co., Inc. (REECo), has since 1970 accumulated information relating to the AEC's Nevada Applied Ecology Group (NAEG) programs at the Nevada Test Site (NTS). These programs, involving extensive soil, vegetation, and small-animal studies, have generated informational data concerning the collecting, processing, analyzing, and shipping of sample materials to various program participants and contractors. Future plans include incorporation of Lawrence Livermore Laboratory's resuspension study data, REECo's on-site air data, and EPA's large-animal, off-site air, and off-site soil data. (auth)

Demonstration Results for the Phytoextraction of Lead-Contaminated Soil at the Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant, Arden Hills, Minnesota

DTIC Science & Technology

2000-07-01

and leachate collection prior to approval of future phytoextraction at sites such as this. Lead Phytoremediation Demonstration 8-1...number) FIELD GROUP SUB-GROUP Phytoremediation of Lead-Contaminated Soil 19. ABSTRACT (Continue on reverse if necessary and identify by block number...editions are obsolete SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF THIS PAGE Lead Phytoremediation Demonstration

Can we manipulate root system architecture to control soil erosion?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ola, A.; Dodd, I. C.; Quinton, J. N.

2015-03-01

Soil erosion is a major threat to soil functioning. The use of vegetation to control erosion has long been a topic for research. Much of this research has focused on the above ground properties of plants, demonstrating the important role that canopy structure and cover plays in the reduction of water erosion processes. Less attention has been paid to plant roots. Plant roots are a crucial yet under-researched factor for reducing water erosion through their ability to alter soil properties, such as aggregate stability, hydraulic function and shear strength. However, there have been few attempts to manipulate plant root system properties to reduce soil erosion. Therefore, this review aims to explore the effects that plant roots have on soil erosion and hydrological processes, and how plant root architecture might be manipulated to enhance its erosion control properties. We clearly demonstrate the importance of root system architecture for the control of soil erosion. We also demonstrate that some plant species respond to nutrient enriched patches by increasing lateral root proliferation. The soil response to root proliferation will depend upon its location: at the soil surface dense mats of roots may block soil pores thereby limiting infiltration, enhancing runoff and thus erosion; whereas at depth local increases in shear strength may reinforce soils against structural failure at the shear plane. Additionally, in nutrient deprived regions, root hair development may be stimulated and larger amounts of root exudates released, thereby improving aggregate stability and decreasing erodibility. Utilising nutrient placement at depth may represent a potentially new, easily implemented, management strategy on nutrient poor agricultural land or constructed slopes to control erosion, and further research in this area is needed.

US Policy approaches for assessing soil health

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

There is worldwide recognition for a more holistic vision of soil health and tools to guide soil conservation policy, management and restoration. To meet this need, U.S. conservation programs in the US Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (the farm bill), including the Conservation Stewardship...

Control of Groundwater Remediation Process as Distributed Parameter System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mendel, M.; Kovács, T.; Hulkó, G.

2014-12-01

Pollution of groundwater requires the implementation of appropriate solutions which can be deployed for several years. The case of local groundwater contamination and its subsequent spread may result in contamination of drinking water sources or other disasters. This publication aims to design and demonstrate control of pumping wells for a model task of groundwater remediation. The task consists of appropriately spaced soil with input parameters, pumping wells and control system. Model of controlled system is made in the program MODFLOW using the finitedifference method as distributed parameter system. Control problem is solved by DPS Blockset for MATLAB & Simulink.

30 CFR 816.200 - Interpretative rules related to general performance standards.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... demonstrate that the resulting soil medium is equal to or more suitable for sustaining revegetation than the...: (i) U.S. Department of Agriculture Soil Conservation Service published data based on established soil series; (ii) U.S. Department of Agriculture Soil Conservation Service Technical Guides; (iii) State...

30 CFR 816.200 - Interpretative rules related to general performance standards.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... demonstrate that the resulting soil medium is equal to or more suitable for sustaining revegetation than the...: (i) U.S. Department of Agriculture Soil Conservation Service published data based on established soil series; (ii) U.S. Department of Agriculture Soil Conservation Service Technical Guides; (iii) State...

30 CFR 817.200 - Interpretative rules related to general performance standards.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... demonstrate that the resulting soil medium is equal to or more suitable for sustaining revegetation than the...: (i) U.S. Department of Agriculture Soil Conservation Service published data based on established soil series; (ii) U.S. Department of Agriculture Soil Conservation Service Technical Guides; (iii) State...

Laboratory Experiment on Electrokinetic Remediation of Soil

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elsayed-Ali, Alya H.; Abdel-Fattah, Tarek; Elsayed-Ali, Hani E.

2011-01-01

Electrokinetic remediation is a method of decontaminating soil containing heavy metals and polar organic contaminants by passing a direct current through the soil. An undergraduate chemistry laboratory is described to demonstrate electrokinetic remediation of soil contaminated with copper. A 30 cm electrokinetic cell with an applied voltage of 30…

30 CFR 817.200 - Interpretative rules related to general performance standards.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... demonstrate that the resulting soil medium is equal to or more suitable for sustaining revegetation than the...: (i) U.S. Department of Agriculture Soil Conservation Service published data based on established soil series; (ii) U.S. Department of Agriculture Soil Conservation Service Technical Guides; (iii) State...

30 CFR 817.200 - Interpretative rules related to general performance standards.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... demonstrate that the resulting soil medium is equal to or more suitable for sustaining revegetation than the...: (i) U.S. Department of Agriculture Soil Conservation Service published data based on established soil series; (ii) U.S. Department of Agriculture Soil Conservation Service Technical Guides; (iii) State...

30 CFR 817.200 - Interpretative rules related to general performance standards.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... demonstrate that the resulting soil medium is equal to or more suitable for sustaining revegetation than the...: (i) U.S. Department of Agriculture Soil Conservation Service published data based on established soil series; (ii) U.S. Department of Agriculture Soil Conservation Service Technical Guides; (iii) State...

30 CFR 816.200 - Interpretative rules related to general performance standards.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... demonstrate that the resulting soil medium is equal to or more suitable for sustaining revegetation than the...: (i) U.S. Department of Agriculture Soil Conservation Service published data based on established soil series; (ii) U.S. Department of Agriculture Soil Conservation Service Technical Guides; (iii) State...

30 CFR 816.200 - Interpretative rules related to general performance standards.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... demonstrate that the resulting soil medium is equal to or more suitable for sustaining revegetation than the...: (i) U.S. Department of Agriculture Soil Conservation Service published data based on established soil series; (ii) U.S. Department of Agriculture Soil Conservation Service Technical Guides; (iii) State...

30 CFR 816.200 - Interpretative rules related to general performance standards.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... demonstrate that the resulting soil medium is equal to or more suitable for sustaining revegetation than the...: (i) U.S. Department of Agriculture Soil Conservation Service published data based on established soil series; (ii) U.S. Department of Agriculture Soil Conservation Service Technical Guides; (iii) State...

30 CFR 817.200 - Interpretative rules related to general performance standards.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... demonstrate that the resulting soil medium is equal to or more suitable for sustaining revegetation than the...: (i) U.S. Department of Agriculture Soil Conservation Service published data based on established soil series; (ii) U.S. Department of Agriculture Soil Conservation Service Technical Guides; (iii) State...

EVALUATION OF A SOIL AMENDMENT PROCESS DEMONSTRATION FOR REDUCING THE BIOAVAILABILITY OF LEAD

EPA Science Inventory

The USEPA evaluated an in situ application of a soil amendment process at a residential site that was contaminated with lead. The goal of the evaluation was to determine if the soil amendment process resulted in lower concentrations of bioavailable lead in the contaminated soils...

DEMONSTRATION BULLETIN: NEW YORK STATE MULTI-VENDOR BIOREMEDIATION - ENSR CONSULTING AND ENGINEERING/LARSEN ENGINEERS EX-SITU BIOVAULT

EPA Science Inventory

The ENSR Biovault Treatment Process is an ex-situ bioremediation technology for the treatment of organic contaminated soils. Contaminated soils placed in specially designed soil piles, referred to as biovaults, are remediated by stimulating the indigenous soil microbes to prolife...

DEMONSTRATION BULLETIN: MOBILE VOLUME REDUCTION UNIT - U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

EPA Science Inventory

The Volume Reduction Unit (VRU), which was developed by EPA, is a mobile, pilot-scale soil washing system for stand-alone field use in cleaning soil contaminated with hazardous substances. Removal efficiencies depend on the contaminant as well as the type of soil. Soil washing...

Sensible heat balance measurements of soil water evaporation beneath a maize canopy

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Soil water evaporation is an important component of the water budget in a cropped field. Few methods are available for continuous and independent measurement of soil water evaporation. A sensible heat balance (SHB) approach has recently been demonstrated for continuously determining soil water evapo...

Impacts of anaerobic soil disinfestation and chemical fumigation on soil microbial communities in field tomato production system

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Anaerobic soil disinfestation (ASD), a potential alternative to chemical fumigation for controlling soilborne pathogens, has been demonstrated in several agricultural production systems. Soil microbial community as affected by ASD is considered one of the major factors responsible for pathogen suppr...

Corrosion and Coatings Review of Specifications and Drawings of Facilities for the Oman Military Construction Program at Masirah Island, Oman.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-12-01

5 Background Objective Approach Scope of Work Organization 2 SUMMARY OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS AT MASIRAH ISLAND ................. 7 Soil ...CONDITIONS AT MASIRAH ISLAND Soil Resistivity Values for the soil resistivity at this location are not readily avail- able. It is, however, considered...to be a very aggressive soil with high amounts of chlorides and sulfates, which can be converted to corrosive sul- -. fides. Soil samples will be

Computer-Controlled Microwave Drying of Potentially Difficult Organic and Inorganic Soils

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-12-01

materials, fly ash, gypsum rich soils, calcite rich soils, organic clay,, peat, and halloysite rich soils. Because specimen sizes too large to be...measurement Field monitoring equipment User’s manual 19. A3STRACT (Continued). materials, organic clay, fly ash, and calcite rich soils are demonstrated...39 Factors Influencing Dehydration ..................................... 42 PART X: STUDIES OF CALCITE

Research and management of soil, plant, animal, and human resources in the Middle Rio Grande Basin

Treesearch

Deborah M. Finch

1996-01-01

The Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station initiated a research program in 1994 called. "Ecology, diversity, and sustainability of soil, plant, animal, and human resources of the Rio Grande Basin". This program is funded by an Ecosystem Management grant from Forest Service Research. Its mission focuses on the development and application of new...

Long-term soil productivity: genesis of the concept and principles behind the program

Treesearch

Robert F. Powers

2006-01-01

The capacity of a forest site to capture carbon and convert it into biomass defines fundamental site productivity. In the United States, the National Forest Management Act (NFMA) of 1976 mandates that this capacity must be protected on federally managed lands. Responding to NFMA, the USDA Forest Service began a soil-based monitoring program for its managed forests....

Decrease in zinc adsorption onto soil in the presence of EPS-rich and EPS-poor Pseudomonas aureofaciens.

PubMed

Drozdova, O Yu; Pokrovsky, O S; Lapitskiy, S A; Shirokova, L S; González, A G; Demin, V V

2014-12-01

The adsorption of Zn onto the humic and illuvial horizons of the podzol soil in the presence of soil bacteria was studied using a batch-reactor technique as a function of the pH (from 2 to 9) and the Zn concentration in solution (from 0.076mM to 0.760mM). Exopolysaccharides-forming aerobic heterotrophs Pseudomonas aureofaciens were added at 0.1 and 1.0gwetL(-1) concentrations to two different soil horizons, and Zn adsorption was monitored as a function of the pH and the dissolved-Zn concentration. The pH-dependent adsorption edge demonstrated more efficient Zn adsorption by the humic horizon than the mineral horizon at otherwise similar soil concentrations. The Zn adsorption onto the EPS-poor strain was on slightly lower than that onto EPS-rich bacteria. Similar differences in the adsorption capacities between the soil and bacteria were also detected by "langmuirian" constant-pH experiments conducted in soil-Zn and bacteria-Zn binary systems. The addition of 0.1gwetL(-1)P. aureofaciens to a soil-bacteria system (4gdryL(-1)soil) resulted in statistically significant decrease in the adsorption yield, which was detectable from both the pH-dependent adsorption edge and the constant-pH isotherm experiments. Increasing the amount of added bacteria to 1gwetL(-1) further decreased the overall adsorption in the full range of the pH. This decrease was maximal for the EPS-rich bacteria and minimal for the EPS-poor bacteria (a factor of 2.8 and 2.2 at pH=6.9, respectively). These observations in binary and ternary systems were further rationalized by linear-programming modeling of surface equilibria that revealed the systematic differences in the number of binding sites and the surface-adsorption constant of zinc onto the two soil horizons with and without bacteria. The main finding of this work is that the adsorption of Zn onto the humic soil-bacteria system is lower than that in pure, bacteria-free soil systems. This difference is statistically significant (p<0.05). As such, EPS-rich bacteria are capable of efficiently shielding the soil particles from heavy-metal adsorption. The removal efficiency of heavy metals in an abiotic organic-rich soil system should therefore be significantly higher than that in the presence of bacteria. This effect can be explained by the shielding of strongly bound metal sites on the organic-rich soil particles by inert bacterial exopolysaccharides. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effect of Quaternary Ammonium Salts with Fluorine Atoms on Selected Weed Species.

PubMed

Biczak, Robert; Pawłowska, Barbara; Płatkowski, Maciej; Stręk, Michał; Telesiński, Arkadiusz

2017-04-01

This study investigated the effects of four structurally different quaternary ammonium salts (QASs), i.e., tetrabutylammonium tetrafluoroborate [TBA][BF 4 ], tetrahexylammonium tetrafluoroborate [THA][BF 4 ], tetrabutylammonium hexafluorophosphate [TBA][PF 6 ], and tetrahexylammonium hexafluorophosphate [THA][PF 6 ], on the growth and development of three weed species: gallant soldier (Galinsoga parviflora Cav.), white goosefoot (Chenopodium album L.) and common sorrel (Rumex acetosa L.). The examined compounds were applied in the form of foliar spraying and soil application. Strong herbicidal properties of the examined compounds were demonstrated in case of their soil application. Growth inhibition of plant shoots and roots was greater with soil application than with foliar treatment. The strongest herbicidal activity of compounds was demonstrated with [TBA][BF 4 ] have demonstrated [TBA][BF 4 ] and [TBA][PF 6 ] applied to the soil, while [THA][BF 4 ] demonstrated the weakest herbicidal action. The increased concentration of applied QASs caused a decrease in the assimilation pigments, change in dry weight content and inhibition of length of shoots and roots.

Selected Aspects of Soil Science History in the USA - 1980s to the 2010s

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brevik, Eric C.; Homburg, Jeffrey A.; Miller, Bradley A.; Fenton, Thomas E.; Doolittle, James A.; Indorante, Samuel J.

2017-04-01

The beginning of the 20th century through the 1970s were good times for soil science in the USA, with relatively strong funding and overall growth in the profession. However, the soil science discipline in the USA hit hard times in the 1980s and 1990s. Federal funding for soil survey work began to decline as did student numbers in university programs and membership in the Soil Science Society of America (SSSA). Despite this, there were still many positive advances within soil science in the USA during these two decades. There was an increased use of geophysical instrumentation, remote sensing, geographic information systems (GIS), and global positioning systems (GPS), and research began in digital soil mapping, all of which lead to better understanding of the spatial distribution and variability of soils. Many NRCS soil products were put online, making them widely available to the general public, and the use of soil knowledge was expanded into new areas such as archaeology and environmental work, and historic connections to geology were re-established. While expansion into new areas required soil science to evolve as a field, separating the discipline to an extent from its agricultural roots, it also helped reinvigorate the discipline. As we move through the early parts of the 21st century, student numbers are increasing in university soil science programs and membership in SSSA is at an all-time high. Digital soil mapping is being incorporated into the National Cooperative Soil Survey, and the impact of humans on the soil system is being fully recognized. The importance of soils is being recognized by events such as the United Nations declaration of 2015 as the "International Year of Soils". The expansion of soils into new areas and widening recognition of the importance of soils gives the field hope for a bright future in the USA.

The impact of single-tree selection and clearcut harvest on selected biochemical soil health indicators at the Missouri Forest Ecosystem Program and Long Term Soil Productivity sites in the Missouri Ozarks

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The objective of this study was to evaluate carbon, nitrogen, sulfur and phosphorus (CNSP) cycling and to determine potential biochemical soil health indicators applicable to timber harvesting in the Missouri Ozarks. Soil samples were collected from the Missouri Forest Ecosystem Project (MOFEP) and ...

Determination of $sup 241$Am in soil using an automated nuclear radiation measurement laboratory

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Engstrom, D.E.; White, M.G.; Dunaway, P.B.

The recent completion of REECo's Automated Laboratory and associated software systems has provided a significant increase in capability while reducing manpower requirements. The system is designed to perform gamma spectrum analyses on the large numbers of samples required by the current Nevada Applied Ecology Group (NAEG) and Plutonium Distribution Inventory Program (PDIP) soil sampling programs while maintaining sufficient sensitivities as defined by earlier investigations of the same type. The hardware and systems are generally described in this paper, with emphasis being placed on spectrum reduction and the calibration procedures used for soil samples. (auth)

Teaching Soil Science in Primary and Secondary Schools

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Levine, Elissa R.

1998-01-01

Earth's thin layer of soil is a fragile resource, made up of minerals, organic materials, air, water, and billions of living organisms. Soils plays a variety of critical roles that sustain life on Earth. If we think about soil, we tend to see it first as the source of most of the food we eat and the fibers we use, such as wood and cotton. Few students realize that soils also provide the key ingredients to many of the medicines (including antibiotics), cosmetics, and dyes that we use. Fewer still understand the importance of soils in integrating, controlling, and regulating the movement of air, water, materials, and energy between the hydrosphere, lithosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere. Because soil sustains life, it offers both a context and a natural laboratory for investigating these interactions. The enclosed poster, which integrates soil profiles with typical landscapes in which soils form, can also help students explore the interrelationships of Earth systems and gain an understanding of our soil resources. The poster, produced jointly by the American Geological Institute and the Soil Science Society of America, aims to increase awareness of the importance of soil, as does the GLOBE (Global Learning and Observations To Benefit the Environment) Program. Vice President Al Gore instituted the GLOBE Program on Earth Day of 1993 to increase environmental awareness of individuals throughout the world, contribute to a better scientific understanding of the Earth, and help all students reach higher levels of achievement in science and mathematics. GLOBE functions as a partnership between scientists, students, and teachers in which scientists design protocols for specific measurements they need for their research that can be performed by K-12 students. Teachers are trained in the GLOBE protocols and teach them to their students. Students make the measurements, enter data via the Internet to a central data archive, and the data becomes available to scientists and the general community. Students benefit by having a "hands-on"experience in science, math, and technology, using their local environment as a learning laboratory, as well as contact with scientists and other students around the world. Soil investigations have become an essential component of GLOBE. The protocols that have been developed so far within the GLOBE program include GPS Location, Atmosphere/Climate, Soil Characterization, Soil Moisture and Temperature, Land Cover/Biometry, Hydrology, and Satellite Image Classification. For the GLOBE Soil Characterization Protocol, students explore the physical. chemical, and morphological properties of the soil at their study site. They are asked to dig a pit or use an auger to about 1 meter at at least 2 sites.

Divergent taxonomic and functional responses of microbial communities to field simulation of aeolian soil erosion and deposition.

PubMed

Ma, Xingyu; Zhao, Cancan; Gao, Ying; Liu, Bin; Wang, Tengxu; Yuan, Tong; Hale, Lauren; Nostrand, Joy D Van; Wan, Shiqiang; Zhou, Jizhong; Yang, Yunfeng

2017-08-01

Aeolian soil erosion and deposition have worldwide impacts on agriculture, air quality and public health. However, ecosystem responses to soil erosion and deposition remain largely unclear in regard to microorganisms, which are the crucial drivers of biogeochemical cycles. Using integrated metagenomics technologies, we analysed microbial communities subjected to simulated soil erosion and deposition in a semiarid grassland of Inner Mongolia, China. As expected, soil total organic carbon and plant coverage were decreased by soil erosion, and soil dissolved organic carbon (DOC) was increased by soil deposition, demonstrating that field simulation was reliable. Soil microbial communities were altered (p < .039) by both soil erosion and deposition, with dramatic increase in Cyanobacteria related to increased stability in soil aggregates. amyA genes encoding α-amylases were specifically increased (p = .01) by soil deposition and positively correlated (p = .02) to DOC, which likely explained changes in DOC. Surprisingly, most of microbial functional genes associated with carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium cycling were decreased or unaltered by both erosion and deposition, probably arising from acceleration of organic matter mineralization. These divergent responses support the necessity to include microbial components in evaluating ecological consequences. Furthermore, Mantel tests showed strong, significant correlations between soil nutrients and functional structure but not taxonomic structure, demonstrating close relevance of microbial function traits to nutrient cycling. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

7 CFR 205.203 - Soil fertility and crop nutrient management practice standard.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... (CONTINUED) ORGANIC FOODS PRODUCTION ACT PROVISIONS NATIONAL ORGANIC PROGRAM Organic Production and Handling... materials. (c) The producer must manage plant and animal materials to maintain or improve soil organic... fertility to maintain or improve soil organic matter content in a manner that does not contribute to...

Initial validation of the Soil Moisture Active Passive mission using USDA-ARS watersheds

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) Mission was launched in January 2015 to measure global surface soil moisture. The calibration and validation program of SMAP relies upon an international cooperative of in situ networks to provide ground truth references across a variety of landscapes. The U...

MICHIGAN SOIL VAPOR EXTRACTION REMEDIATION (MISER) MODEL: A COMPUTER PROGRAM TO MODEL SOIL VAPORT EXTRACTION AND BIOVENTING OF ORGANIC MATERIALS IN UNSATURATED GEOLOGICAL MATERIAL

EPA Science Inventory

This report describes the formulation, numerical development, and use of a multiphase, multicomponent, biodegradation model designed to simulate physical, chemical, and biological interactions occurring primarily in field scale soil vapor extraction (SVE) and bioventing (B...

7 CFR 1465.3 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... law for the express purpose of developing and carrying out a local soil and water conservation program. Such district or unit of government may be referred to as a “conservation district,” “soil conservation district,” “soil and water conservation district,” “resource conservation district,” “natural resource...

Soils element activities for the period October 1973--September 1974

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fowler, E.B.; Essington, E.H.; White, M.G.

Soils Element activities were conducted on behalf of the U. S. Atomic Energy Commission's Nevada Applied Ecology Group (NAEG) program to provide source term information for the other program elements and maintain continuous cognizance of program requirements for sampling, sample preparation, and analysis. Activities included presentation of papers; participation in workshops; analysis of soil, vegetation, and animal tissue samples for $sup 238$Pu, $sup 239-240$Pu, $sup 241$Am, $sup 137$Cs, $sup 60$Co, and gamma scan for routine and laboratory quality control purposes; preparation and analysis of animal tissue samples for NAEG laboratory certification; studies on a number of analytical, sample preparation, andmore » sample collection procedures; and contributions to the evaluation of procedures for calculation of specialized counting statistics. (auth)« less

Diversity and succession of autotrophic microbial community in high-elevation soils along deglaciation chronosequence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kong, W.; Liu, J.

2016-12-01

Global warming has resulted in substantial glacier retreats in high-elevation areas, exposing deglaciated soils to harsh environmental conditions. Autotrophic microbes are pioneering colonizers in the deglaciated soils and provide nutrients to the extreme ecosystem devoid of vegetation. However, autotrophic communities remain less studied in deglaciated soils. We explored the diversity and succession of the cbbL gene encoding the large subunit of form I RubisCO, a key CO2-fixing enzyme, using molecular methods in deglaciated soils along a 10-year deglaciation chronosequence on the Tibetan Plateau. Our results demonstrated that the abundance of all types of form I cbbL (IA/B, IC and ID) rapidly increased in young soils (0-2.5 years old) and kept stable in old soils. Soil total organic carbon (TOC) and total nitrogen (TN) gradually increased along the chronosequence and both demonstrated positive correlations with the abundance of bacteria and autotrophs, indicating that soil TOC and TN originated from autotrophs. Form IA/B autotrophs, affiliated with cyanobacteria, exhibited a substantially higher abundance than IC and ID. Cyanobacterial diversity and evenness increased in young soils (<6 years old) and then remained stable. Our findings suggest that cyabobacteria play an important role in accumulating TOC and TN in the deglaciated soils.

DEMONSTRATION BULLETIN: CYCLONE FURNACE SOIL VITRI- FICATION TECHNOLOGY - BABCOCK & WILCOX

EPA Science Inventory

Babcock and Wilcox's (B&W) cyclone furnace is an innovative thermal technology which may offer advantages in treating soils containing organics, heavy metals, and/or radionuclide contaminants. The furnace used in the SITE demonstration was a 4- to 6-million Btu/hr pilot system....

An Inexpensive and Simple Method to Demonstrate Soil Water and Nutrient Flow

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nichols, K. A.; Samson-Liebig, S.

2011-01-01

Soil quality, soil health, and soil sustainability are concepts that are being widely used but are difficult to define and illustrate, especially to a non-technical audience. The objectives of this manuscript were to develop simple and inexpensive methodologies to both qualitatively and quantitatively estimate water infiltration rates (IR),…

Mapping high-resolution soil moisture and properties using distributed temperature sensing data and an adaptive particle batch smoother

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

This study demonstrated a new method for mapping high-resolution (spatial: 1 m, and temporal: 1 h) soil moisture by assimilating distributed temperature sensing (DTS) observed soil temperatures at intermediate scales. In order to provide robust soil moisture and property estimates, we first proposed...

DEMONSTRATION BULLETIN: CLOR-N-SOIL PCB TEST KIT L2000 PCB/CHLORIDE ANALYZER - DEXSIL CORP.

EPA Science Inventory

DEXSIL CORP(Environmental Test Kits)The Dexsil Corporation (Dexsil) produces two test kits that detect polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) in soil: the Dexsil Clor-N-Soil PCB Screening Kit, and the Dexsil L2000 PCB/Chloride Analyzer. The Dexsil Clor-N-Soil PCB Screening Kit extr...

Evaluation of Ku-Band Sensitivity To Soil Moisture: Soil Moisture Change Detection Over the NAFE06 Study Area

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

A very promising technique for spatial disaggregation of soil moisture is on the combination of radiometer and radar observations. Despite their demonstrated potential for long term large scale monitoring of soil moisture, passive and active have their disadvantages in terms of temporal and spatial ...

Modelling fungal growth in heterogeneous soil: analyses of the effect of soil physical structure on fungal community dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Falconer, R.; Radoslow, P.; Grinev, D.; Otten, W.

2009-04-01

Fungi play a pivital role in soil ecosystems contributing to plant productivity. The underlying soil physical and biological processes responsible for community dynamics are interrelated and, at present, poorly understood. If these complex processes can be understood then this knowledge can be managed with an aim to providing more sustainable agriculture. Our understanding of microbial dynamics in soil has long been hampered by a lack of a theoretical framework and difficulties in observation and quantification. We will demonstrate how the spatial and temporal dynamics of fungi in soil can be understood by linking mathematical modelling with novel techniques that visualise the complex structure of the soil. The combination of these techniques and mathematical models opens up new possibilities to understand how the physical structure of soil affects fungal colony dynamics and also how fungal dynamics affect soil structure. We will quantify, using X ray tomography, soil structure for a range of artificially prepared microcosms. We characterise the soil structures using soil metrics such as porosity, fractal dimension, and the connectivity of the pore volume. Furthermore we will use the individual based fungal colony growth model of Falconer et al. 2005, which is based on the physiological processes of fungi, to assess the effect of soil structure on microbial dynamics by qualifying biomass abundances and distributions. We demonstrate how soil structure can critically affect fungal species interactions with consequences for biological control and fungal biodiversity.

Results of the 1998 Field Demonstration and Preliminary Implementation Guidance for Phytoremediation of Lead-Contaminated Soil at the Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant, Arden Hills, Minnesota

DTIC Science & Technology

1999-03-01

Results of the 1998 Field Demonstration and Preliminary Implementation Guidance for Phytoremediation of Lead-Contaminated Soil at the Twin... Phytoremediation of Lead-Contaminated Soil at the Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant, Arden Hills, Minnesota. 12. PERSONAL AUTHOR(S) A. P. Behel, Jr...CODES FIELD GROUP SUB-GROUP 18. SUBJECT TERMS (Continue on reverse if necessary and identify by block number) Phytoremediation of Lead-Contaminated

Property-tax incentives for implementing soil-conservation programs under constitutional taxing limitations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Massey, D.T.; Silver, M.B.

1982-01-01

This article describes how property-tax incentives can be used to implement soil-conservation programs on agricultural and open-space lands under the differential-assessment statutes and other exceptions to constitutional limitations on taxation powers. The article describes restrictions imposed on taxing powers by the constitutional uniformity clauses and methods for circumventing those limitations; various property-tax incentives available for conservation programs; types of differential or use-value assessments providing property-tax relief for farm, forest, and open-space land preservation; eligibility of lands for differential assessments; methods available to landowners for participation in differential assessments; and determination of value under differential assessment. The article next details howmore » each of the three primary types of differential or use-value assessment statutes for farm, forest, and open-space land preservation provides exceptions to the uniformity clauses for property tax incentives to implement soil-conservation programs. Other methods available for providing exceptions to the uniformity clauses to permit property-tax incentives are also described for each of the three states. Each of these states has statutes giving favorable tax treatment to certain types of property, such as pollution-abatement equipment, alternative energy-producing devices, and even country clubs. These statutes can be used as examples of finding a constitutional method for providing favorabe tax treatment to promote participation in soil-conservation programs.« less

Measurement and Modeling of Fugitive Dust from Off Road DoD Activities

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-12-08

each soil and vehicle type (see Table 2). Note, no tracked vehicles were run at YTC. CT is the curve track sampling location, CR is the curve ridge...Soil is SL = sandy loam. ...................... 116 Figure 35. Single-event Wind Erosion Evaluation Program (SWEEP) Run example results. ... 121...Figure 36. Single-event Wind Erosion Evaluation Program (SWEEP) Threshold Run example results screen

[Study on a new prevention and control model on soil-borne parasitic diseases in rural areas of China].

PubMed

Li, Xue-Ming; Chen, Ying-Dan; Xu, Long-Qi; Zhou, Chang-Hai; Ou-Yang, Yi; Lin, Rui; Yang, Fang-Fang; Zhang, Xiao-Juan; Wang, Ge; Liu, Teng; Wang, Jing

2011-12-01

To explore a new prevention and control model on soil-borne parasitic diseases in rural areas of China. Eight provinces and autonomous regions were selected in China as demonstration areas implementing integrated control on soil-borne parasitic diseases. The integrated control measures included authority organization and harmonization, health education, deworming, and environment modification. After three years, the infection rates of soil-borne parasitic diseases were significantly decreased in these areas. There were three safe guard and organization modes, three health education modes, four mass worming medication modes, and two modes of water, toilet and environment changes. The work in the various demonstration areas was summarized which pointed out a new model with efficiency and local characteristics on soil-borne parasitic disease prevention and control.

2004 Environmental Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Althouse, P E; Bertoldo, N A; Brown, R A

2005-09-28

The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) annual Environmental Report, prepared for the Department of Energy (DOE) and made available to the public, presents summary environmental data that characterizes site environmental management performance, summarizes environmental occurrences and responses reported during the calendar year, confirms compliance with environmental standards and requirements, and highlights significant programs and efforts. By explaining the results of effluent and environmental monitoring, mentioning environmental performance indicators and performance measure programs, and assessing the impact of Laboratory operations on the environment and the public, the report also demonstrates LLNL's continuing commitment to minimize any potentially adverse impact of itsmore » operations. The combination of environmental and effluent monitoring, source characterization, and dose assessment showed that radiological doses to the public caused by LLNL operations in 2004 were less than 0.26% of regulatory standards and more than 11,000 times smaller than dose from natural background. Analytical results and evaluations generally showed continuing low levels of most contaminants; remediation efforts further reduced the concentrations of contaminants of concern in groundwater and soil vapor. In addition, LLNL's extensive environmental compliance activities related to water, air, endangered species, waste, wastewater, and waste reduction controlled or reduced LLNL's effects on the environment. LLNL's environmental program clearly demonstrates a commitment to protecting the environment from operational impacts.« less

Effects of organic matter removal, soil compaction, and vegetation control on 5-year seedling performance: a regional comparison of long-term soil productivity sites

Treesearch

Robert L. Fleming; Robert F. Powers; Neil W. Foster; J. Marty Kranabetter; D. Andrew Scott; Felix Jr. Ponder; Shannon Berch; William K. Chapman; Richard D. Kabzems; Kim H. Ludovici; David M. Morris; Deborah S. Page-Dumroese; Paul T. Sanborn; Felipe G. Sanchez; Douglas M. Stone; Allan E. Tiarks

2006-01-01

We examined fifth-year seedling response to soil disturbance and vegetation control at 42 experimental locations representing 25 replicated studies within the North American Long-Term Soil Productivity (LTSP) program. These studies share a common experimental design while encompassing a wide range of climate, site conditions, and forest types. Whole-tree harvest had...

Soil biota reduce allelopathic effects of the invasive Eupatorium adenophorum.

PubMed

Zhu, Xunzhi; Zhang, Jintun; Ma, Keping

2011-01-01

Allelopathy has been hypothesized to play a role in exotic plant invasions, and study of this process can improve our understanding of how direct and indirect plant interactions influence plant community organization and ecosystem functioning. However, allelopathic effects can be highly conditional. For example allelopathic effects demonstrated in vivo can be difficult to demonstrate in field soils. Here we tested phytotoxicity of Eupatorium adenophorum (croftonweed), one of the most destructive exotic species in China, to a native plant species Brassica rapa both in sand and in native soil. Our results suggested that natural soils from different invaded habitats alleviated or eliminated the efficacy of potential allelochemicals relative to sand cultures. When that soil is sterilized, the allelopathic effects returned; suggesting that soil biota were responsible for the reduced phytotoxicity in natural soils. Neither of the two allelopathic compounds (9-Oxo-10,11-dehydroageraphorone and 9b-Hydroxyageraphorone) of E. adenophorum could be found in natural soils infested by the invader, and when those compounds were added to the soils as leachates, they showed substantial degradation after 24 hours in natural soils but not in sand. Our findings emphasize that soil biota can reduce the allelopathic effects of invaders on other plants, and therefore can reduce community invasibility. These results also suggest that soil biota may have stronger or weaker effects on allelopathic interactions depending on how allelochemicals are delivered.

Soil Biota Reduce Allelopathic Effects of the Invasive Eupatorium adenophorum

PubMed Central

Zhu, Xunzhi; Zhang, Jintun; Ma, Keping

2011-01-01

Allelopathy has been hypothesized to play a role in exotic plant invasions, and study of this process can improve our understanding of how direct and indirect plant interactions influence plant community organization and ecosystem functioning. However, allelopathic effects can be highly conditional. For example allelopathic effects demonstrated in vivo can be difficult to demonstrate in field soils. Here we tested phytotoxicity of Eupatorium adenophorum (croftonweed), one of the most destructive exotic species in China, to a native plant species Brassica rapa both in sand and in native soil. Our results suggested that natural soils from different invaded habitats alleviated or eliminated the efficacy of potential allelochemicals relative to sand cultures. When that soil is sterilized, the allelopathic effects returned; suggesting that soil biota were responsible for the reduced phytotoxicity in natural soils. Neither of the two allelopathic compounds (9-Oxo-10,11-dehydroageraphorone and 9b-Hydroxyageraphorone) of E. adenophorum could be found in natural soils infested by the invader, and when those compounds were added to the soils as leachates, they showed substantial degradation after 24 hours in natural soils but not in sand. Our findings emphasize that soil biota can reduce the allelopathic effects of invaders on other plants, and therefore can reduce community invasibility. These results also suggest that soil biota may have stronger or weaker effects on allelopathic interactions depending on how allelochemicals are delivered. PMID:21980442

Determining the frequency, depth and velocity of preferential flow by high frequency soil moisture monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hardie, Marcus; Lisson, Shaun; Doyle, Richard; Cotching, William

2013-01-01

Preferential flow in agricultural soils has been demonstrated to result in agrochemical mobilisation to shallow ground water. Land managers and environmental regulators need simple cost effective techniques for identifying soil - land use combinations in which preferential flow occurs. Existing techniques for identifying preferential flow have a range of limitations including; often being destructive, non in situ, small sampling volumes, or are subject to artificial boundary conditions. This study demonstrated that high frequency soil moisture monitoring using a multi-sensory capacitance probe mounted within a vertically rammed access tube, was able to determine the occurrence, depth, and wetting front velocity of preferential flow events following rainfall. Occurrence of preferential flow was not related to either rainfall intensity or rainfall amount, rather preferential flow occurred when antecedent soil moisture content was below 226 mm soil moisture storage (0-70 cm). Results indicate that high temporal frequency soil moisture monitoring may be used to identify soil type - land use combinations in which the presence of preferential flow increases the risk of shallow groundwater contamination by rapid transport of agrochemicals through the soil profile. However use of high frequency based soil moisture monitoring to determine agrochemical mobilisation risk may be limited by, inability to determine the volume of preferential flow, difficulty observing macropore flow at high antecedent soil moisture content, and creation of artificial voids during installation of access tubes in stony soils.

Statistical Assessment of a Paired-site Approach for Verification of Carbon and Nitrogen Sequestration on CRP Land

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kucharik, C.; Roth, J.

2002-12-01

The threat of global climate change has provoked policy-makers to consider plausible strategies to slow the accumulation of greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide, in the atmosphere. One such idea involves the sequestration of atmospheric carbon (C) in degraded agricultural soils as part of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). While the potential for significant C sequestration in CRP grassland ecosystems has been demonstrated, the paired-site sampling approach traditionally used to quantify soil C changes has not been evaluated with robust statistical analysis. In this study, 14 paired CRP (> 8 years old) and cropland sites in Dane County, Wisconsin (WI) were used to assess whether a paired-site sampling design could detect statistically significant differences (ANOVA) in mean soil organic C and total nitrogen (N) storage. We compared surface (0 to 10 cm) bulk density, and sampled soils (0 to 5, 5 to 10, and 10 to 25 cm) for textural differences and chemical analysis of organic matter (OM), soil organic C (SOC), total N, and pH. The CRP contributed to lowering soil bulk density by 13% (p < 0.0001) and increased SOC and OM storage (kg m-2) by 13 to 17% in the 0 to 5 cm layer (p = 0.1). We tested the statistical power associated with ANOVA for measured soil properties, and calculated minimum detectable differences (MDD). We concluded that 40 to 65 paired sites and soil sampling in 5 cm increments near the surface were needed to achieve an 80% confidence level (α = 0.05; β = 0.20) in soil C and N sequestration rates. Because soil C and total N storage was highly variable among these sites (CVs > 20%), only a 23 to 29% change in existing total organic C and N pools could be reliably detected. While C and N sequestration (247 kg C ha{-1 } yr-1 and 17 kg N ha-1 yr-1) may be occurring and confined to the surface 5 cm as part of the WI CRP, our sampling design did not statistically support the desired 80% confidence level. We conclude that usage of statistical power analysis is essential to insure a high level of confidence in soil C and N sequestration rates that are quantified using paired plots.

Multifrequency remote sensing of soil moisture. [Guymon, Oklahoma and Dalhart, Texas

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Theis, S. W.; Mcfarland, M. J.; Rosenthal, W. D.; Jones, C. L. (Principal Investigator)

1982-01-01

Multifrequency sensor data collected at Guymon, Oklahoma and Dalhart, Texas using NASA's C-130 aircraft were used to determine which of the all-weather microwave sensors demonstrated the highest correlation to surface soil moisture over optimal bare soil conditions, and to develop and test techniques which use visible/infrared sensors to compensate for the vegetation effect in this sensor's response to soil moisture. The L-band passive microwave radiometer was found to be the most suitable single sensor system to estimate soil moisture over bare fields. In comparison to other active and passive microwave sensors the L-band radiometer (1) was influenced least by ranges in surface roughness; (2) demonstrated the most sensitivity to soil moisture differences in terms of the range of return from the full range of soil moisture; and (3) was less sensitive to errors in measurement in relation to the range of sensor response. L-band emissivity related more strongly to soil moisture when moisture was expressed as percent of field capacity. The perpendicular vegetation index as determined from the visible/infrared sensors was useful as a measure of the vegetation effect on the L-band radiometer response to soil moisture.

Biomimetic Hydrogel Composites for Soil Stabilization and Contaminant Mitigation.

PubMed

Zhao, Zhi; Hamdan, Nasser; Shen, Li; Nan, Hanqing; Almajed, Abdullah; Kavazanjian, Edward; He, Ximin

2016-11-15

We have developed a novel method to synthesize a hyper-branched biomimetic hydrogel network across a soil matrix to improve the mechanical strength of the loose soil and simultaneously mitigate potential contamination due to excessive ammonium. This method successfully yielded a hierarchical structure that possesses the water retention, ion absorption, and soil aggregation capabilities of plant root systems in a chemically controllable manner. Inspired by the robust organic-inorganic composites found in many living organisms, we have combined this hydrogel network with a calcite biomineralization process to stabilize soil. Our experiments demonstrate that poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) can work synergistically with enzyme-induced carbonate precipitation (EICP) to render a versatile, high-performance soil stabilization method. PAA-enhanced EICP provides multiple benefits including lengthening of water supply time, localization of cementation reactions, reduction of harmful byproduct ammonium, and achievement of ultrahigh soil strength. Soil crusts we have obtained can sustain up to 4.8 × 10 3 kPa pressure, a level comparable to cementitious materials. An ammonium removal rate of 96% has also been achieved. These results demonstrate the potential for hydrogel-assisted EICP to provide effective soil improvement and ammonium mitigation for wind erosion control and other applications.

Proximal soil sensing: global perspective

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

As a result of a number of naturally occurring processes and cultural practices, the characteristics of soils demonstrate substantial spatial heterogeneity that affects current land use. From infrastructure development to agriculture, spatial variability in soils must be taken into account in order ...

Environmental Fate and Transport of a New Energetic Material CL-20

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-02-01

toxicity of metabolic byproducts of energetic soil contaminants was demonstrated by Lachance et al. (2004) in a study investigating the effects on... Soil ..................................................................................................................................... 7 5.2 Test...Preparation of Soil ..................................................................................................................... 9 5.4 Aquatic Test

Expedient Membrane-Encapsulated Soil Layer (Mesl) Construction In Cold Weather

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2000-07-01

A new method of constructing membrane-encapsulated soil layers (MESLs) using plastic membranes, geotextiles, tapes for sealing the membranes, and absorbents for drying the soil was demonstrated. These materials would allow construction of a MESL in c...

KSC-00pp0103

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-01-25

On top of the block house at Launch Complex 34, representatives from environmental and Federal agencies hear from Laymon Gray, with Florida State University, about the environmental research project that involves the Department of Defense, Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Energy and NASA in a groundwater cleanup effort. Concentrations of trichloroethylene solvent have been identified in the soil at the complex as a result of cleaning methods for rocket parts during the Apollo Program, which used the complex, in the 60s. The group formed the Interagency NDAPL Consortium (IDC) to study three contamination cleanup technologies: Six Phase Soil Heating, Steam Injection and In Situ Oxidation with Potassium Permanganate. All three methods may offer a way to remove the contaminants in months instead of decades. In the background (left) can be seen the cement platform and walkway from the block house to the pad. Beyond it is the Atlantic Ocean. KSC hosted a two-day conference that presented information and demonstrations of the three technologies being tested at the site

KSC00pp0103

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-01-25

On top of the block house at Launch Complex 34, representatives from environmental and Federal agencies hear from Laymon Gray, with Florida State University, about the environmental research project that involves the Department of Defense, Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Energy and NASA in a groundwater cleanup effort. Concentrations of trichloroethylene solvent have been identified in the soil at the complex as a result of cleaning methods for rocket parts during the Apollo Program, which used the complex, in the 60s. The group formed the Interagency NDAPL Consortium (IDC) to study three contamination cleanup technologies: Six Phase Soil Heating, Steam Injection and In Situ Oxidation with Potassium Permanganate. All three methods may offer a way to remove the contaminants in months instead of decades. In the background (left) can be seen the cement platform and walkway from the block house to the pad. Beyond it is the Atlantic Ocean. KSC hosted a two-day conference that presented information and demonstrations of the three technologies being tested at the site

Design and Test of an Improved Crashworthiness Small Composite Airframe

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Terry, James E.; Hooper, Steven J.; Nicholson, Mark

2002-01-01

The purpose of this small business innovative research (SBIR) program was to evaluate the feasibility of developing small composite airplanes with improved crashworthiness. A combination of analysis and half scale component tests were used to develop an energy absorbing airframe. Four full scale crash tests were conducted at the NASA Impact Dynamics Research Facility, two on a hard surface and two onto soft soil, replicating earlier NASA tests of production general aviation airplanes. Several seat designs and restraint systems including both an air bag and load limiting shoulder harnesses were tested. Tests showed that occupant loads were within survivable limits with the improved structural design and the proper combination of seats and restraint systems. There was no loss of cabin volume during the events. The analysis method developed provided design guidance but time did not allow extending the analysis to soft soil impact. This project demonstrated that survivability improvements are possible with modest weight penalties. The design methods can be readily applied by airplane designers using the examples in this report.

77 FR 31443 - Energy Conservation Program: Test Procedures for Residential Dishwashers, Dehumidifiers, and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-05-25

... dishwashers with a separate soil- sensing cycle, and the normal cycle definition, power supply and detergent... Soiling Requirements 5. Detergent Dosing Specifications E. Incorporation by Reference of an Updated AHAM...: (1) The addition of a method to rate the efficiency of soil-sensing products; (2) the addition of a...

Adoption of Soil Health Improvement Strategies by Australian Farmers: II. Impediments and Incentives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bennett, J. McL.; Cattle, S. R.

2014-01-01

Purpose: Many farmers remain hesitant to implement structured management plans and strategies tailored to address soil health, irrespective of mounting scientific evidence for the credibility of certain soil health indicators, an increase in the reporting of program benefits and progress in communicating these benefits. Hence, the purpose of this…

Soil Heat Flow. Physical Processes in Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecosystems, Transport Processes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simpson, James R.

These materials were designed to be used by life science students for instruction in the application of physical theory to ecosystem operation. Most modules contain computer programs which are built around a particular application of a physical process. Soil heat flow and the resulting soil temperature distributions have ecological consequences…

DISTRIBUTION OF PARAMETERS DETERMINING BIOAVAILABILITY OF METALS IN EUROPEAN SOILS

EPA Science Inventory

As part of a program to develop a predictive model of bioavailability and toxicity of copper in soils to terrestrial organisms, 19 soils from 9 countries of the EU were collected and analyzed for use in bioavailability tests. However, it is desired that the model be of use on a ...

U.S.-MEXICO BORDER PROGRAM ARIZONA BORDER STUDY--STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE FOR SOIL CHARACTERIZATION (UA-L-11.1)

EPA Science Inventory

The purpose of this SOP is to describe the procedures to be followed in splitting and determining the grain size characteristics, electrical conductivity, and pH of the "Composite Soil" and "Foundation Soil" samples. This procedure applies to the general characterization of sedi...

USEPA'S RESEARCH PROGRAM ON REMEDIATION AND CONTAINMENT OF ARSENIC AND MERCURY IN SOILS, INDUSTRIAL WASTES, AND GROUNDWATER

EPA Science Inventory

In the U.S. and around the world, mercury and arsenic contaminated soils, industrial wastes, and groundwater are difficult to effectively and cheaply remediate and contain. Mercury is a serious health concern and has been identified as a contaminant in the air, soil, sediment, su...

Microbial responses to disturbance following the conversion of CRP land to cropland under water limiting conditions

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The conversion of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) lands to croplands potentially reduces ecological benefits such as high soil health condition that resist to disturbance (i.e. extreme weather). Soil CO2 flux primarily comes from root and microbes’ respirations and is sensitive to changes in soil...

Apollo program soil mechanics experiment. [interaction of the lunar module with the lunar surface

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scott, R. F.

1975-01-01

The soil mechanics investigation was conducted to obtain information relating to the landing interaction of the lunar module (LM) with the lunar surface, and lunar soil erosion caused by the spacecraft engine exhaust. Results obtained by study of LM landing performance on each Apollo mission are summarized.

Results of analysis of flight and ground observation materials for first year of first stage of ""Program of experimental research to develop methods for remote sounding of soils and vegetation on analogous sections of the United States and USSR for 1975-1980''

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1978-01-01

A joint U.S.S.R. and United States program to develop methods for remote sounding of soils and vegetation is reported. The program is being conducted on similar sections of land in the USSR and the United States. Details of the data obtained and the type of sensing equipments employed are provided in the appendices.

The Role of Soil Solarization in India: How an Unnoticed Practice Could Support Pest Control.

PubMed

Gill, Harsimran K; Aujla, Iqbal S; De Bellis, Luigi; Luvisi, Andrea

2017-01-01

Plant protection represents one of the strategies to fill the yield gap and to achieve food security, a key topic for India development. Analysis of climate risks for crops indicates that South Asia is one of the regions most exposed to the adverse impact on many plants that are relevant to inhabitants exposed to food safety risks. Furthermore, accumulation of pesticide residues in the aquatic and other ecosystems is becoming a significant threat in India. These perspectives require to develop programs of crop protection that can be feasible according to Indian rural development and pollution policy. Here we review the research works done on soil solarization in India. Soil solarization (also called plasticulture) is an eco-friendly soil disinfestations method for managing soil-borne plant pathogens. This is the process of trapping solar energy by moist soil covered with transparent polyethylene films and chemistry, biology and physical properties of soil are involved in pest control. So far, this technique is applied in more than 50 countries, mostly in hot and humid regions. India has 29 states and these states fall under five climatic zones, from humid to arid ones. We report pest management application in different climatic zones and their effects on production, weeds, nematodes, and pathogenic microorganisms. The analysis of soil temperatures and crop protection results indicate as environmental requirement for soil solarization fits in most of Indian rural areas. Soil solarization is compatible with future Indian scenarios and may support Indian national food security programs.

The contribution of Japanese Soil Science Societies to scientific knowledge, education and sustainability: Good practices in the International Year of Soils 2015 towards the International Decade of Soils.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kosaki, Takashi; Matoh, Toru; Inubushi, Kazuyuki; Sakurai, Katsutoshi

2017-04-01

The soil science community in Japan includes ca. 15,000 individuals from a variety of sectors, i.e. research, education, extension, business, national and local government, practitioners, non-governmental or non-profit organizations, etc., who have mostly (multi-)membership(s) in some of the academic societies. Among those societies, the Japanese Society of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, the Japanese Society of Soil Microbiology and the Japanese Society of Pedology played a leading role in the promotion of the International Year of Soils 2015. The activities, many of which were jointly organized and executed by the above three, can be summarized as follows; Scientific symposiums/workshops not only within the societies but together with other disciplines such as geosciences, quaternary research, biogeochemistry, ecology, biosciences, geotechnology, etc. in national as well as international gatherings, Symposiums, (mobile) exhibitions, photo contests, science cafes, talk shows, field days, agricultural fairs, edutainment programs for school children, etc. for promoting the public awareness of soil and soil science, Publication of the books and booklets on the topics of soils, soil science, soil and environment (and/or food, life, human security, etc.), targeting the moderately educated public, Articles in selected newspapers, Distribution or sale of the novelty/memorial goods and items, e.g. soil globe, logo stickers, specially brewed Sake wines, etc. Translation of "Vienna Soil Declaration" of the IUSS into Japanese language and its distribution to the public, and Scientific and action proposal and its international dispatch of "The need to reinforce soil science research and the information basis to respond to both gradual and sudden changes in our environment" together with the Science Council of Japan. Scientific forums and gatherings as symposiums and workshops with other disciplines were successful and satisfied by most of the participants. Those for the general public were, however, not very much well known or widely accepted and thus were attended only by one to two hundred participants. Mobile exhibitions were well attended by the public and the educational programs out-of-doors for school children (with their parents) co-organized by a private (and environment conservation-oriented) company were very successful in terms of the promotion of the public awareness as well as CSR activities of a business firm. The TV stations paid a very little attention in broadcasting special and/or educational programs on soil and soil science. Based on the above experiences and evaluation, the societies are now planning next activities and actions aiming at the goals of the International Decade of Soils 2015-2024 and the UN SDGs till 2030.

Field demonstration of reduction of lead availability in soil and cabbage (Brassica Chinensis L.) contaminated by mining tailings using phosphorus fertilizers*

PubMed Central

Xie, Zheng-miao; Wang, Bi-ling; Sun, Ye-fang; Li, Jing

2006-01-01

A field demonstration of reduction of lead availability in a soil and cabbage (Brassica Chinensis L.) contaminated by mining tailings, located in Shaoxing, China was carried out to evaluate the effects of applications of phosphorus fertilizers on Pb fractionation and Pb phytoavailability in the soil. It was found that the addition of all three P fertilizers including single super phosphate (SSP), phosphate rock (PR), and calcium magnesium phosphate (CMP) significantly decreased the percentage of water-soluble and exchangeable (WE) soil Pb and then reduced the uptake of Pb, Cd, and Zn by the cabbage compared to the control (CK). The results showed that the level of 300 g P/m2 soil was the most cost-effective application rate of P fertilizers for reducing Pb availability at the first stage of remediation, and that at this P level, the effect of WE fraction of Pb in the soil decreased by three phosphorus fertilizers followed the order: CMP (79%)>SSP (41%)>PR (23%); Effectiveness on the reduction of Pb uptake by cabbage was in the order: CMP (53%)>SSP (41%)>PR (30%). Therefore our field trial demonstrated that it was effective and feasible to reduce Pb availability in soil and cabbage contaminated by mining tailings using P fertilizers in China and PR would be a most cost-effective amendment. PMID:16365925

Estimation of the Potential for Atrazine Transport in a Silt Loam Soil

USGS Publications Warehouse

Eckhardt, D.A.V.; Wagenet, R.J.

1996-01-01

The transport potential of the herbicide atrazine (2-chloro-4-ethyl-6-isopropyl-s-triazine) through a 1-meter-thick root zone of corn (Zea mays L.) in a silty-loam soil in Kansas was estimated for a 22-year period (1972-93) using the one-dimensional water-flow and solute-transport model LEACHM. Results demonstrate that, for this soil, atrazine transport is directly related to the amount and timing of rain that follows spring applications of atrazine. Two other critical transport factors were important in wet years - [1] variability in atrazine application rate, and [2] atrazine degradation rates below the root zone. Results demonstrate that the coincidence of heavy rain soon after atrazine application can cause herbicide to move below the rooting zone into depths at which biodegradation rates are assumed to be low but are often unknown. Atrazine that reaches below the rooting zone and persists in the underlying soil can subsequently be transported into ground water as soil water drains, typically after the growing season. A frequency analysis of atrazine concentrations in subsurface drainage, combined with field data, demonstrates the relative importance of critical transport factors and confirms a need for definitive estimates of atrazine-degradation rates below the root zone. The analysis indicates that periodic leaching of atrazine can be expected for this soil when rainfall that exceeds 20 cm/mo coincides with atrazine presence in soil.

Lithologic Control on the Form of Soil Mantled Hillslopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnstone, S. A.; Hilley, G. E.

2014-12-01

Slopes on steady-state soil-mantled hillslopes tend to increase downslope in a way that balances local transport capacity with the sediment supplied from progressively larger source areas. Most predictions for the transport of soil depend purely on topographic slope and constants. Thus, soil mantled topography should evolve toward smooth forms in which soils act to buffer these forms from the underlying geologic structure. However, in the Gabilan Mesa, CA, oscillations in the slope of soil-mantled hillslopes mirror oscillations in the underlying stratigraphy. Using field measurements of stratigraphy and soil depths, topographic analysis, and numerical modeling, we demonstrate that variations in rock type can impact the form of soil-mantled hillslopes. Specifically, variations in the properties of underlying rocks may yield different soil thicknesses. Balancing transport rates across these variations in thickness requires slopes to change when soil transport depends on both soil thickness and slope. A compilation of published data on the variation in activity with depth of various transport processes provides the basis for a geomorphic transport law (GTL) that generalizes the depth dependence of various transport processes. While this GTL is explicitly depth dependent, it is also capable of describing situations in which hillslope transport is relatively insensitive to variations in thickness and therefore essentially equivalent to existing formulations. We use dimensional analysis and numerical modeling to demonstrate the conditions under which transport on soil mantled slopes, and consequently topographic forms, may be sensitive to variations in soil thickness and therefore lithology.

Spatial distribution patterns of soil mite communities and their relationships with edaphic factors in a 30-year tillage cornfield in northeast China.

PubMed

Liu, Jie; Gao, Meixiang; Liu, Jinwen; Guo, Yuxi; Liu, Dong; Zhu, Xinyu; Wu, Donghui

2018-01-01

Spatial distribution is an important topic in community ecology and a key to understanding the structure and dynamics of populations and communities. However, the available information related to the spatial patterns of soil mite communities in long-term tillage agroecosystems remains insufficient. In this study, we examined the spatial patterns of soil mite communities to explain the spatial relationships between soil mite communities and soil parameters. Soil fauna were sampled three times (August, September and October 2015) at 121 locations arranged regularly within a 400 m × 400 m monitoring plot. Additionally, we estimated the physical and chemical parameters of the same sampling locations. The distribution patterns of the soil mite community and the edaphic parameters were analyzed using a range of geostatistical tools. Moran's I coefficient showed that, during each sampling period, the total abundance of the soil mite communities and the abundance of the dominant mite populations were spatially autocorrelated. The soil mite communities demonstrated clear patchy distribution patterns within the study plot. These patterns were sampling period-specific. Cross-semivariograms showed both negative and positive cross-correlations between soil mite communities and environmental factors. Mantel tests showed a significant and positive relationship between soil mite community and soil organic matter and soil pH only in August. This study demonstrated that in the cornfield, the soil mite distribution exhibited strong or moderate spatial dependence, and the mites formed patches with sizes less than one hundred meters. In addition, in this long-term tillage agroecosystem, soil factors had less influence on the observed pattern of soil mite communities. Further experiments that take into account human activity and spatial factors should be performed to study the factors that drive the spatial distribution of soil microarthropods.

DEMONSTRATION BULLETIN: SOIL/SEDIMENT WASHING SYSTEM BERGMANN USA

EPA Science Inventory

The Bergmann USA Soil/Sediment Washing System is a waste minimization technique designed to separate or "partition" soils and sediments by grain size and density. In this water-based volume reduction process, hazardous contaminants are concentrated into a small residual portion...

Scour in cohesive soils

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-05-01

This study of scour in cohesive soils had two objectives. The first was to introduce and demonstrate a new ex situ erosion testing device (ESTD) that can mimic the near-bed flow of open channels to erode cohesive soils within a specified range of she...

Biases of chamber methods for measuring soil CO2 efflux demonstrated with a laboratory apparatus.

Treesearch

S. Mark Nay; Kim G. Mattson; Bernard T. Bormann

1994-01-01

Investigators have historically measured soil CO2 efflux as an indicator of soil microbial and root activity and more recently in calculations of carbon budgets. The most common methods estimate CO2 efflux by placing a chamber over the soil surface and quantifying the amount of CO2 entering the...

MoisturEC: A New R Program for Moisture Content Estimation from Electrical Conductivity Data.

PubMed

Terry, Neil; Day-Lewis, Frederick D; Werkema, Dale; Lane, John W

2018-03-06

Noninvasive geophysical estimation of soil moisture has potential to improve understanding of flow in the unsaturated zone for problems involving agricultural management, aquifer recharge, and optimization of landfill design and operations. In principle, several geophysical techniques (e.g., electrical resistivity, electromagnetic induction, and nuclear magnetic resonance) offer insight into soil moisture, but data-analysis tools are needed to "translate" geophysical results into estimates of soil moisture, consistent with (1) the uncertainty of this translation and (2) direct measurements of moisture. Although geostatistical frameworks exist for this purpose, straightforward and user-friendly tools are required to fully capitalize on the potential of geophysical information for soil-moisture estimation. Here, we present MoisturEC, a simple R program with a graphical user interface to convert measurements or images of electrical conductivity (EC) to soil moisture. Input includes EC values, point moisture estimates, and definition of either Archie parameters (based on experimental or literature values) or empirical data of moisture vs. EC. The program produces two- and three-dimensional images of moisture based on available EC and direct measurements of moisture, interpolating between measurement locations using a Tikhonov regularization approach. Published 2018. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

Recent Enrollment Trends in American Soil Science Programs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brevik, Eric C.; Abit, Sergio; Brown, David; Dolliver, Holly; Hopkins, David; Lindbo, David; Manu, Andrew; Mbila, Monday; Parikh, Sanjai J.; Schulze, Darrell; Shaw, Joey; Weil, Ray; Weindorf, David

2015-04-01

Soil science student enrollment was on the decline in the United States from the early 1990s through the early 2000s. Overall undergraduate student enrollment in American colleges and universities rose by about 11% over the same time period. This fact created considerable consternation among the American soil science community. As we head into the International Year of Soil, it seemed to be a good time to revisit this issue and examine current enrollment trends. Fourteen universities that offer undergraduate and/or graduate programs in soil science were surveyed for their enrollments over the time period 2007-2014 (the last seven academic years). The 14 schools represent about 20% of the institutions that offer soil science degrees/programs in the United States. Thirteen institutions submitted undergraduate data and 10 submitted graduate data, which was analyzed by individual institution and in aggregate. Simple linear regression was used to find the slope of best-fit trend lines. For individual institutions, a slope of ≥ 0.5 (on average, the school gained 0.5 students per year or more) was considered to be growing enrollment, ≤ -0.5 was considered shrinking enrollment, and between -0.5 and 0.5 was considered to be stable enrollment. For aggregated data, the 0.5 slope standard was multiplied by the number of schools in the aggregated survey to determine whether enrollment was growing, shrinking, or stable. Over the period of the study, six of the 13 schools reporting undergraduate data showed enrollment gains, five of the 13 showed stable enrollments, one of the 13 showed declining enrollments, and one of the 13 discontinued their undergraduate degree program. The linear regression trend line for the undergraduate schools' composite data had a slope of 55.0 students/year (R2 = 0.96), indicating a strong overall trend of undergraduate enrollment growth at these schools. However, the largest school had also seen large growth in enrollment. To ensure that this one institution was not masking an overall declining enrollment trend, the regression was also run with that institution removed. This gave a linear trend line with a slope of 6.6 students/year (R2 = 0.90), indicating more moderate growth but still a trend towards growth in undergraduate enrollment. Four of the 10 graduate programs showed enrollment gains, five of the 10 showed stable enrollments, and one of the 10 showed declining enrollments. The linear regression trend line for the composite graduate school data had a slope of 12.0 students/year (R2 = 0.97), indicating an overall trend of enrollment growth at these schools. As a whole, both the undergraduate and graduate programs investigated showed moderate growth trends, which represent a reversal of enrollment trends reported at the beginning of the 21st Century. Challenges in obtaining the data used for this study included 1) differences in data collection and archiving by institutions and 2) only some schools still offer a soil science degree; many schools offer another degree (e.g., agricultural studies, agronomy, environmental resource science, environmental science, plant and soil science, etc.) with a soils option or emphasis. In the second case it was necessary to identify which students in these other degree programs pursued the soil science option or emphasis.

7 CFR 610.2 - Scope.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... NRCS. This program is designed to: (1) Reduce soil losses from erosion; (2) Help solve soil, water, and agricultural waste management problems; (3) Bring about adjustments in land use as needed; (4) Reduce damage...

Capacities of Candidate Herbaceous Plants for Phytoremediation of Soil-based TNT and RDX on Ranges

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-09-01

ER D C TR -0 8- 8 Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program Capacities of Candidate Herbaceous Plants for Phytoremediation ...Research and Development Program ERDC TR-08-8 September 2008 Capacities of Candidate Herbaceous Plants for Phytoremediation of Soil-based TNT and RDX...phytoextraction/plant-assisted phytoremediation capacity, both species of the uptaker/degrader type. Three other species were recommended for further

Identifying Geographic Areas at Risk of Soil-transmitted Helminthes Infection Using Remote Sensing and Geographical Information Systems: Boaco, Nicaragua as a Case Study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moreno, Max J.; Al-Hamdan, Mohammad Z.; Parajon, David G.; Rickman, Douglas L.; Luvall, Jeffrey; Estes, Sue; Podest, Erika

2011-01-01

Several types of intestinal nematodes, that can infect humans and specially school-age children living in poverty, develop part of their life cycle in soil. Presence and survival of these parasites in the soil depend on given environmental characteristics like temperature and moisture that can be inferred with remote sensing (RS) technology. Prevalence of diseases caused by these parasitic worms can be controlled and even eradicated with anthelmintic drug treatments and sanitation improvement. Reliable and updated identification of geographic areas at risk is required to implement effective public health programs; to calculate amount of drug required and to distribute funding for sanitation projects. RS technology and geographical information systems (GIS) will be used to analyze for associations between in situ prevalence and remotely sensed data in order to establish RS proxies of environmental parameters that indicate the presence of these parasits. In situ data on helminthisasis will be overlaid over an ecological map derived from RS data using ARC Map 9.3 (ESRI). Temperature, vegetation, and distance to bodies of water will be inferred using data from Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and Landsat TM and ETM+. Elevation will be estimated with data from The Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM). Prevalence and intensity of infections are determined by parasitological survey (Kato Katz) of children enrolled in rural schools in Boaco, Nicaragua, in the communities of El Roblar, Cumaica Norte, Malacatoya 1, and Malacatoya 2). This study will demonstrate the importance of an integrated GIS/RS approach to define clusters and areas at risk. Such information will help to the implementation of time and cost efficient control programs and sanitation efforts.

75 FR 11195 - Central Arkansas National Wildlife Refuge Complex, Arkansas

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-10

... units, moist-soil units, open water areas, grassland/scrub- shrub areas, and the Big Lake Wilderness. We... forest, moist-soil, scrub- shrub, grassland, and aquatic management programs in order to increase...

Development of a Micro-UAV Hyperspectral Imaging Platform for Assessing Hydrogeological Hazards

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Z.; Alabsi, M.

2015-12-01

The exacerbating global weather changes have cast significant impacts upon the proportion of water supplied to agriculture. Therefore, one of the 21stCentury Grant Challenges faced by global population is securing water for food. However, the soil-water behavior in an agricultural environment is complex; among others, one of the key properties we recognize is water repellence or hydrophobicity, which affects many hydrogeological and hazardous conditions such as excessive water infiltration, runoff, and soil erosion. Under a US-Israel research program funded by USDA and BARD at Israel, we have proposed the development of a novel micro-unmanned aerial vehicle (micro-UAV or drone) based hyperspectral imaging platform for identifying and assessing soil repellence at low altitudes with enhanced flexibility, much reduced cost, and ultimately easy use. This aerial imaging system consists of a generic micro-UAV, hyperspectral sensor aided by GPS/IMU, on-board computing units, and a ground station. The target benefits of this system include: (1) programmable waypoint navigation and robotic control for multi-view imaging; (2) ability of two- or three-dimensional scene reconstruction for complex terrains; and (3) fusion with other sensors to realize real-time diagnosis (e.g., humidity and solar irradiation that may affect soil-water sensing). In this talk we present our methodology and processes in integration of hyperspectral imaging, on-board sensing and computing, hyperspectral data modeling, and preliminary field demonstration and verification of the developed prototype.

DEVELOPMENT OF ELECTRO-ACOUSTIC SOIL DECONTAMINATION (ESD) FOR IN-SITU APPLICATIONS

EPA Science Inventory

The technical feasibility of electro-acoustic soil decontamination process through lab experiments demonstrated the removal/-concentration of heavy metals such as cadmium and zinc. Results of the decane contaminated soils were, however, inconclusive. The ESD process is based on t...

DEMONSTRATION BULLETIN: ENVIROGARD™ PCB TEST KIT - MILLIPORE, INC.

EPA Science Inventory

The EnviroGard™ polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) immunoassay test kit rapidly analyzes for PCB concentrations in soils. Soil sample extracts are added to test tubes coated with antibodies that bind PCB molecules. The excess soil extracts are washed out of the tubes after incubat...

EVALUATION OF SOLIDIFICATION/STABILIZATION AS A BEST DEMONSTRATED AVAILABLE TECHNOLOGY FOR CONTAMINATED SOILS

EPA Science Inventory

This project involved the evaluation of solidification/stabilization technology as a BDAT for contaminated soil. Three binding agents were used on four different synthetically contaminated soils. Performance evaluation data included unconfined compressive strength (UCS) and the T...

Strategies to improve reference databases for soil microbiomes

DOE PAGES

Choi, Jinlyung; Yang, Fan; Stepanauskas, Ramunas; ...

2016-12-09

A database of curated genomes is needed to better assess soil microbial communities and their processes associated with differing land management and environmental impacts. Interpreting soil metagenomic datasets with existing sequence databases is challenging because these datasets are biased towards medical and biotechnology research and can result in misleading annotations. We have curated a database of 928 genomes of soil-associated organisms (888 bacteria, 34 archaea, and 6 fungi). Using this database as a representation of the current state of knowledge of soil microbes that are well-characterized, we evaluated its composition and compared it to broader microbial databases, specifically NCBI’s RefSeq,more » as well as 3,035 publicly available soil amplicon datasets. These comparisons identified phyla and functions that are enriched in soils as well as those that may be underrepresented in RefSoil. For example, RefSoil was observed to have increased representation of Firmicutes despite its low abundance in soil environments and also lacked representation of Acidobacteria and Verrucomicrobia, which are abundant in soils. Our comparison of RefSoil to soil amplicon datasets allowed us to identify targets that if cultured or sequenced would significantly increase the biodiversity represented within RefSoil. To demonstrate the opportunities to access these underrepresented targets, we employed single cell genomics in a pilot experiment to recover 14 genomes from the "most wanted" list, which improved RefSoil's representation of EMP sequences by 7% by abundance. This effort demonstrates the value of RefSoil in the guidance of future research efforts and the capability of single cell genomics as a practical means to fill the existing genomic data gaps.« less

RHIZOSPHERE MICROBIOLOGY OF CHLORINATED ETHENE CONTAMINATED SOILS: EFFECTS ON PHOSPHOLIPID FATTY ACID CONTENT

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brigmon, R. L.; Stanhopc, A.; Franck, M. M.

2005-05-26

Microbial degradation of chlorinated ethenes (CE) in rhizosphere soils was investigated at seepline areas impacted by CE plumes. Successful bioremediation of CE in rhizosphere soils is dependent on microbial activity, soil types, plant species, and groundwater CE concentrations. Seepline soils were exposed to trichloroethylene (TCE) and perchloroethylene (PCE) in the 10-50 ppb range. Greenhouse soils were exposed to 2-10 ppm TCE. Plants at the seepline were poplar and pine while the greenhouse contained sweet gum, willow, pine, and poplar. Phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analyses were performed to assess the microbial activity in rhizosphere soils. Biomass content was lowest in themore » nonvegetated control soil and highest in the Sweet Gum soil. Bacterial rhizhosphere densities, as measured by PLFA, were similar in different vegetated soils while fungi biomass was highly variable. The PLFA soil profiles showed diverse microbial communities primarily composed of Gram-negative bacteria. Adaptation of the microbial community to CE was determined by the ratio of {omega}7t/{omega}7c fatty acids. Ratios (16:1{omega}7v16:1{omega}7c and 18:l{omega}7t/18:1{omega}7c) greater than 0.1 were demonstrated in soils exposed to higher CE concentrations (10-50 ppm), indicating an adaptation to CE resulting in decreased membrane permeability. Ratios of cyclopropyl fatty acids showed that the vegetated control soil sample contained the fastest microbial turnover rate and least amount of environmental stress. PLFA results provide evidence that sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB) are active in these soils. Microcosm studies with these soils showed CE dechlorinating activity was occurring. This study demonstrates microbial adaptation to environmental contamination and supports the application of natural soil rhizosphere activity as a remedial strategy.« less

Strategies to improve reference databases for soil microbiomes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Choi, Jinlyung; Yang, Fan; Stepanauskas, Ramunas

A database of curated genomes is needed to better assess soil microbial communities and their processes associated with differing land management and environmental impacts. Interpreting soil metagenomic datasets with existing sequence databases is challenging because these datasets are biased towards medical and biotechnology research and can result in misleading annotations. We have curated a database of 928 genomes of soil-associated organisms (888 bacteria, 34 archaea, and 6 fungi). Using this database as a representation of the current state of knowledge of soil microbes that are well-characterized, we evaluated its composition and compared it to broader microbial databases, specifically NCBI’s RefSeq,more » as well as 3,035 publicly available soil amplicon datasets. These comparisons identified phyla and functions that are enriched in soils as well as those that may be underrepresented in RefSoil. For example, RefSoil was observed to have increased representation of Firmicutes despite its low abundance in soil environments and also lacked representation of Acidobacteria and Verrucomicrobia, which are abundant in soils. Our comparison of RefSoil to soil amplicon datasets allowed us to identify targets that if cultured or sequenced would significantly increase the biodiversity represented within RefSoil. To demonstrate the opportunities to access these underrepresented targets, we employed single cell genomics in a pilot experiment to recover 14 genomes from the "most wanted" list, which improved RefSoil's representation of EMP sequences by 7% by abundance. This effort demonstrates the value of RefSoil in the guidance of future research efforts and the capability of single cell genomics as a practical means to fill the existing genomic data gaps.« less

An Arduino Based Citizen Science Soil Moisture Sensor in Support of SMAP and GLOBE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Podest, E.; Das, N. N.; Rajasekaran, E.; Jeyaram, R.; Lohrli, C.; Hovhannesian, H.; Fairbanks, G.

2017-12-01

Citizen science allows individuals anywhere in the world to engage in science by collecting environmental variables. One of the longest running platforms for the collection of in situ variables is the GLOBE program, which is international in scope and encourages students and citizen scientists alike to collect in situ measurements. NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) satellite mission, which has been acquiring global soil moisture measurements every 3 days of the top 5 cm of the soil since 2015, has partnered with the GLOBE program to engage students from around the world to collect in situ soil moisture and help validate SMAP measurements. The current GLOBE SMAP soil moisture protocol consists in collecting a soil sample, weighing, drying and weighing it again in order to determine the amount of water in the soil. Preparation and soil sample collection can take up to 20 minutes and drying can take up to 3 days. We have hence developed a soil moisture measurement device based on Arduino- microcontrollers along with off-the-shelf and homemade sensors that are accurate, robust, inexpensive and quick and easy to use so that they can be implemented by the GLOBE community and citizen scientists alike. In addition, we have developed a phone app, which interfaces with the Arduino, displays the soil moisture value and send the measurement to the GLOBE database. This talk will discuss building, calibration and validation of the soil moisture measuring device and assessing the quality of the measurements collected. This work was carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Full-Scale Incineration System Demonstration at the Naval Battalion Construction Center, Gulfport, Mississippi. Volume 8. Delisting

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-07-01

concerning disposition of soil that is considered hazardous after treatment. The report also documents the data collected in support of soil disposition...regulatory and technical lessons learned concerning disposition of soil after treatment. The report also documents the data collected in support of soil...were undertaken to support delisting of the soil, including the Wii / verification test burn, a RCRA trial burn, and data collected during routine

Sequential Desorption of Nitroaromatic Compounds (NAC) from Soils

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-03-01

the soil solution . Weissmahr et al. [20] suggest an electron donor acceptor (EDA) complex between oxygens of the siloxane surface of the clays and the...release of NACs into the soil solution . At high pH values desorption is superimposed by NACs hydrolysis. Therefore, in- creasing pH values impedes the...presented demonstrate that both the cation present in the soil solution and its concentration may affect the desorption behavior of NACs in contaminated soils

Linking Soils and Down Woody Material Inventories for Cohesive Assessments of Ecosystem Carbon Pools

Treesearch

Katherine P. O' Neill; Christopher Woodall; Michael Amacher; Geoffrey Holden

2005-01-01

The Soils and Down Woody Materials (DWM) indicators collected by the Forest Inventory and Analysis program provide the only data available for nationally consistent monitoring of carbon storage in soils, the forest floor, and down woody debris. However, these indicators were developed and implemented separately, resulting in field methods and compilation procedures...

Dynaflow User’s Guide

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-11-01

264 ANALYSIS RESTART. ............. ..... ....... 269 1.0 TITLE CARD. .............. ............. 271 2.0 CONTROL CARDS...stress soil model will provide a tool for such analysis of waterfront structures. To understand the significance of liquefaction, it is important to note...Implementing this effective stress soil model into a finite element computer program would allow analysis of soil and structure together. TECHNICAL BACKGROUND

Repeatability and Genotype x Environment Interaction of Intermediate Stage Sugarcane Selection Conducted on Sand and Organic soils

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The Florida cooperative sugarcane cultivar development program conducts all of its early selection stages on muck (organic) soils at the USDA-ARS Sugarcane Field Station in Canal Point. About 25% of the locations in the final two stages (Stages 3 and 4) are conducted on sand soils, after a reduction...

Materials Testing and Quality Control Soils, 3-28. Military Curriculum Materials for Vocational and Technical Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ohio State Univ., Columbus. National Center for Research in Vocational Education.

This instructional package on material testing and quality control of soils has been adapted from military curriculum materials for use in technical and vocational education programs. This short course presents basic information on soils as well as exploration, field identification, and laboratory procedures that will enable students completing…

Ex situ remediation of polluted soils by absorptive polymers, and a comparison of slurry and two-phase partitioning bioreactors for ultimate contaminant degradation.

PubMed

Tomei, M Concetta; Mosca Angelucci, Domenica; Annesini, M Cristina; Daugulis, Andrew J

2013-11-15

The present study has provided a comparison between a conventional ex situ method for the treatment of contaminated soil, a soil slurry bioreactor, with a novel technology in which a contaminant is rapidly and effectively removed from the soil by means of absorptive polymer beads, which are then added to a two-phase partitioning bioreactor (TPPB) for biodegradation of the target molecule. 4-nitrophenol (4NP) was selected as a model contaminant, being representative of a large class of xenobiotics, and the DuPont thermoplastic Hytrel™ 8206 was utilized for its extraction from soil over ranges of soil contamination level, soil moisture content, and polymer:soil ratios. Since the polymers were able to rapidly (up to 77% and 85% in 4 and 24h respectively) and selectively remove the contaminant, the soil retained its nutrient and microflora content, which is in contrast to soil washing which can remove these valuable soil resources. After 4h of reaction time, the TPPB system demonstrated removal efficiency four times higher (77% vs 20%) than the slurry system, with expected concomitant savings in time and energy. A volumetric removal rate of 75 mg4NPh(-1) L(-1) was obtained in the TPPB, significantly greater than the value of 1.7 obtained in the slurry bioreactor. The polymers were readily regenerated for subsequent reuse, demonstrating the versatility of the polymer-based soil treatment technology. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effect of carbonation on leachability, strength and microstructural characteristics of KMP binder stabilized Zn and Pb contaminated soils.

PubMed

Du, Yan-Jun; Wei, Ming-Li; Reddy, Krishna R; Wu, Hao-liang

2016-02-01

This study presents a systematic investigation of effects of carbonation on the contaminant leachability and unconfined compressive strength of KMP stabilized contaminated soils. A field soil spiked with Zn and Pb individually and together is stabilized using a new KMP additive under standard curing conditions and also with carbonation. The KMP additive is composed of oxalic acid-activated phosphate rock, monopotassium phosphate and reactive magnesia. The stabilized soils are tested for acid neutralization capacity, toxic characteristics leaching characteristics, contaminant speciation and unconfined compression strength. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope and energy dispersive spectroscopy analyses are performed to assess reaction products. The results demonstrate that carbonation increases both acid buffer capacity index and unconfined compressive strength, but decreases leachability of KMP stabilized soils. These results are interpreted based on the changes in chemical speciation of Zn and Pb and also stability and solubility of the reaction products (metal phosphates and carbonates) formed in the soils. Overall, this study demonstrates that carbonation has positive effects on leachability and strength of the KMP stabilized soils. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Long-term organic-inorganic fertilization ensures great soil productivity and bacterial diversity after natural-to-agricultural ecosystem conversion.

PubMed

Xun, Weibing; Xu, Zhihui; Li, Wei; Ren, Yi; Huang, Ting; Ran, Wei; Wang, Boren; Shen, Qirong; Zhang, Ruifu

2016-09-01

Natural ecosystems comprise the planet's wild plant and animal resources, but large tracts of land have been converted to agroecosystems to support the demand for agricultural products. This conversion limits the number of plant species and decreases the soil biological diversity. Here we used high-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing to evaluate the responses of soil bacterial communities in long-term converted and fertilized red soils (a type of Ferralic Cambisol). We observed that soil bacterial diversity was strongly affected by different types of fertilization management. Oligotrophic bacterial taxa demonstrated large relative abundances in chemically fertilized soil, whereas copiotrophic bacterial taxa were found in large relative abundances in organically fertilized and fallow management soils. Only organic-inorganic fertilization exhibited the same local taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity as that of a natural ecosystem. However, the independent use of organic or inorganic fertilizer reduced local taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity and caused biotic homogenization. This study demonstrated that the homogenization of bacterial communities caused by natural-to-agricultural ecosystem conversion can be mitigated by employing rational organic-inorganic fertilization management.

Modeling Coupled Movement of Water, Vapor, and Energy in Soils and at the Soil-Atmosphere Interface Using HYDRUS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simunek, Jiri; Brunetti, Giuseppe; Saito, Hirotaka; Bristow, Keith

2017-04-01

Mass and energy fluxes in the subsurface are closely coupled and cannot be evaluated without considering their mutual interactions. However, only a few numerical models consider coupled water, vapor and energy transport in both the subsurface and at the soil-atmosphere interface. While hydrological and thermal processes in the subsurface are commonly implemented in existing models, which often consider both isothermally and thermally induced water and vapor flow, the interactions at the soil-atmosphere interface are often simplified, and the effects of slope inclination, slope azimuth, variable surface albedo and plant shading on incoming radiation and spatially variable surface mass and energy balance, and consequently on soil moisture and temperature distributions, are rarely considered. In this presentation we discuss these missing elements and our attempts to implement them into the HYDRUS model. We demonstrate implications of some of these interactions and their impact on the spatial distributions of soil temperature and water content, and their effect on soil evaporation. Additionally, we will demonstrate the use of the HYDRUS model to simulate processes relevant to the ground source heat pump systems.

Optimization of a sample processing protocol for recovery of Bacillus anthracis spores from soil

USGS Publications Warehouse

Silvestri, Erin E.; Feldhake, David; Griffin, Dale; Lisle, John T.; Nichols, Tonya L.; Shah, Sanjiv; Pemberton, A; Schaefer III, Frank W

2016-01-01

Following a release of Bacillus anthracis spores into the environment, there is a potential for lasting environmental contamination in soils. There is a need for detection protocols for B. anthracis in environmental matrices. However, identification of B. anthracis within a soil is a difficult task. Processing soil samples helps to remove debris, chemical components, and biological impurities that can interfere with microbiological detection. This study aimed to optimize a previously used indirect processing protocol, which included a series of washing and centrifugation steps. Optimization of the protocol included: identifying an ideal extraction diluent, variation in the number of wash steps, variation in the initial centrifugation speed, sonication and shaking mechanisms. The optimized protocol was demonstrated at two laboratories in order to evaluate the recovery of spores from loamy and sandy soils. The new protocol demonstrated an improved limit of detection for loamy and sandy soils over the non-optimized protocol with an approximate matrix limit of detection at 14 spores/g of soil. There were no significant differences overall between the two laboratories for either soil type, suggesting that the processing protocol will be robust enough to use at multiple laboratories while achieving comparable recoveries.

A soil-landscape framework for understanding spatial and temporal variability in biogeochemical processes in catchments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McGuire, K. J.; Bailey, S. W.; Ross, D. S.

2017-12-01

Heterogeneity in biophysical properties within catchments challenges how we quantify and characterize biogeochemical processes and interpret catchment outputs. Interactions between the spatiotemporal variability of hydrological states and fluxes and soil development can spatially structure catchments, leading to a framework for understanding patterns in biogeochemical processes. In an upland, glaciated landscape at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest (HBEF) in New Hampshire, USA, we are embracing the structure and organization of soils to understand the spatial relations between runoff production zones, distinct soil-biogeochemical environments, and solute retention and release. This presentation will use observations from the HBEF to demonstrate that a soil-landscape framework is essential in understanding the spatial and temporal variability of biogeochemical processes in this catchment. Specific examples will include how laterally developed soils reveal the location of active runoff production zones and lead to gradients in primary mineral dissolution and the distribution of weathering products along hillslopes. Soil development patterns also highlight potential carbon and nitrogen cycling hotspots, differentiate acidic conditions, and affect the regulation of surface water quality. Overall, this work demonstrates the importance of understanding the landscape-level structural organization of soils in characterizing the variation and extent of biogeochemical processes that occur in catchments.

Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) Calibration and Validation Plan and Current Activities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jackson, T. J.; Cosh, M.; Bindlish, R.; Crow, W.; Colliander, A.; Njoku, E.; McDonald, K.; Kimball, J.; Belair, S.; Walker, J.;

SOIL CADMIUM AS A THREAT TO HUMAN HEALTH

EPA Science Inventory

Cd contamination of soils has been a public concern since the demonstration that soil Cd from Zn mine wastes which contaminated rice paddies had caused excessive Cd absorption and adverse health effects in members of subsistence farm families who consumed rice grown on the contam...

DEMONSTRATION BULLETIN: IN-SITU THERMAL OXIDATION PROCESS - HRUBETZ ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES

EPA Science Inventory

The HRUBOUT process is a thermal, treatment process designed to remove VOCs and semi-VOCs from contaminated soils. Heated air is injected into the soil below the contamination zone, evaporating soil moisture and removing volatile and semivolatile hydrocarbons. As the water evapor...

Possibilities of using the German Federal States' permanent soil monitoring program for the monitoring of potential effects of genetically modified organisms (GMO).

PubMed

Toschki, Andreas; Jänsch, Stephan; Roß-Nickoll, Martina; Römbke, Jörg; Züghart, Wiebke

2015-01-01

In the Directive 2001/18/EC on the deliberate release of genetically modified organisms (GMO) into the environment, a monitoring of potential risks is prescribed after their deliberate release or placing on the market. Experience and data of already existing monitoring networks should be included. The present paper summarizes the major findings of a project funded by the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (Nutzungsmöglichkeiten der Boden-Dauerbeobachtung der Länder für das Monitoring der Umweltwirkungen gentechnisch veränderter Pflanzen. BfN Skripten, Bonn-Bad Godesberg 369, 2014). The full report in german language can be accessed on http://www.bfn.de and is available as Additional file 1. The aim of the project was to check if it is possible to use the German permanent soil monitoring program (PSM) for the monitoring of GMO. Soil organism communities are highly diverse and relevant with respect to the sustainability of soil functions. They are exposed to GMO material directly by feeding or indirectly through food chain interactions. Other impacts are possible due to their close association to soil particles. The PSM program can be considered as representative with regard to different soil types and ecoregions in Germany, but not for all habitat types relevant for soil organisms. Nevertheless, it is suitable as a basic grid for monitoring the potential effects of GMO on soil invertebrates. PSM sites should be used to derive reference values, i.e. range of abundance and presence of different relevant species of soil organisms. Based on these references, it is possible to derive threshold values to define the limit of acceptable change or impact. Therefore, a minimum set of sites and minimum set of standardized methods are needed, i.e. characterization of each site, sampling of selected soil organism groups, adequate adaptation of methods for the purpose of monitoring of potential effects of GMO. Finally, and probably most demanding, it is needed to develop a harmonized evaluation concept.

Use of phytoproductivity data in the choice of native plant species to restore a degraded coal mining site amended with a stabilized industrial organic sludge.

PubMed

Chiochetta, Claudete G; Toumi, Hela; Böhm, Renata F S; Engel, Fernanda; Poyer-Radetski, Gabriel; Rörig, Leonardo R; Adani, Fabrizio; Radetski, Claudemir M

2017-11-01

Coal mining-related activities result in a degraded landscape and sites associated with large amounts of dumped waste material. The arid soil resulting from acid mine drainage affects terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, and thus, site remediation programs must be implemented to mitigate this sequential deleterious processes. A low-cost alternative material to counterbalance the affected physico-chemical-microbiological aspects of the degraded soil is the amendment with low contaminated and stabilized industrial organic sludge. The content of nutrients P and N, together with stabilized organic matter, makes this material an excellent fertilizer and soil conditioner, fostering biota colonization and succession in the degraded site. However, choice of native plant species to restore a degraded site must be guided by some minimal criteria, such as plant survival/adaptation and plant biomass productivity. Thus, in this 3-month study under environmental conditions, phytoproductivity tests with five native plant species (Surinam cherry Eugenia uniflora L., C. myrianthum-Citharexylum myrianthum, Inga-Inga spp., Brazilian peppertree Schinus terebinthifolius, and Sour cherry Prunus cerasus) were performed to assess these criteria, and additional biochemical parameters were measured in plant tissues (i.e., protein content and peroxidase activity) exposed to different soil/sludge mixture proportions. The results show that three native plants were more adequate to restore vegetation on degraded sites: Surinam cherry, C. myrianthum, and Brazilian peppertree. Thus, this study demonstrates that phytoproductivity tests associated with biochemical endpoint measurements can help in the choice of native plant species, as well as aiding in the choice of the most appropriate soil/stabilized sludge proportion in order to optimize biomass production.

Applicability of Electrical and Electroanalytical Techniques to Detect Water and Characterize the Geochemistry of Undisturbed Planetary Soils

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Seshadri, S.; Buehler, M. G.; Anderson, R. C.; Kuhlman, G. M.; Keymeulen, D.; Cheung, I. W.; Schaap, M. G.

2005-01-01

The search for life is a primary goal of NASA s planetary exploration program. The search is, of necessity, tiered in both the detection approach (looking for evidence of microbial fossils or the presence of water in the geological history of a planetary body and/or looking for evidence of water, energy sources, precursors to life, signatures of life and/or life itself in the present day planetary environment) and in the survey method (scale, range, specificity) employed. Terrestrial investigations suggests that life as we know it requires water. Thus, the search for extant microbial life and habitats requires identifying water-bearing soils. Determining Reduction-Oxidation (REDOX) couples present in water, once it is found, provides information on soil geochemistry and identifies potential chemical energy sources for life. Mars offers a near-term target for conducting this search. The identification of gully formation [1], layered deposits [2] and elemental ratios of bromine and chlorine [3] present indirect evidence that water was abundant locally in the Martian past. Additionally, Viking images of polar ice and frost formation on the surface of Mars demonstrate that water can exist in at least some near-surface regions of present-day Mars. Atmospheric pressure data further suggest that liquid water may be stable for short periods of time in the mid-latitudes of the Martian surface. [4] Measurements of the global distribution of hydrogen in the Martian regolith offer tantalizing indirect evidence that water may at least exist in near-surface soils. [5] Evidently, any water to be found is likely to exist as soil mixtures at levels ranging between approx.0.5% and approx.5 %.

The Sand Land Soil System and Society

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mahjoory, R. A.

Worldwide arid soils such as Latterites from African Savannas to the Xeralfs and Xererts of the Mediterranean Basin Ortents and Orthids of Asian Deserts are uniquely different in their strategic roles for utilizing the land in places where a delicate balance between annual climatic cycles and general trends toward desertification predominate Arid lands cover 1 3 of global land surface and contain irreplaceable natural resources with potential productivity of meeting the demands of more than two billion people and serving as sources and sinks of atmospheric CO2 to combat global warming The soil system in these arid areas are being degraded underutilized and kept in a stage of obliviousness due to inadequate public literacy and most importantly in-sufficient scientific evaluations based on pedology and soil taxonomy standards Implementation of food security projects and sustainable development programs on randomly selected sites and assessment of land degradation worldwide by powerful computers and satellite imagery techniques without field work and identification of Representative Soil Units are data producing and grant attracting but counter productive We live in a world in which there is an order out there and things are precisely measured and categorized for efficient utilization Why not the soils mainly in arid areas How we could generalize the world of soils under our feet by concept of soils are the same Expansion of educational programs quantification of multiple ecosystems within the arid regions through detailed and correlated

Caresoil: A multidisciplinar Project to characterize, remediate, monitor and evaluate the risk of contaminated soils in Madrid (Spain)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muñoz-Martín, Alfonso; Antón, Loreto; Granja, Jose Luis; Villarroya, Fermín; Montero, Esperanza; Rodríguez, Vanesa

2016-04-01

Soil contamination can come from diffuse sources (air deposition, agriculture, etc.) or local sources, these last being related to anthropogenic activities that are potentially soil contaminating activities. According to data from the EU, in Spain, and particularly for the Autonomous Community of Madrid, it can be considered that heavy metals, toxic organic compounds (including Non Aqueous Phases Liquids, NAPLs) and combinations of both are the main problem of point sources of soil contamination in our community. The five aspects that will be applied in Caresoil Program (S2013/MAE-2739) in the analysis and remediation of a local soil contamination are: 1) the location of the source of contamination and characterization of soil and aquifer concerned, 2) evaluation of the dispersion of the plume, 3) application of effective remediation techniques, 4) monitoring the evolution of the contaminated soil and 5) risk analysis throughout this process. These aspects involve advanced technologies (hydrogeology, geophysics, geochemistry,...) that require new developing of knowledge, being necessary the contribution of several researching groups specialized in the fields previously cited, as they are those integrating CARESOIL Program. Actually two cases concerning hydrocarbon spills, as representative examples of soil local contamination in Madrid area, are being studied. The first is being remediated and we are monitoring this process to evaluate its effectiveness. In the second location we are defining the extent of contamination in soil and aquifer to define the most effective remediation technique.

Soil moisture observations using L-, C-, and X-band microwave radiometers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bolten, John Dennis

The purpose of this thesis is to further the current understanding of soil moisture remote sensing under varying conditions using L-, C-, and X-band. Aircraft and satellite instruments are used to investigate the effects of frequency and spatial resolution on soil moisture sensitivity. The specific objectives of the research are to examine multi-scale observed and modeled microwave radiobrightness, evaluate new EOS Aqua Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR-E) brightness temperature and soil moisture retrievals, and examine future satellite-based technologies for soil moisture sensing. The cycling of Earth's water, energy and carbon is vital to understanding global climate. Over land, these processes are largely dependent on the amount of moisture within the top few centimeters of the soil. However, there are currently no methods available that can accurately characterize Earth's soil moisture layer at the spatial scales or temporal resolutions appropriate for climate modeling. The current work uses ground truth, satellite and aircraft remote sensing data from three large-scale field experiments having different land surface, topographic and climate conditions. A physically-based radiative transfer model is used to simulate the observed aircraft and satellite measurements using spatially and temporally co-located surface parameters. A robust analysis of surface heterogeneity and scaling is possible due to the combination of multiple datasets from a range of microwave frequencies and field conditions. Accurate characterization of spatial and temporal variability of soil moisture during the three field experiments is achieved through sensor calibration and algorithm validation. Comparisons of satellite observations and resampled aircraft observations are made using soil moisture from a Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) model in order to further demonstrate a soil moisture correlation where point data was unavailable. The influence of vegetation, spatial scaling, and surface heterogeneity on multi-scale soil moisture prediction is presented. This work demonstrates that derived soil moisture using remote sensing provides a better coverage of soil moisture spatial variability than traditional in-situ sensors. Effects of spatial scale were shown to be less significant than frequency on soil moisture sensitivity. Retrievals of soil moisture using the current methods proved inadequate under some conditions; however, this study demonstrates the need for concurrent spaceborne frequencies including L-, C, and X-band.

Predicting the scanning branches of hysteretic soil water-retention capacity with use of the method of mathematical modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Terleev, V.; Ginevsky, R.; Lazarev, V.; Nikonorov, A.; Togo, I.; Topaj, A.; Moiseev, K.; Abakumov, E.; Melnichuk, A.; Dunaieva, I.

2017-10-01

A mathematical model of the hysteresis of the water-retention capacity of the soil is proposed. The parameters of the model are interpreted within the framework of physical concepts of the structure and capillary properties of soil pores. On the basis of the model, a computer program with an interface that allows for dialogue with the user is developed. The program has some of options: visualization of experimental data; identification of the model parameters with use of measured data by means of an optimizing algorithm; graphical presentation of the hysteresis loop with application of the assigned parameters. Using the program, computational experiments were carried out, which consisted in verifying the identifiability of the model parameters from data on the main branches, and also in testing the ability to predict the scanning branches of the hysteresis loop. For the experiments, literature data on two sandy soils were used. The absence of an “artificial pump effect” is proved. A sufficiently high accuracy of the prediction of the scanning branches of the hysteresis loop has been achieved in comparison with the three models of the precursors. The practical importance of the proposed model and computer program, which is developed on its basis, is to ensure the calculation of precision irrigation rates. The application of such rates in irrigation farming will help to prevent excess moisture from flowing beyond the root layer of the soil and, thus, minimize the unproductive loss of irrigation water and agrochemicals, as well as reduce the risk of groundwater contamination and natural water eutrophication.

The North American Long-Term Soil Productivity Experiment: Coast-to-coast findings from the first decade

Treesearch

Robert F. Powers; Felipe G. Sanchez; D. Andrew Scott; Deborah Page-Dumroese

2004-01-01

The National Forest Management Act of 1976 mandates that a site’s productive capacity must be protected on federally managed lands. Monitoring the effects of management on a site’s productive capacity is not easy, and in 1989 a national program of Long-Term Soil Productivity (LTSP) research was established to assist National Forests toward this end. The LTSP program...

COPING WITH CONTAMINATED SEDIMENTS AND SOILS IN THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

JONES,K.W.; VAN DER LELIE,D.; MCGUIGAN,M.

2004-05-25

Soils and sediments contaminated with toxic organic and inorganic compounds harmful to the environment and to human health are common in the urban environment. We report here on aspects of a program being carried out in the New York/New Jersey Port region to develop methods for processing dredged material from the Port to make products that are safe for introduction to commercial markets. We discuss some of the results of the program in Computational Environmental Science, Laboratory Environmental Science, and Applied Environmental Science and indicate some possible directions for future work. Overall, the program elements integrate the scientific and engineeringmore » aspects with regulatory, commercial, urban planning, local governments, and community group interests. Well-developed connections between these components are critical to the ultimate success of efforts to cope with the problems caused by contaminated urban soils and sediments.« less

Improvement of Soil and Water Conservation Outdoor Classrooms and Volunteers in Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Y. L.; Lin, Y. H.; Huang, K. F.; Chan, H. C.

2016-12-01

In order to improve the knowledge and understanding of soil and water conservation, the Soil and Water Conservation Bureau, Taiwan sets up soil and water conservation outdoor classrooms and assigns volunteers for on-site commentating. There are 19 soil and water conservation outdoor classrooms and 483 volunteers. In order to intergate education resource and improve quality, the examination of outdoor classrooms and training of the volunteers were conducted. The training programs aimed to improve the standard of living, promote a general mood of voluntary service, and encourage the public to cultivate the value of hometown-treasuring and the sentiment of people-helping. The service system of volunteers was also organized through the training programs. The assessments of soil and water conservation outdoor classrooms were conducted through the on-site investigations. The improvement suggestions were then put forward according to the characteristics of the classrooms. The improvement contents were compiled for each outdoor classroom and there are five common suggestions depicted as follows: 1. the expectations of internationalization; 2. the issues of land leases; 3. improvement of traffic flow; 4. the format and information of explanation boards should be unified; and 5. the issues of facility maintaining. Key words: Soil and water conserveation, Volunteer, Outdoor classroom.

Soil microbial communities alter leaf chemistry and influence allelopathic potential among coexisting plant species.

PubMed

Meiners, Scott J; Phipps, Kelsey K; Pendergast, Thomas H; Canam, Thomas; Carson, Walter P

2017-04-01

While both plant-soil feedbacks and allelochemical interactions are key drivers of plant community dynamics, the potential for these two drivers to interact with each other remains largely unexplored. If soil microbes influence allelochemical production, this would represent a novel dimension of heterogeneity in plant-soil feedbacks. To explore the linkage between soil microbial communities and plant chemistry, we experimentally generated soil microbial communities and evaluated their impact on leaf chemical composition and allelopathic potential. Four native perennial old-field species (two each of Aster and Solidago) were grown in pairwise combination with each species' soil microbial community as well as a sterilized inoculum. We demonstrated unequivocally that variation in soil microbial communities altered leaf chemical fingerprints for all focal plant species and also changed their allelopathic potential. Soil microbes reduced allelopathic potential in bioassays by increasing germination 25-54% relative to sterile control soils in all four species. Plants grown with their own microbial communities had the lowest allelopathic potential, suggesting that allelochemical production may be lessened when growing with microbes from conspecifics. The allelopathic potential of plants grown in congener and confamilial soils was indistinguishable from each other, indicating an equivalent response to all non-conspecific microbial communities within these closely related genera. Our results clearly demonstrated that soil microbial communities cause changes in leaf tissue chemistry that altered their allelopathic properties. These findings represent a new mechanism of plant-soil feedbacks that may structure perennial plant communities over very small spatial scales that must be explored in much more detail.

Use of ground penetrating radar for determination of water table depth and subsurface soil characteristics at Kennedy Space Center

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hengari, Gideon M.; Hall, Carlton R.; Kozusko, Tim J.; Bostater, Charles R.

2013-10-01

Sustainable use and management of natural resources require strategic responses using non-destructive tools to provide spatial and temporal data for decision making. Experiments conducted at John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC) demonstrate ground penetrating radar (GPR) can provide high-resolution images showing depth to water tables. GPR data at KSC were acquired using a MALÅ Rough Terrain 100 MHz Antenna. Data indicate strong correlation (R2=0.80) between measured water table depth (shallow monitoring wells and soil auger) and GPR estimated depth. The study demonstrated the use of GPR to detect Holocene and Pleistocene depositional environments such as Anastasia Formation that consists of admixtures of sand, shell and coquinoid limestone at a depth of 20-25 ft. This corresponds well with the relatively strong reflections from 7.5 to 13 m (125-215 ns) in GPR images. Interpretations derived from radar data coupled with other non-GPR data (wells data and soil auger data) will aid in the understanding of climate change impacts due to sea level rise on the scrub vegetation composition at KSC. Climate change is believed to have a potentially significant impact potential on near coastal ground water levels and associated water table depth. Understanding the impacts of ground water levels changes will, in turn, lead to improved conceptual conservation efforts and identifications of climate change adaptation concepts related to the recovery of the Florida scrub jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens) and other endangered or threatened species which are directly dependent on a healthy near coastal scrub habitat. Transfer of this inexpensive and non-destructive technology to other areas at KSC, Florida, and to other countries, may prove useful in the development of future conservation programs.

1994 conceptual model of the carbon tetrachloride contamination in the 200 West Area at the Hanford Site

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rohay, V.J.

1994-08-01

Between 1955 and 1973, a total of 363,000 to 580,000 L (577,000 to kg) of liquid carbon tetrachloride, in mixtures with other organic and aqueous, actinide-bearing fluids, were discharged to the soil column at three disposal facilities -- the 216-Z-9 Trench, the 216-Z-lA TiTe Field, and the 216-Z-18 Crib -- in the 200 West Area at the Hanford Site. In the mid-1980`s, dissolved carbon tetrachloride was found in the uppermost aquifer beneath the disposal facilities, and in late 1990, the US Environmental Protection Agency and the Washington State Department of Ecology requested that the US Department of Energy proceed withmore » planning and implementation of an expedited response action (ERA) to minimize additional carbon tetrachloride contamination of the groundwater. In February 1992, soil vapor extraction was initiated to remove carbon tetrachloride from the unsaturated zone beneath these disposal facilities. By May 1994, a total of 10,560 L (16,790 kg) of carbon tetrachloride had been removed, amounting to an estimated 2% of the discharged inventory. In the spring of 1991, the Volatile Organic Compounds -- Arid Integrated Demonstration (VOC-Arid ID) program selected the carbon tetrachloride-contaminated site for demonstration and deployment of new technologies for evaluation and cleanup of volatile organic compounds and associated contaminants in soils and groundwater at arid sites. Site investigations conducted in support of both the ERA and the VOC-Arid ID have been integrated because of their shared objective to refine the conceptual model of the site and to promote efficiency. Site characterization data collected in fiscal year 1993 have supported and led to refinement of the conceptual model of the carbon tetrachloride site.« less

The Role of Soil Solarization in India: How an Unnoticed Practice Could Support Pest Control

PubMed Central

Gill, Harsimran K.; Aujla, Iqbal S.; De Bellis, Luigi; Luvisi, Andrea

2017-01-01

Plant protection represents one of the strategies to fill the yield gap and to achieve food security, a key topic for India development. Analysis of climate risks for crops indicates that South Asia is one of the regions most exposed to the adverse impact on many plants that are relevant to inhabitants exposed to food safety risks. Furthermore, accumulation of pesticide residues in the aquatic and other ecosystems is becoming a significant threat in India. These perspectives require to develop programs of crop protection that can be feasible according to Indian rural development and pollution policy. Here we review the research works done on soil solarization in India. Soil solarization (also called plasticulture) is an eco-friendly soil disinfestations method for managing soil-borne plant pathogens. This is the process of trapping solar energy by moist soil covered with transparent polyethylene films and chemistry, biology and physical properties of soil are involved in pest control. So far, this technique is applied in more than 50 countries, mostly in hot and humid regions. India has 29 states and these states fall under five climatic zones, from humid to arid ones. We report pest management application in different climatic zones and their effects on production, weeds, nematodes, and pathogenic microorganisms. The analysis of soil temperatures and crop protection results indicate as environmental requirement for soil solarization fits in most of Indian rural areas. Soil solarization is compatible with future Indian scenarios and may support Indian national food security programs. PMID:28919903

JV Task 92 - Alcoa/Retec SFE and SPME

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Steven Hawthorne

2009-02-15

This report summarizes the work performed by the Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) under the U.S. Department of Energy Jointly Sponsored Research Program JV Task 92, which is a continuation of JV9. Successful studies performed in 1999 through the end of 2008 demonstrated the potential for using selective supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) and a solid-phase microextraction (SPME) method for measuring sediment pore water polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to mimic the bioavailability of PAHs from manufactured gas plant and aluminum smelter soils and sediments both in freshwater and saltwater locations. The studies that the EERC has performed with the commercialmore » partners have continued to generate increased interest in both the regulatory communities and in the industries that have historically produced or utilized coal tar products. Both ASTM International and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have accepted the pore water method developed at the EERC as standard methods. The studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of our techniques in predicting bioavailability of PAHs from ca. 250 impacted and background field sediments and soils. The field demonstrations from the final years of the project continued to build the foundation data for acceptance of our methods by the regulatory communities. The JV92 studies provide the single largest database in the world that includes measures of PAH bioavailability along with biological end points. These studies clearly demonstrated that present regulatory paradigms based on equilibrium partitioning greatly overpredict bioavailability. These investigations also laid the foundation for present (non-JV) studies being applied to PAHs and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) at EPA Superfund sites, investigations into PAH and PCB bioavailability at U.S Department of Defense sites, and the application of the techniques to investigating the bioavailability of chlorinated dioxins and furans from impacted sediments.« less

Education and Awareness Raising Activities of the British Society of Soil Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Towers, Willie; Allton, Kathryn; Hallett, Steve

2014-05-01

The British Society for Soil Science (BSSS) http://www.soils.org.uk is an international membership organisation and UK based charity committed to promoting the study and profession of soil science in its widest aspects. The Society is committed to reaching out to the public at large to educate and inform on the importance of soils to us all. The Society has adopted a range of approaches to soil education, tailored to the needs and aims of different audience types. We have developed the 'Working with Soil' initiative http://www.soilscientist.org/workingwithsoil which provides practicing soil scientists and potential funders with a set of professional competencies aligned to specific aspects of work. From 2013 The Society has developed a program of courses aligned to these documents aimed at meeting the professional development needs of those undertaking such work. So far these have focused on fundamentals of field characterisation, sampling and mapping which have been very well received, especially by early career practitioners who have had less exposure to field work. We have also produced posters and leaflets that demonstrate a range of soil functions which support human society, for example 'Soils in the City' and 'Soils of Britain'. These were originally developed in a more traditional formal style. The materials have also proved popular with local authorities, regional horticultural clubs and higher education establishments, notably agricultural colleges where they have been used to support student learning in both timetabled and project work. We have subsequently produced a further set of materials aimed at a much younger audience. We deliberately chose slightly quirkier names for these, for example 'Soils and Time Travel' and 'Soils and Spaceship Earth' as a hook to capture the child's imagination. These were designed by a specialist company who used a less formal language, the use of cartoons and alternative images and a wider range of font styles and sizes. This material has been distributed to all the secondary education schools in Great Britain, and receives very positive feedback from educators and pupils alike. The Society has also been highly visible at the BBC Summer of Wildlife roadshows over the summer of 2013. This involved a visual display of soils with two 'hands on' activities "What's in the Soil" and "Build your own Wormery". Each activity was supported with an A4 leaflet that people were able to take home or download from the website (www.soils.org.uk/education). The Society attended all four of the main roadshow events reaching an audience of more than 60,000 members of the public ranging in age from 1 to 100! The Society took to the live stage event during the Leeds show with CBCC "Wild" show presenters to talk about the formation of soils and the role of Earthworms. Some soil scientists who were very reticent about their involvement were actually very good at it and enjoyed it! So lets all get out there and do some more!

Do plant-based amendments improve soil physiochemical and microbiological properties and plant growth in dryland ecosystems?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kneller, Tayla; Harris, Richard; Muñoz-Rojas, Miriam

2017-04-01

Background Land intensive practices including mining have contributed to the degradation of landscapes globally. Current challenges in post-mine restoration revolve around the use of substrates poor in organic materials (e.g. overburden and waste rock) and lack of original topsoil which may result in poor seedling recruitment and in later stages in soil nutrient deficiency, metal toxicity, decreased microbial activity and high salinity (Bateman et al., 2016; Muñoz-Rojas et al., 2016). Despite continuous efforts and advances we have not proportionally advanced our capability to successfully restore these landscapes following mining. Recent attempts to improve plant establishment in arid zone restoration programs have included the application of plant based amendments to soil profiles. This approach usually aims to accelerate soil reconstruction via improvement of soil aggregate stability and increase of soil organic carbon, and water holding capacity. Whilst a significant amount of recent research has focused on the application of such amendments, studies on the potential application of plant based materials to recover soil functionality and re-establish plant communities in post-mined landscapes in arid regions are limited. Here we will discuss our work investigating the application of a plant based amendment on soil substrates commonly used in post mining restoration in the Pilbara region, Western Australia. Methodology The study was conducted in a glasshouse facility where environmental conditions were continuously monitored. Using two growth materials (topsoil and waste rock) and a plant based amendment (dry biomass of the most common grass in the Pilbara, Triodia wiseana) five different treatments were tested. Treatments consisted of control soil treatments (topsoil, waste and a mixture of the former soil types (mixture)) and two amended soil treatments (waste amended and mixture amended). Additionally, three different vegetation communities were studies, these include Triodia wiseana, Triodia wiseana and Acacia ancistrocarpa and a combination of the former species with Grevillia wickhamii. Pots were filled with soil materials and allocated plant community treatments. Plant growth and morphology, soil physiochemical (pH, electrical conductivity, N and organic C) and biological (microbial activity) properties were measured after 12 months to assess the suitability of the amendments. Results Our results have demonstrated a general decline in plant survival over the duration of 12 months, where pots with amended mine soils displaying the lowest survival rates compared to the topsoil. However, soil microbial activity of pots containing amendments was greater than those without, although there was no significant difference in microbial activity across vegetation communities (p < 0.05). References Bateman A, Lewandrowski W, Stevens JC, Muñoz-Rojas M. 2016. Ecophysiological Indicators to Assess Drought Responses of Arid Zone Native Seedlings in Reconstructed Soils. Land Degradation & Development. published online. DOI:10.1002/ldr.2660 Muñoz-Rojas M, Erickson TE, Dixon KW, Merritt DJ. 2016. Soil quality indicators to assess functionality of restored soils in degraded semiarid ecosystems. Restoration Ecology 24, 43-52. DOI: 10.1111/rec.12368

Tetracycline resistance in semi-arid agricultural soils under long-term swine effluent application.

PubMed

Popova, Inna E; Josue, Rosemarie D R; Deng, Shiping; Hattey, Jeffory A

2017-05-04

Annually, millions pounds of antibiotics are released unmetabolized into environment along with animal wastes. Accumulation of antibiotics in soils could potentially induce the persistence of antibiotic resistant bacteria. Antibiotics such as tetracyclines and tetracycline-resistant bacteria have been previously detected in fields fertilized with animal manure. However, little is known about the accumulation of tetracyclines and the development of tetracycline resistance in semi-arid soils. Here we demonstrate that continuous land application with swine effluent, containing trace amounts of chlortetracycline, does not necessarily induce tetracycline resistance in soil bacteria. Based on the testing of more than 3,000 bacteria isolated from the amended soils, we found no significant increase in the occurrence and level of chlortetracycline resistant bacteria in soils after 15 years of continuous swine effluent fertilization. To account for a possible transfer of tetracycline-resistant bacteria originated from the swine effluent to soils, we analyzed two commonly found tetracycline resistant genes, tet(O) and tet(M), in the swine effluent and fertilized soils. Both genes were present in the swine effluent, however, they were not detectable in soils applied with swine effluent. Our data demonstrate that agronomic application of manure from antibiotic treated swine effluent does not necessarily result in the development of antibiotic bacterial resistance in soils. Apparently, concentrations of chlortetracycline present in manure are not significant enough to induce the development of antibiotic bacterial resistance.

REAL-TIME IN SITU DETECTION OF ORGANIC CONTAMINANTS BY LASER-INDUCED FLUORESCENCE SYSTEM. Final tropical report (Task 1.3).

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Daniel J. Stepan; James A. Sorensen; Jaroslav Solc

This report summarizes the results of the field demonstration of a laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) method for characterization of brownfields and other contaminated sites. The technology was provided and demonstrated by Dakota Technologies, Inc. (DTI), of Fargo, North Dakota. LIF generates continuous data on the distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) within the soil profile. The sensor used to record real-time data is deployed into the soil using a modified truck-mounted Geoprobe percussion soil probing device. The summary of observations described in the following text represents an independent evaluation of the performance, usefulness, and economics of the demonstrated technology for characterizationmore » at PAH-contaminated sites.« less

Evaluating Remotely-Sensed Soil Moisture Retrievals Using Triple Collocation Techniques

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The validation is footprint-scale (~40 km) surface soil moisture retrievals from space is complicated by a lack of ground-based soil moisture instrumentation and challenges associated with up-scaling point-scale measurements from such instrumentation. Recent work has demonstrated the potential of e...

Multiplicity of mechanisms govern efficacy of anaerobic soil disinfestation for soil-borne disease control

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Studies demonstrated that carbon input type influenced control of various fungi, oomycetes and plant parasitic nematodes with anaerobic soil disinfestation (ASD). Findings implicated multiple mechanisms may contribute to the overall level of disease control attained. In strawberry field trials, ASD ...

EVALUATION OF LEAD AVAILABILITY IN AMENDED SOILS MONITORED OVER A LONG-TERM TIME PERIOD

EPA Science Inventory

Two different soil amendment processes were evaluated for reducing lead availability from a contaminated soil at a demonstration study site, to reduce potential public health and environmental concerns. A limited variety of in vitro laboratory availability tests (relativ...

DEMONSTRATION BULLETIN: BESCORP SOIL WASHING SYSTEM ALASKAN BATTERY ENTERPRISES SITE - BRICE ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES CORPORATION

EPA Science Inventory

The BESCORP Soil Washing System is an aqueous volume reduction system that utilizes trommel agitation, high-pressure washing, sizing, and density separation to remove lead, lead compounds, and battery casing chips from soil contaminated by broken lead batteries. The basic concept...

Specular Reflection and Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy of Soils

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Studies on the occurrence and effects of specular reflection in mid-infrared spectra of soils have shown that distortions due to specular reflection occur for both organic (humic acid) and non-organic fractions (carbonates, silica, ashed fraction of soil). The results demonstrated explain why the s...

The Impact of AMSR-E Soil Moisture Assimilation on Evapotranspiration Estimation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Peters-Lidard, Christa D.; Kumar, Sujay; Mocko, David; Tian, Yudong

2012-01-01

An assessment ofETestimates for current LDAS systems is provided along with current research that demonstrates improvement in LSM ET estimates due to assimilating satellite-based soil moisture products. Using the Ensemble Kalman Filter in the Land Information System, we assimilate both NASA and Land Parameter Retrieval Model (LPRM) soil moisture products into the Noah LSM Version 3.2 with the North American LDAS phase 2 CNLDAS-2) forcing to mimic the NLDAS-2 configuration. Through comparisons with two global reference ET products, one based on interpolated flux tower data and one from a new satellite ET algorithm, over the NLDAS2 domain, we demonstrate improvement in ET estimates only when assimilating the LPRM soil moisture product.

Using Microwaves to Heat Lunar Soil

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ethridge, Edwin C.

2011-01-01

This slide presentation reviews the use of microwaves to heat lunar soil in order to obtain water. There appears to be large amounts of water in the lunar poles, in Martian areas in lower latitudes and some of the Moons of Jupiter. The presence of water in the south lunar polar region was demonstrated by the Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) mission. Microwaves can be used to extract water from lunar soil without excavation. Using microwaves on a lunar soil simulant at least 95% of the water from the regolith permafrost simulant was extracted (2 minutes). The process is modeled using COMSOL Multiphysics Finite Element analysis microwave physics module and demonstrated usingan experiment of an microwave apparatus on a rover.

Inter-laboratory variation in the chemical analysis of acidic forest soil reference samples from eastern North America

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ross, Donald S.; Bailiey, Scott W; Briggs, Russell D; Curry, Johanna; Fernandez, Ivan J.; Fredriksen, Guinevere; Goodale, Christine L.; Hazlett, Paul W.; Heine, Paul R; Johnson, Chris E.; Larson, John T; Lawrence, Gregory B.; Kolka, Randy K; Ouimet, Rock; Pare, D; Richter, Daniel D.; Shirmer, Charles D; Warby, Richard A.F.

2015-01-01

Long-term forest soil monitoring and research often requires a comparison of laboratory data generated at different times and in different laboratories. Quantifying the uncertainty associated with these analyses is necessary to assess temporal changes in soil properties. Forest soil chemical properties, and methods to measure these properties, often differ from agronomic and horticultural soils. Soil proficiency programs do not generally include forest soil samples that are highly acidic, high in extractable Al, low in extractable Ca and often high in carbon. To determine the uncertainty associated with specific analytical methods for forest soils, we collected and distributed samples from two soil horizons (Oa and Bs) to 15 laboratories in the eastern United States and Canada. Soil properties measured included total organic carbon and nitrogen, pH and exchangeable cations. Overall, results were consistent despite some differences in methodology. We calculated the median absolute deviation (MAD) for each measurement and considered the acceptable range to be the median 6 2.5 3 MAD. Variability among laboratories was usually as low as the typical variability within a laboratory. A few areas of concern include a lack of consistency in the measurement and expression of results on a dry weight basis, relatively high variability in the C/N ratio in the Bs horizon, challenges associated with determining exchangeable cations at concentrations near the lower reporting range of some laboratories and the operationally defined nature of aluminum extractability. Recommendations include a continuation of reference forest soil exchange programs to quantify the uncertainty associated with these analyses in conjunction with ongoing efforts to review and standardize laboratory methods.

VegeSafe: A community science program measuring soil-metal contamination, evaluating risk and providing advice for safe gardening.

PubMed

Rouillon, Marek; Harvey, Paul J; Kristensen, Louise J; George, Steven G; Taylor, Mark P

2017-03-01

The extent of metal contamination in Sydney residential garden soils was evaluated using data collected during a three-year Macquarie University community science program called VegeSafe. Despite knowledge of industrial and urban contamination amongst scientists, the general public remains under-informed about the potential risks of exposure from legacy contaminants in their home garden environment. The community was offered free soil metal screening, allowing access to soil samples for research purposes. Participants followed specific soil sampling instructions and posted samples to the University for analysis with a field portable X-ray Fluorescence (pXRF) spectrometer. Over the three-year study period, >5200 soil samples, primarily from vegetable gardens, were collected from >1200 Australian homes. As anticipated, the primary soil metal of concern was lead; mean concentrations were 413 mg/kg (front yard), 707 mg/kg (drip line), 226 mg/kg (back yard) and 301 mg/kg (vegetable garden). The Australian soil lead guideline of 300 mg/kg for residential gardens was exceeded at 40% of Sydney homes, while concentrations >1000 mg/kg were identified at 15% of homes. The incidence of highest soil lead contamination was greatest in the inner city area with concentrations declining towards background values of 20-30 mg/kg at 30-40 km distance from the city. Community engagement with VegeSafe participants has resulted in useful outcomes: dissemination of knowledge related to contamination legacies and health risks; owners building raised beds containing uncontaminated soil and in numerous cases, owners replacing all of their contaminated soil. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Regional-scale assessment of soil salinity in the Red River Valley using multi-year MODIS EVI and NDVI.

PubMed

Lobell, D B; Lesch, S M; Corwin, D L; Ulmer, M G; Anderson, K A; Potts, D J; Doolittle, J A; Matos, M R; Baltes, M J

2010-01-01

The ability to inventory and map soil salinity at regional scales remains a significant challenge to scientists concerned with the salinization of agricultural soils throughout the world. Previous attempts to use satellite or aerial imagery to assess soil salinity have found limited success in part because of the inability of methods to isolate the effects of soil salinity on vegetative growth from other factors. This study evaluated the use of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) imagery in conjunction with directed soil sampling to assess and map soil salinity at a regional scale (i.e., 10-10(5) km(2)) in a parsimonious manner. Correlations with three soil salinity ground truth datasets differing in scale were made in Kittson County within the Red River Valley (RRV) of North Dakota and Minnesota, an area where soil salinity assessment is a top priority for the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS). Multi-year MODIS imagery was used to mitigate the influence of temporally dynamic factors such as weather, pests, disease, and management influences. The average of the MODIS enhanced vegetation index (EVI) for a 7-yr period exhibited a strong relationship with soil salinity in all three datasets, and outperformed the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). One-third to one-half of the spatial variability in soil salinity could be captured by measuring average MODIS EVI and whether the land qualified for the Conservation Reserve Program (a USDA program that sets aside marginally productive land based on conservation principles). The approach has the practical simplicity to allow broad application in areas where limited resources are available for salinity assessment.

U.S.-MEXICO BORDER PROGRAM ARIZONA BORDER STUDY--STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE FOR FIELD COLLECTION OF YARD COMPOSITE SOIL SAMPLES (UA-F-5.1)

EPA Science Inventory

The purpose of this SOP is to establish a uniform procedure for the collection of yard composite soil samples in the field. This procedure was followed to ensure consistent and reliable collection of outdoor soil samples during the Arizona NHEXAS project and the Border study. Ke...

Emission and soil distribution of fumigants in forest tree nurseries

Treesearch

Dong Wang; Jennifer Juzwik; Stephen Fraedrich

2005-01-01

Production of tree seedlings in the majority of forest nurseries in the USA has relied on soil fumigation with methyl bromide (MeBr) to control soil-borne plant pathogens, weeds, parasitic nematodes and insects. Since the announcement of the scheduled MeBr phase-out, a number of nurseries throughout the United States have participated in research programs on MeBr...

Effect of Speed on Tire-Soil Interaction and Development of Towed Pneumatic Tire-Soil Model

DTIC Science & Technology

1974-10-01

rigid wheels were per- formed by several researchers under laboratory conditions (Refs. 20 through 22) using the flash X -ray technique. These experiments...Towed Tire-Soil Model ................................... 90 IX Conclusions and Recommendations .............. 95 X References...Velocity Fields ................................. A-1 x Section Page Appendix B - Computer Program Chart for Computation 3- of Tire Performance with

Chinese Grain for Green Program led to highly increased soil organic carbon levels: A meta-analysis

PubMed Central

Song, Xinzhang; Peng, Changhui; Zhou, Guomo; Jiang, Hong; Wang, Weifeng

2014-01-01

The Grain for Green Program (GGP), initiated in 1999, is the largest ecological restoration project in central and western China. Here, for the first time, we performed a meta-analysis and found that the GGP largely increased the soil organic carbon (SOC). The SOC was increased by 48.1%, 25.4%, and 25.5% at soil depths of 0–20 cm, 20–40 cm, and 40–60 cm, respectively. Moreover, this carbon accumulation has significantly increased over time since GGP implementation. The carbon accumulation showed a significantly more active response to the GGP in the top 20 cm of soil than in the deeper soil layers. Conversion of cropland to forest could lead to significantly greater SOC accumulation than would the conversion of cropland to grassland. Conversion from cropland to woodland could lead to greater SOC accumulation than would the conversion to either shrubland or orchard. Our results suggest that the GGP implementation caused SOC to accumulate and that there remains a large potential for further accumulation of carbon in the soil, which will help to mitigate climate change in the near future. PMID:24675818

Multi criteria evaluation for universal soil loss equation based on geographic information system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Purwaamijaya, I. M.

2018-05-01

The purpose of this research were to produce(l) a conceptual, functional model designed and implementation for universal soil loss equation (usle), (2) standard operational procedure for multi criteria evaluation of universal soil loss equation (usle) using geographic information system, (3) overlay land cover, slope, soil and rain fall layers to gain universal soil loss equation (usle) using multi criteria evaluation, (4) thematic map of universal soil loss equation (usle) in watershed, (5) attribute table of universal soil loss equation (usle) in watershed. Descriptive and formal correlation methods are used for this research. Cikapundung Watershed, Bandung, West Java, Indonesia was study location. This research was conducted on January 2016 to May 2016. A spatial analysis is used to superimposed land cover, slope, soil and rain layers become universal soil loss equation (usle). Multi criteria evaluation for universal soil loss equation (usle) using geographic information system could be used for conservation program.

Local Soils Information Needed to Define the Root Zone in Process Models on the Gulf Coastal Plain

Treesearch

Mary Anne Sword Sayer; Allan E. Tiarks

2002-01-01

We combined published information and our own experimental results from the Gulf Coastal Plain to evaluate how soil aeration and strength interact with loblolly pine root growth. Our results demonstrate that soil aeration and strength differ by soil series and year and are subject to vertical and horizontal spatial variation. Comparison of loblolly pine root phenology...

Effects of freeze-thaw on characteristics of new KMP binder stabilized Zn- and Pb-contaminated soils.

PubMed

Wei, Ming-Li; Du, Yan-Jun; Reddy, Krishna R; Wu, Hao-Liang

2015-12-01

For viable and sustainable reuse of solidified/stabilized heavy metal-contaminated soils as roadway subgrade materials, long-term durability of these soils should be ensured. A new binder, KMP, has been developed for solidifying/stabilizing soils contaminated with high concentrations of heavy metals. However, the effects of long-term extreme weather conditions including freeze and thaw on the leachability and strength of the KMP stabilized contaminated soils have not been investigated. This study presents a systematic investigation on the impacts of freeze-thaw cycle on leachability, strength, and microstructural characteristics of the KMP stabilized soils spiked with Zn and Pb individually and together. For comparison purpose, Portland cement is also tested as a conventional binder. Several series of tests are conducted including the toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP), modified European Community Bureau of Reference (BCR) sequential extraction procedure, unconfined compression test (UCT), and mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP). The results demonstrate that the freeze-thaw cycles have much less impact on the leachability and strength of the KMP stabilized soils as compared to the PC stabilized soils. After the freeze-thaw cycle tests, the KMP stabilized soils display much lower leachability, mass loss, and strength loss. These results are assessed based on the chemical speciation of Zn and Pb, and pore size distribution of the soils. Overall, this study demonstrates that the KMP stabilized heavy metal-contaminated soils perform well under the freeze-thaw conditions.

Estimation of surface soil moisture and roughness from multi-angular ASAR imagery in the Watershed Allied Telemetry Experimental Research (WATER)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, S. G.; Li, X.; Han, X. J.; Jin, R.

2010-06-01

Radar remote sensing has demonstrated its applicability to the retrieval of basin-scale soil moisture. The mechanism of radar backscattering from soils is complicated and strongly influenced by surface roughness. Furthermore, retrieval of soil moisture using AIEM-like models is a classic example of the underdetermined problem due to a lack of credible known soil roughness distributions at a regional scale. Characterization of this roughness is therefore crucial for an accurate derivation of soil moisture based on backscattering models. This study aims to directly obtain surface roughness information along with soil moisture from multi-angular ASAR images. The method first used a semi-empirical relationship that connects the roughness slope (Zs) and the difference in backscattering coefficient (Δσ) from ASAR data in different incidence angles, in combination with an optimal calibration form consisting of two roughness parameters (the standard deviation of surface height and the correlation length), to estimate the roughness parameters. The deduced surface roughness was then used in the AIEM model for the retrieval of soil moisture. An evaluation of the proposed method was performed in a grassland site in the middle stream of the Heihe River Basin, where the Watershed Allied Telemetry Experimental Research (WATER) was taken place. It has demonstrated that the method is feasible to achieve reliable estimation of soil water content. The key challenge to surface soil moisture retrieval is the presence of vegetation cover, which significantly impacts the estimates of surface roughness and soil moisture.

Microbial Indicators of Soil Quality under Different Land Use Systems in Subtropical Soils

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maharjan, M.

2016-12-01

Land-use change from native forest to intensive agricultural systems can negatively impact numerous soil parameters. Understanding the effects of forest ecosystem transformations on markers of long-term soil health is particularly important in rapidly developing regions such as Nepal, where unprecedented levels of agriculturally-driven deforestation have occurred in recent decades. However, the effects of widespread land use changes on soil quality in this region have yet to be properly characterized. Microbial indicators (soil microbial biomass, metabolic quotient and enzymes activities) are particularly suited to assessing the consequences of such ecosystem disturbances, as microbial communities are especially sensitive to environmental change. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess the effect of land use system; i.e. forest, organic and conventional farming, on soil quality in Chitwan, Nepal using markers of microbial community size and activity. Total organic C and N contents were higher in organic farming compared with conventional farming and forest, suggesting higher nutrient retention and soil preservation with organic farming practices compared to conventional. These differences in soil composition were reflected in the health of the soil microbial communities: Organic farm soil exhibited higher microbial biomass C, elevated β-glucosidase and chitinase activities, and a lower metabolic quotient relative to other soils, indicating a larger, more active, and less stressed microbial community, respectively. These results collectively demonstrate that application of organic fertilizers and organic residues positively influence nutrient availability, with subsequent improvements in soil quality and productivity. Furthermore, the sensitivity of microbial indicators to different management practices demonstrated in this study supports their use as effective markers of ecosystem disturbance in subtropical soils.

Microbial and geochemical assessment of bauxitic un-mined and post-mined chronosequence soils from Mocho Mountains, Jamaica.

PubMed

Lewis, Dawn E; Chauhan, Ashvini; White, John R; Overholt, Will; Green, Stefan J; Jasrotia, Puja; Wafula, Denis; Jagoe, Charles

2012-10-01

Microorganisms are very sensitive to environmental change and can be used to gauge anthropogenic impacts and even predict restoration success of degraded environments. Here, we report assessment of bauxite mining activities on soil biogeochemistry and microbial community structure using un-mined and three post-mined sites in Jamaica. The post-mined soils represent a chronosequence, undergoing restoration since 1987, 1997, and 2007. Soils were collected during dry and wet seasons and analyzed for pH, organic matter (OM), total carbon (TC), nitrogen (TN), and phosphorus. The microbial community structure was assessed through quantitative PCR and massively parallel bacterial ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequencing. Edaphic factors and microbial community composition were analyzed using multivariate statistical approaches and revealed a significant, negative impact of mining on soil that persisted even after greater than 20 years of restoration. Seasonal fluctuations contributed to variation in measured soil properties and community composition, but they were minor in comparison to long-term effects of mining. In both seasons, post-mined soils were higher in pH but OM, TC, and TN decreased. Bacterial rRNA gene analyses demonstrated a general decrease in diversity in post-mined soils and up to a 3-log decrease in rRNA gene abundance. Community composition analyses demonstrated that bacteria from the Proteobacteria (α, β, γ, δ), Acidobacteria, and Firmicutes were abundant in all soils. The abundance of Firmicutes was elevated in newer post-mined soils relative to the un-mined soil, and this contrasted a decrease, relative to un-mined soils, in proteobacterial and acidobacterial rRNA gene abundances. Our study indicates long-lasting impacts of mining activities to soil biogeochemical and microbial properties with impending loss in soil productivity.

Advanced Polymer Technology for Containing and Immobilizing Strontium-90 in the Subsurface - 8361

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

K. Baker; G. Heath; C. Scott

2008-02-01

Many Department of Energy (DOE) sites, including Idaho and Hanford, have heavy metals and/or radionuclides (e.g. strontium-90) present that are strongly adsorbed in the vadose zone, but which nevertheless are propagating toward the water table. A key challenge for immobilization of these contaminants is bringing the chosen amendment or remediation technology into contact with the contaminated porous medium, while ensuring that contaminated water and colloids do not escape. This is particularly challenging when the subsurface geology is complex and highly heterogeneous, as is the case at many DOE sites. The Idaho National Laboratory (INL) in collaboration with the University ofmore » Texas at Austin (UT) has conducted research sponsored through the DOE Office of Environmental Management (EM) Advanced Remediation Technologies Phase I program that successfully demonstrated application of a novel, pH-triggered advanced polymer for creating a physical barrier that prevents heavy metals and radionuclides in vadose zone soil and soil-pore water from migrating to the groundwater. The focus of this paper is on the column and sandbox experiments conducted by researchers at the Idaho National Laboratory in support of the Phase I program objectives. Proof of these concepts provides a technology basis for confining or isolating a volume of contaminated groundwater, to be implemented in future investigations at the Vadose Zone Research Park (VZRP) at INL.« less

Installation Restoration Program. Preliminary Assessment: Nevada Air National Guard, 152nd Tactical Reconnaissance Group (TRG), Reno Cannon International Airport, Reno, Nevada.*

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-01-01

survey for the southern part of Washoe Ccunty provides data on sane physical and chemical properties of soils . The data deteied to be pertinent to on...base soils is presented in Table 3, Physical and Chemical Properties of Soils Occrring on the NVANG Base in Reno, Nevada. Analyses of surface water and...NVANG Base . . . ...... .. . .. . . 111-6 3. Physical and Chemical Prperties of Soils Occrring on the NVANG Base in Reno, Nevada

Descriptive and sensitivity analyses of WATBALI: A dynamic soil water model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hildreth, W. W. (Principal Investigator)

1981-01-01

A soil water computer model that uses the IBM Continuous System Modeling Program III to solve the dynamic equations representing the soil, plant, and atmospheric physical or physiological processes considered is presented and discussed. Using values describing the soil-plant-atmosphere characteristics, the model predicts evaporation, transpiration, drainage, and soil water profile changes from an initial soil water profile and daily meteorological data. The model characteristics and simulations that were performed to determine the nature of the response to controlled variations in the input are described the results of the simulations are included and a change that makes the response of the model more closely represent the observed characteristics of evapotranspiration and profile changes for dry soil conditions is examined.

Joint Sentinel-1 and SMAP data assimilation to improve soil moisture estimates

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

SMAP (Soil Moisture Active and Passive) radiometer observations at 40 km resolution are routinely assimilated into the NASA Catchment Land Surface Model to generate the 9-km SMAP Level-4 Soil Moisture product. This study demonstrates that adding high-resolution radar observations from Sentinel-1 to ...

Soil processes and functions across an international network of Critical Zone Observatories: Introduction to experimental methods and initial results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Banwart, Steven; Menon, Manoj; Bernasconi, Stefano M.; Bloem, Jaap; Blum, Winfried E. H.; Souza, Danielle Maia de; Davidsdotir, Brynhildur; Duffy, Christopher; Lair, Georg J.; Kram, Pavel; Lamacova, Anna; Lundin, Lars; Nikolaidis, Nikolaos P.; Novak, Martin; Panagos, Panos; Ragnarsdottir, Kristin Vala; Reynolds, Brian; Robinson, David; Rousseva, Svetla; de Ruiter, Peter; van Gaans, Pauline; Weng, Liping; White, Tim; Zhang, Bin

2012-11-01

Growth in human population and demand for wealth creates ever-increasing pressure on global soils, leading to soil losses and degradation worldwide. Critical Zone science studies the impact linkages between these pressures, the resulting environmental state of soils, and potential interventions to protect soil and reverse degradation. New research on soil processes is being driven by the scientific hypothesis that soil processes can be described along a life cycle of soil development. This begins with formation of new soil from parent material, development of the soil profile, and potential loss of the developed soil functions and the soil itself under overly intensive anthropogenic land use, thus closing the cycle. Four Critical Zone Observatories in Europe have been selected focusing research at sites that represent key stages along the hypothetical soil life cycle; incipient soil formation, productive use of soil for farming and forestry, and decline of soil due to longstanding intensive agriculture. Initial results from the research show that soil develops important biogeochemical properties on the time scale of decades and that soil carbon and the development of favourable soil structure takes place over similar time scales. A new mathematical model of soil aggregate formation and degradation predicts that set-aside land at the most degraded site studied can develop substantially improved soil structure with the accumulation of soil carbon over a period of several years. Further results demonstrate the rapid dynamics of soil carbon; how quickly it can be lost, and also demonstrate how data from the CZOs can be used to determine parameter values for models at catchment scale. A structure for a new integrated Critical Zone model is proposed that combines process descriptions of carbon and nutrient flows, a simplified description of the soil food web, and reactive transport; all coupled with a dynamic model for soil structure and soil aggregation. This approach is proposed as a methodology to analyse data along the soil life cycle and test how soil processes and rates vary within, and between, the CZOs representing different life cycle stages. In addition, frameworks are discussed that will help to communicate the results of this science into a more policy relevant format using ecosystem service approaches.

The Impact of Microwave-Derived Surface Soil Moisture on Watershed Hydrological Modeling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

ONeill, P. E.; Hsu, A. Y.; Jackson, T. J.; Wood, E. F.; Zion, M.

1997-01-01

The usefulness of incorporating microwave-derived soil moisture information in a semi-distributed hydrological model was demonstrated for the Washita '92 experiment in the Little Washita River watershed in Oklahoma. Initializing the hydrological model with surface soil moisture fields from the ESTAR airborne L-band microwave radiometer on a single wet day at the start of the study period produced more accurate model predictions of soil moisture than a standard hydrological initialization with streamflow data over an eight-day soil moisture drydown.

The Hydrosphere State (Hydros) Satellite Mission: An Earth System Pathfinder for Global Mapping of Soil Moisture and Land Freeze/Thaw

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Entekhabi, D.; Njoku, E. G.; Spencer, M.; Kim, Y.; Smith, J.; McDonald, K. C.; vanZyl, J.; Houser, P.; Dorion, T.; Koster, R.;

30 CFR 736.22 - Contents of a Federal program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... INTERIOR PERMANENT REGULATORY PROGRAMS FOR NON-FEDERAL AND NON-INDIAN LANDS FEDERAL PROGRAM FOR A STATE § 736.22 Contents of a Federal program. (a) In promulgating or revising any Federal program for a State, the Director shall— (1) Consider the nature of that State's soils, topography, climate, and biological...

30 CFR 736.22 - Contents of a Federal program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... INTERIOR PERMANENT REGULATORY PROGRAMS FOR NON-FEDERAL AND NON-INDIAN LANDS FEDERAL PROGRAM FOR A STATE § 736.22 Contents of a Federal program. (a) In promulgating or revising any Federal program for a State, the Director shall— (1) Consider the nature of that State's soils, topography, climate, and biological...

30 CFR 736.22 - Contents of a Federal program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... INTERIOR PERMANENT REGULATORY PROGRAMS FOR NON-FEDERAL AND NON-INDIAN LANDS FEDERAL PROGRAM FOR A STATE § 736.22 Contents of a Federal program. (a) In promulgating or revising any Federal program for a State, the Director shall— (1) Consider the nature of that State's soils, topography, climate, and biological...

30 CFR 736.22 - Contents of a Federal program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... INTERIOR PERMANENT REGULATORY PROGRAMS FOR NON-FEDERAL AND NON-INDIAN LANDS FEDERAL PROGRAM FOR A STATE § 736.22 Contents of a Federal program. (a) In promulgating or revising any Federal program for a State, the Director shall— (1) Consider the nature of that State's soils, topography, climate, and biological...

Promoting Learning by Inquiry Among Undergraduates in Soil Sciences: Scaffolding From Project-based Courses to Student-Staff Research Grants by the National Research Agency in Oman

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Al-Ismaily, Said; Kacimov, Anvar; Al-Maktoumi, Ali

2016-04-01

Three strategies in a soil science undergraduate programme with inquiry-based learning (IBL) principles at Sultan Qaboos University, Oman, are presented. The first strategy scaffolds courses into three phases: with direct instructional guidance, structured IBL, and finally, guided to open IBL. The second strategy involves extra-curricular activities of undergraduates, viz. conducting workshops on soils for pupils in grades 7-9 with their teachers. The third strategy promotes the teaching-research nexus through collaboration between the undergraduates and faculty within a student-supporting, government-funded programme through 1-year long research grants of up to 5,500 US/project. The efficiency of the strategies was evaluated by students' evaluations of courses and instructors and questionnaire-based surveys. Statistics of students' responses in teaching evaluations of IBL courses showed a significantly higher level of satisfaction compared with regular courses taught in the department and college. In surveys of other constituencies of the program, viz. the secondary schools, more than 90% of respondents "agreed" or "strongly agreed" that they had learned new information/secrets about soils. The indicators of success in the third strategy are: winning a highly competitive grant and, moreover, earning an even more competitive annual national award for the best executed research project. The two top graduates of the IBL soil programme progressed into the MSc programme with the university and national scholarships. Key words: inquiry based learning, soil science undergraduate program, scaffold of courses, outreach activities, teaching-research nexus, evaluation of program's efficiency

Compilation of 1986 annual reports of the Navy ELF (Extremely Low Frequency) communications system ecological monitoring program, volume 2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1987-07-01

The U.S. Navy is conducting a long-term program to monitor for possible effects from the operation of its Extremely Low Frequency (ELF) Communications System to resident biota and their ecological relationships. This report documents progress of the following studies: soil amoeba; soil and litter arthropoda and earthworm studies; biological studies on pollinating insects: megachilid bees; and small vertebrates: small mammals and nesting birds.

Unusual Reactivity of the Martian Soil: Oxygen Release Upon Humidification

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yen, A. S.

2002-01-01

Recent lab results show that oxygen evolves from superoxide-coated mineral grains upon exposure to water vapor. This observation is additional support of the hypothesis that UV-generated O2 is responsible for the reactivity of the martian soil. Discussion of current NASA research opportunities, status of various programs within the Solar System Exploration Division, and employment opportunities within NASA Headquarters to support these programs. Additional information is contained in the original extended abstract.

An Underground Revolution: Biodiversity and Soil Ecological Engineering for Agricultural Sustainability.

PubMed

Bender, S Franz; Wagg, Cameron; van der Heijden, Marcel G A

2016-06-01

Soil organisms are an integral component of ecosystems, but their activities receive little recognition in agricultural management strategies. Here we synthesize the potential of soil organisms to enhance ecosystem service delivery and demonstrate that soil biodiversity promotes multiple ecosystem functions simultaneously (i.e., ecosystem multifunctionality). We apply the concept of ecological intensification to soils and we develop strategies for targeted exploitation of soil biological traits. We compile promising approaches to enhance agricultural sustainability through the promotion of soil biodiversity and targeted management of soil community composition. We present soil ecological engineering as a concept to generate human land-use systems, which can serve immediate human needs while minimizing environmental impacts. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

MoisturEC: a new R program for moisture content estimation from electrical conductivity data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Terry, Neil; Day-Lewis, Frederick D.; Werkema, Dale D.; Lane, John W.

2018-01-01

Noninvasive geophysical estimation of soil moisture has potential to improve understanding of flow in the unsaturated zone for problems involving agricultural management, aquifer recharge, and optimization of landfill design and operations. In principle, several geophysical techniques (e.g., electrical resistivity, electromagnetic induction, and nuclear magnetic resonance) offer insight into soil moisture, but data‐analysis tools are needed to “translate” geophysical results into estimates of soil moisture, consistent with (1) the uncertainty of this translation and (2) direct measurements of moisture. Although geostatistical frameworks exist for this purpose, straightforward and user‐friendly tools are required to fully capitalize on the potential of geophysical information for soil‐moisture estimation. Here, we present MoisturEC, a simple R program with a graphical user interface to convert measurements or images of electrical conductivity (EC) to soil moisture. Input includes EC values, point moisture estimates, and definition of either Archie parameters (based on experimental or literature values) or empirical data of moisture vs. EC. The program produces two‐ and three‐dimensional images of moisture based on available EC and direct measurements of moisture, interpolating between measurement locations using a Tikhonov regularization approach.

7 CFR 632.4 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... programs of soil and water conservation with which the Secretary of Agriculture cooperates under the Soil..., structures, or other improvements. Land user. Any person, partnership, firm, company, corporation... sediment damage, elimination of public safety or health hazards, improvement of water quality, improved...

Chemical Sensing for Buried Landmines - Fundamental Processes Influencing Trace Chemical Detection

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

PHELAN, JAMES M.

2002-05-01

Mine detection dogs have a demonstrated capability to locate hidden objects by trace chemical detection. Because of this capability, demining activities frequently employ mine detection dogs to locate individual buried landmines or for area reduction. The conditions appropriate for use of mine detection dogs are only beginning to emerge through diligent research that combines dog selection/training, the environmental conditions that impact landmine signature chemical vapors, and vapor sensing performance capability and reliability. This report seeks to address the fundamental soil-chemical interactions, driven by local weather history, that influence the availability of chemical for trace chemical detection. The processes evaluated include:more » landmine chemical emissions to the soil, chemical distribution in soils, chemical degradation in soils, and weather and chemical transport in soils. Simulation modeling is presented as a method to evaluate the complex interdependencies among these various processes and to establish conditions appropriate for trace chemical detection. Results from chemical analyses on soil samples obtained adjacent to landmines are presented and demonstrate the ultra-trace nature of these residues. Lastly, initial measurements of the vapor sensing performance of mine detection dogs demonstrates the extreme sensitivity of dogs in sensing landmine signature chemicals; however, reliability at these ultra-trace vapor concentrations still needs to be determined. Through this compilation, additional work is suggested that will fill in data gaps to improve the utility of trace chemical detection.« less

Emergent Imaging and Geospatial Technologies for Soil Investigations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

DeGloria, Stephen D.; Beaudette, Dylan E.; Irons, James R.; Libohova, Zamir; O'Neill, Peggy E.; Owens, Phillip R.; Schoeneberger, Philip J.; West, Larry T.; Wysocki, Douglas A.

2014-01-01

Soil survey investigations and inventories form the scientific basis for a wide spectrum of agronomic and environmental management programs. Soil data and information help formulate resource conservation policies of federal, state, and local governments that seek to sustain our agricultural production system while enhancing environmental quality on both public and private lands. The dual challenges of increasing agricultural production and ensuring environmental integrity require electronically available soil inventory data with both spatial and attribute quality. Meeting this societal need in part depends on development and evaluation of new methods for updating and maintaining soil inventories for sophisticated applications, and implementing an effective framework to conceptualize and communicate tacit knowledge from soil scientists to numerous stakeholders.

Biodegradation of hazardous waste using white rot fungus: Project planning and concept development document

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Luey, J.; Brouns, T.M.; Elliott, M.L.

1990-11-01

The white rot fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium has been shown to effectively degrade pollutants such as trichlorophenol, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dioxins and other halogenated aromatic compounds. These refractory organic compounds and many others have been identified in the tank waste, groundwater and soil of various US Department of Energy (DOE) sites. The treatment of these refractory organic compounds has been identified as a high priority for DOE's Research, Development, Demonstration, Testing, and Evaluation (RDDT E) waste treatment programs. Unlike many bacteria, the white rot fungus P. chrysosporium is capable of degrading these types of refractory organics and may be valuable formore » the treatment of wastes containing multiple pollutants. The objectives of this project are to identify DOE waste problems amenable to white rot fungus treatment and to develop and demonstrate white rot fungus treatment process for these hazardous organic compounds. 32 refs., 6 figs., 7 tabs.« less

Soil-based filtration technology for air purification: potentials for environmental and space life support application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nelson, Mark; Bohn, Hinrich

Soil biofiltration, also known as Soil bed reactor (SBR), technology was originally developed in Germany to take advantage of the diversity in microbial mechanisms to control gases producing malodor in industrial processes. The approach has since gained wider international acceptance and seen numerous improvements, for example, by the use of high-organic compost beds to maximize microbial processes. This paper reviews the basic mechanisms which underlay soil processes involved in air purification, advantages and limitations of the technology and the cur-rent research status of the approach. Soil biofiltration has lower capital and operating/energetic costs than conventional technologies and is well adapted to handle contaminants in moderate concentrations. The systems can be engineered to optimize efficiency though manipulation of temperature, pH, moisture content, soil organic matter and airflow rates. SBR technology was modified for application in the Biosphere 2 project, which demonstrated in preparatory research with a number of closed system testbeds that soil could also support crop plants while also serving as soil filters with air pumps to push air through the soil. This Biosphere 2 research demonstrated in several closed system testbeds that a number of important trace gases could be kept under control and led to the engineering of the entire agricultural soil of Biosphere 2 to serve as a soil filtration unit for the facility. Soil biofiltration, coupled with food crop produc-tion, as a component of bioregenerative space life support systems has the advantages of lower energy use and avoidance of the consumables required for other air purification approaches. Expanding use of soil biofiltration can aid a number of environmental applications, from the mitigation of indoor air pollution, improvement of industrial air emissions and prevention of accidental release of toxic gases.

Genetic by environment interactions affect plant–soil linkages

PubMed Central

Pregitzer, Clara C; Bailey, Joseph K; Schweitzer, Jennifer A

2013-01-01

The role of plant intraspecific variation in plant–soil linkages is poorly understood, especially in the context of natural environmental variation, but has important implications in evolutionary ecology. We utilized three 18- to 21-year-old common gardens across an elevational gradient, planted with replicates of five Populus angustifolia genotypes each, to address the hypothesis that tree genotype (G), environment (E), and G × E interactions would affect soil carbon and nitrogen dynamics beneath individual trees. We found that soil nitrogen and carbon varied by over 50% and 62%, respectively, across all common garden environments. We found that plant leaf litter (but not root) traits vary by genotype and environment while soil nutrient pools demonstrated genotype, environment, and sometimes G × E interactions, while process rates (net N mineralization and net nitrification) demonstrated G × E interactions. Plasticity in tree growth and litter chemistry was significantly related to the variation in soil nutrient pools and processes across environments, reflecting tight plant–soil linkages. These data overall suggest that plant genetic variation can have differential affects on carbon storage and nitrogen cycling, with implications for understanding the role of genetic variation in plant–soil feedback as well as management plans for conservation and restoration of forest habitats with a changing climate. PMID:23919173

Effect of particle size on droplet infiltration into hydrophobic porous media as a model of water repellent soil.

PubMed

Hamlett, Christopher A E; Shirtcliffe, Neil J; McHale, Glen; Ahn, Sujung; Bryant, Robert; Doerr, Stefan H; Newton, Michael I

2011-11-15

The wettability of soil is of great importance for plants and soil biota, and in determining the risk for preferential flow, surface runoff, flooding,and soil erosion. The molarity of ethanol droplet (MED) test is widely used for quantifying the severity of water repellency in soils that show reduced wettability and is assumed to be independent of soil particle size. The minimum ethanol concentration at which droplet penetration occurs within a short time (≤ 10 s) provides an estimate of the initial advancing contact angle at which spontaneous wetting is expected. In this study, we test the assumption of particle size independence using a simple model of soil, represented by layers of small (~0.2-2 mm) diameter beads that predict the effect of changing bead radius in the top layer on capillary driven imbibition. Experimental results using a three-layer bead system show broad agreement with the model and demonstrate a dependence of the MED test on particle size. The results show that the critical initial advancing contact angle for penetration can be considerably less than 90° and varies with particle size, demonstrating that a key assumption currently used in the MED testing of soil is not necessarily valid.

A Case Study on Soil Antibiotic Resistome in an Urban Community Garden.

PubMed

Mafiz, Abdullah Ibn; Perera, Liyanage Nirasha; He, Yingshu; Zhang, Wei; Xiao, Shujie; Hao, Weilong; Sun, Shi; Zhou, Kequan; Zhang, Yifan

2018-05-29

Urban agricultural soils can be an important reservoir of antibiotic resistance and have great food safety and public health indications. This study was to investigate antibiotic-resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes in urban agricultural soils using phenotypic and metagenomic tools. A total of 207 soil bacteria were recovered from 41 soil samples collected from an urban agricultural garden in Detroit, USA. The most prevalent antibiotic resistance phenotypes demonstrated by Gram-negative bacteria was the resistance to ampicillin (94.2%), followed by chloramphenicol (80.0%), cefoxitin (79.5%), gentamicin (78.4%), and ceftriaxone (71.1%). Gram-positive bacteria were all resistant to gentamicin, kanamycin, and penicillin. Genes encoding resistance to quinolone, β-lactam, and tetracycline were the most prevalent and abundant in the soil. qepA and tetA, both encoding efflux pumps, predominated in quinolone and tetracycline resistance genes tested, respectively. Positive correlation (p < 0.05) was identified among groups of antibiotic resistance genes and between antibiotic resistance genes and metal resistance genes. The data demonstrated a diverse population of antibiotic resistance in urban agricultural soils. Phenotypic determination together with soil metagenomics proved to be a valuable tool to study the nature and extent of antibiotic resistance in the environment. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Decomposition by ectomycorrhizal fungi alters soil carbon storage in a simulation model

DOE PAGES

Moore, J. A. M.; Jiang, J.; Post, W. M.; ...

2015-03-06

Carbon cycle models often lack explicit belowground organism activity, yet belowground organisms regulate carbon storage and release in soil. Ectomycorrhizal fungi are important players in the carbon cycle because they are a conduit into soil for carbon assimilated by the plant. It is hypothesized that ectomycorrhizal fungi can also be active decomposers when plant carbon allocation to fungi is low. Here, we reviewed the literature on ectomycorrhizal decomposition and we developed a simulation model of the plant-mycorrhizae interaction where a reduction in plant productivity stimulates ectomycorrhizal fungi to decompose soil organic matter. Our review highlights evidence demonstrating the potential formore » ectomycorrhizal fungi to decompose soil organic matter. Our model output suggests that ectomycorrhizal activity accounts for a portion of carbon decomposed in soil, but this portion varied with plant productivity and the mycorrhizal carbon uptake strategy simulated. Lower organic matter inputs to soil were largely responsible for reduced soil carbon storage. Using mathematical theory, we demonstrated that biotic interactions affect predictions of ecosystem functions. Specifically, we developed a simple function to model the mycorrhizal switch in function from plant symbiont to decomposer. In conclusion, we show that including mycorrhizal fungi with the flexibility of mutualistic and saprotrophic lifestyles alters predictions of ecosystem function.« less

Evidence that Soil Properties and Organic Coating Drive the Phytoavailability of Cerium Oxide Nanoparticles.

PubMed

Layet, Clément; Auffan, Mélanie; Santaella, Catherine; Chevassus-Rosset, Claire; Montes, Mélanie; Ortet, Philippe; Barakat, Mohamed; Collin, Blanche; Legros, Samuel; Bravin, Matthieu N; Angeletti, Bernard; Kieffer, Isabelle; Proux, Olivier; Hazemann, Jean-Louis; Doelsch, Emmanuel

2017-09-05

The ISO-standardized RHIZOtest is used here for the first time to decipher how plant species, soil properties, and physical-chemical properties of the nanoparticles and their transformation regulate the phytoavailability of nanoparticles. Two plants, tomato and fescue, were exposed to two soils with contrasted properties: a sandy soil poor in organic matter and a clay soil rich in organic matter, both contaminated with 1, 15, and 50 mg·kg -1 of dissolved Ce 2 (SO 4 ) 3 , bare and citrate-coated CeO 2 nanoparticles. All the results demonstrate that two antagonistic soil properties controlled Ce uptake. The clay fraction enhanced the retention of the CeO 2 nanoparticles and hence reduced Ce uptake, whereas the organic matter content enhanced Ce uptake. Moreover, in the soil poor in organic matter, the organic citrate coating significantly enhanced the phytoavailability of the cerium by forming smaller aggregates thereby facilitating the transport of nanoparticles to the roots. By getting rid of the dissimilarities between the root systems of the different plants and the normalizing the surfaces exposed to nanoparticles, the RHIZOtest demonstrated that the species of plant did not drive the phytoavailability, and provided evidence for soil-plant transfers at concentrations lower than those usually cited in the literature and closer to predicted environmental concentrations.

Site-specific critical acid load estimates for forest soils in the Osborn Creek watershed, Michigan

Treesearch

Trevor Hobbs; Jason Lynch; Randy Kolka

2017-01-01

Anthropogenic acid deposition has the potential to accelerate leaching of soil cations, and in turn, deplete nutrients essential to forest vegetation. The critical load concept, employing a simple mass balance (SMB) approach, is often used to model this process. In an evaluation under the U.S. Forest Service Watershed Condition Framework program, soils in all 6th level...

Nine-year response of hardwood understory to organic matter removal and soil compaction

Treesearch

Felix Ponder

2008-01-01

The effects of three levels of organic matter removal (OMR) and three levels of soil compaction (SC) on the development of understory vegetation in a central hardwood forest were evaluated 9 years after treatments were applied as part of a national program of long-term soil productivity research. The three levels of biomass removal (OMR) were removal of merchantable...

Modelling the effect of low soil temperatures on transpiration by Scots pine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mellander, Per-Erik; Stähli, Manfred; Gustafsson, David; Bishop, Kevin

2006-06-01

For ecosystem modelling of the Boreal forest it is important to include processes associated with low soil temperature during spring-early summer, as these affect the tree water uptake. The COUP model, a physically based SVAT model, was tested with 2 years of soil and snow physical measurements and sap flow measurements in a 70-year-old Scots pine stand in the boreal zone of northern Sweden. During the first year the extent and duration of soil frost was manipulated in the field. The model was successful in reproducing the timing of the soil warming after the snowmelt and frost thaw. A delayed soil warming, into the growing season, severely reduced the transpiration. We demonstrated the potential for considerable overestimation of transpiration by the model if the reduction of the trees' capacity to transpire due to low soil temperatures is not taken into account. We also demonstrated that the accumulated effect of aboveground conditions could be included when simulating the relationship between soil temperature and tree water uptake. This improved the estimated transpiration for the control plot and when soil warming was delayed into the growing season. The study illustrates the need of including antecedent conditions on root growth in the model in order to catch these effects on transpiration. The COUP model is a promising tool for predicting transpiration in high-latitude stands.

Biodegradation of insensitive munition formulations IMX101 and IMX104 in surface soils.

PubMed

Indest, Karl J; Hancock, Dawn E; Crocker, Fiona H; Eberly, Jed O; Jung, Carina M; Blakeney, Gary A; Brame, Jon; Chappell, Mark A

2017-07-01

The biodegradation potential of insensitive munition melt cast formulations IMX101 and IMX104 was investigated in two unamended training range soils under aerobic and anaerobic growth conditions. Changes in community profiles in soil microcosms were monitored via high-throughput 16S rRNA sequencing over the course of the experiments to infer key microbial phylotypes that may be linked to IMX degradation. Complete anaerobic biotransformation occurred for IMX101 and IMX104 constituents 2,4-dinitroanisole (DNAN) and 3-nitro-1,2,4-triazol-5-one during the 30-day incubation period with Camp Shelby (CS) soil. By comparison, soil from Umatilla chemical depot demonstrated incomplete DNAN degradation with reduced transformation rates for both IMX101 and IMX104. Aerobic soil microcosms for both soils demonstrated reduced transformation rates compared to anaerobic degradation for all IMX constituents with DNAN the most susceptible to biotransformation by CS soil. Overall, IMX constituents hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine and 1-nitroguanidine did not undergo significant transformation. In CS soil, organisms that have been associated with explosives degradation, namely members of the Burkholderiaceae, Bacillaceae, and Paenibacillaceae phylotypes increased significantly in anaerobic treatments whereas Sphingomonadaceae increased significantly in aerobic treatments. Collectively, these data may be used to populate fate and transport models to provide more accurate estimates for assessing environmental costs associated with release of IMX101 and IMX104.

Temporal patterns of infiltration into a water repellent soil under field conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ward, Phil; Roper, Margaret; Micin, Shayne; Jongepier, Ramona

2014-05-01

Water repellency causes substantial economic losses for farmers in southern Australia through impacts on crop growth and weed germination. However, recent research has demonstrated that laboratory measurements of water repellency may not be a reliable indicator of the severity of symptoms experienced in the field. In particular, crop residue retention and minimal soil disturbance led to increased water repellency, but was also associated with higher soil water contents measured at strategic times of the year. Little is known about the temporal patterns of soil water storage close to the soil surface in a water repellent sand. In this research we measured soil water content at a depth of 0.05 m at 15-minute intervals from June 2011 to October 2012, under various treatment combinations of residue retention and soil disturbance. Measurements were made in both 'crop row' and 'crop inter-row' positions. For a rainfall event (9.2 mm) in March 2012, prior to crop seeding, plots previously established with no-till absorbed significantly more water (increase in soil water content of 0.074 v/v) than plots conventionally cultivated (0.038 v/v). In June 2012 (12.6 mm), 4 weeks after crop seeding, tillage was again significant, and there was a significant interaction between tillage and 'row' or 'inter-row' position. These results demonstrate the importance of crop management in modifying the response of water repellent soils to rainfall in the field.

Demonstration, testing, & evaluation of in situ heating of soil. Draft final report, Volume II: Appendices A to E

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dev, H.; Enk, J.; Jones, D.

This document is a draft final report for US DOE contract entitled, {open_quotes}Demonstration Testing and Evaluation of In Situ Soil Heating,{close_quotes} Contract No. DE-AC05-93OR22160, IITRI Project No. C06787. This report is presented in two volumes. Volume I contains the technical report This document is Volume II, containing appendices with background information and data. In this project approximately 300 cu. yd. of clayey soil containing a low concentration plume of volatile organic chemicals was heated in situ by the application of electrical energy. It was shown that as a result of heating the effective permeability of soil to air flow wasmore » increased such that in situ soil vapor extraction could be performed. The initial permeability of soil was so low that the soil gas flow rate was immeasurably small even at high vacuum levels. When scaled up, this process can be used for the environmental clean up and restoration of DOE sites contaminated with VOCs and other organic chemicals boiling up to 120{degrees}to 130{degrees}C in the vadose zone. Although it may applied to many types of soil formations, it is particularly attractive for low permeability clayey soil where conventional in situ venting techniques are limited by low air flow.« less

Soil moisture retrival from Sentinel-1 and Modis synergy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Qi; Zribi, Mehrez; Escorihuela, Maria Jose; Baghdadi, Nicolas

2017-04-01

This study presents two methodologies retrieving soil moisture from SAR remote sensing data. The study is based on Sentinel-1 data in the VV polarization, over a site in Urgell, Catalunya (Spain). In the two methodologies using change detection techniques, preprocessed radar data are combined with normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) auxiliary data to estimate the mean soil moisture with a resolution of 1km. By modeling the relationship between the backscatter difference and NDVI, the soil moisture at a specific NDVI value is retrieved. The first algorithm is already developed on West Africa(Zribi et al., 2014) from ERS scatterometer data to estimate soil water status. In this study, it is adapted to Sentinel-1 data and take into account the high repetitiveness of data in optimizing the inversion approach. Another new method is developed based on the backscatter difference between two adjacent days of Sentinel-1 data w.r.t. NDVI, with smaller vegetation change, the backscatter difference is more sensitive to soil moisture. The proposed methodologies have been validated with the ground measurement in two demonstrative fields with RMS error about 0.05 (in volumetric moisture), and the coherence between soil moisture variations and rainfall events is observed. Soil moisture maps at 1km resolution are generated for the study area. The results demonstrate the potential of Sentinel-1 data for the retrieval of soil moisture at 1km or even better resolution.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Moore, J. A. M.; Jiang, J.; Post, W. M.

Carbon cycle models often lack explicit belowground organism activity, yet belowground organisms regulate carbon storage and release in soil. Ectomycorrhizal fungi are important players in the carbon cycle because they are a conduit into soil for carbon assimilated by the plant. It is hypothesized that ectomycorrhizal fungi can also be active decomposers when plant carbon allocation to fungi is low. Here, we reviewed the literature on ectomycorrhizal decomposition and we developed a simulation model of the plant-mycorrhizae interaction where a reduction in plant productivity stimulates ectomycorrhizal fungi to decompose soil organic matter. Our review highlights evidence demonstrating the potential formore » ectomycorrhizal fungi to decompose soil organic matter. Our model output suggests that ectomycorrhizal activity accounts for a portion of carbon decomposed in soil, but this portion varied with plant productivity and the mycorrhizal carbon uptake strategy simulated. Lower organic matter inputs to soil were largely responsible for reduced soil carbon storage. Using mathematical theory, we demonstrated that biotic interactions affect predictions of ecosystem functions. Specifically, we developed a simple function to model the mycorrhizal switch in function from plant symbiont to decomposer. In conclusion, we show that including mycorrhizal fungi with the flexibility of mutualistic and saprotrophic lifestyles alters predictions of ecosystem function.« less

High-throughput metagenomic analysis of petroleum-contaminated soil microbiome reveals the versatility in xenobiotic aromatics metabolism.

PubMed

Bao, Yun-Juan; Xu, Zixiang; Li, Yang; Yao, Zhi; Sun, Jibin; Song, Hui

2017-06-01

The soil with petroleum contamination is one of the most studied soil ecosystems due to its rich microorganisms for hydrocarbon degradation and broad applications in bioremediation. However, our understanding of the genomic properties and functional traits of the soil microbiome is limited. In this study, we used high-throughput metagenomic sequencing to comprehensively study the microbial community from petroleum-contaminated soils near Tianjin Dagang oilfield in eastern China. The analysis reveals that the soil metagenome is characterized by high level of community diversity and metabolic versatility. The metageome community is predominated by γ-Proteobacteria and α-Proteobacteria, which are key players for petroleum hydrocarbon degradation. The functional study demonstrates over-represented enzyme groups and pathways involved in degradation of a broad set of xenobiotic aromatic compounds, including toluene, xylene, chlorobenzoate, aminobenzoate, DDT, methylnaphthalene, and bisphenol. A composite metabolic network is proposed for the identified pathways, thus consolidating our identification of the pathways. The overall data demonstrated the great potential of the studied soil microbiome in the xenobiotic aromatics degradation. The results not only establish a rich reservoir for novel enzyme discovery but also provide putative applications in bioremediation. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

LANDSAT-1 data, its use in a soil survey program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Westin, F. C.; Frazee, C. J.

1975-01-01

The following applications of LANDSAT imagery were investigated: assistance in recognizing soil survey boundaries, low intensity soil surveys, and preparation of a base map for publishing thematic soils maps. The following characteristics of LANDSAT imagery were tested as they apply to the recognition of soil boundaries in South Dakota and western Minnesota: synoptic views due to the large areas covered, near-orthography and lack of distortion, flexibility of selecting the proper season, data recording in four parts of the spectrum, and the use of computer compatible tapes. A low intensity soil survey of Pennington County, South Dakota was completed in 1974. Low intensity inexpensive soil surveys can provide the data needed to evaluate agricultural land for the remaining counties until detailed soil surveys are completed. In using LANDSAT imagery as a base map for publishing thematic soil maps, the first step was to prepare a mosaic with 20 LANDSAT scenes from several late spring passes in 1973.

Water, energy, and biogeochemical budgets investigation at Panola Mountain research watershed, Stockbridge, Georgia; a research plan

USGS Publications Warehouse

Huntington, T.G.; Hooper, R.P.; Peters, N.E.; Bullen, T.D.; Kendall, Carol

1993-01-01

The Panola Mountain Research Watershed (PMRW), located in the Panola Mountain State Conservation Park near Stockbridge, Georgia has been selected as a core research watershed under the Water, Energy and Biogeochemical Budgets (WEBB) research initiative of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Global Climate Change Program. This research plan describes ongoing and planned research activities at PMRW from 1984 to 1994. Since 1984, PMRW has been studied as a geochemical process research site under the U.S. Acid Precipitation Thrust Program. Research conducted under this Thrust Program focused on the estimation of dry atmospheric deposition, short-term temporal variability of streamwater chemistry, sulfate adsorption characteristics of the soils, groundwater chemistry, throughfall chemistry, and streamwater quality. The Acid Precipitation Thrust Program continues (1993) to support data collection and a water-quality laboratory. Proposed research to be supported by the WEBB program is organized in 3 interrelated categories: streamflow generation and water-quality evolution, weathering and geochemical evolution, and regulation of soil-water chemistry. Proposed research on streamflow generation and water-quality evolution will focus on subsurface water movement, its influence in streamflow generation, and the associated chemical changes of the water that take place along its flowpath. Proposed research on weathering and geochemical evolution will identify the sources of cations observed in the streamwater at Panola Mountain and quantify the changes in cation source during storms. Proposed research on regulation of soil-water chemistry will focus on the poorly understood processes that regulate soil-water and groundwater chemistry. (USGS)

Improving soil bacterial taxa–area relationships assessment using DNA meta-barcoding

PubMed Central

Terrat, S; Dequiedt, S; Horrigue, W; Lelievre, M; Cruaud, C; Saby, N P A; Jolivet, C; Arrouays, D; Maron, P-A; Ranjard, L; Chemidlin Prévost-Bouré, N

2015-01-01

The evaluation of the taxa–area relationship (TAR) with molecular fingerprinting data demonstrated the spatial structuration of soil microorganisms and provided insights into the processes shaping their diversity. The increasing use of massive sequencing technologies in biodiversity investigations has now raised the question of the advantages of such technologies over the fingerprinting approach for elucidation of the determinism of soil microbial community assembly in broad-scale biogeographic studies. Our objectives in this study were to compare DNA fingerprinting and meta-barcoding approaches for evaluating soil bacterial TAR and the determinism of soil bacterial community assembly on a broad scale. This comparison was performed on 392 soil samples from four French geographic regions with different levels of environmental heterogeneity. Both molecular approaches demonstrated a TAR with a significant slope but, because of its more sensitive description of soil bacterial community richness, meta-barcoding provided significantly higher and more accurate estimates of turnover rates. Both approaches were useful in evidencing the processes shaping bacterial diversity variations on a broad scale. When different taxonomic resolutions were considered for meta-barcoding data, they significantly influenced the estimation of turnover rates but not the relative importance of each component process. Altogether, DNA meta-barcoding provides a more accurate evaluation of the TAR and may lead to re-examination of the processes shaping soil bacterial community assembly. This should provide new insights into soil microbial ecology in the context of sustainable use of soil resources. PMID:25293875

Grassland management regimens reduce small-scale heterogeneity and species diversity of beta-proteobacterial ammonia pxidizer populations.

PubMed

Webster, Gordon; Embley, T Martin; Prosser, James I

2002-01-01

The impact of soil management practices on ammonia oxidizer diversity and spatial heterogeneity was determined in improved (addition of N fertilizer), unimproved (no additions), and semi-improved (intermediate management) grassland pastures at the Sourhope Research Station in Scotland. Ammonia oxidizer diversity within each grassland soil was assessed by PCR amplification of microbial community DNA with both ammonia oxidizer-specific, 16S rRNA gene (rDNA) and functional, amoA, gene primers. PCR products were analysed by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis, phylogenetic analysis of partial 16S rDNA and amoA sequences, and hybridization with ammonia oxidizer-specific oligonucleotide probes. Ammonia oxidizer populations in unimproved soils were more diverse than those in improved soils and were dominated by organisms representing Nitrosospira clusters 1 and 3 and Nitrosomonas cluster 7 (closely related phylogenetically to Nitrosomonas europaea). Improved soils were only dominated by Nitrosospira cluster 3 and Nitrosomonas cluster 7. These differences were also reflected in functional gene (amoA) diversity, with amoA gene sequences of both Nitrosomonas and Nitrosospira species detected. Replicate 0.5-g samples of unimproved soil demonstrated significant spatial heterogeneity in 16S rDNA-defined ammonia oxidizer clusters, which was reflected in heterogeneity in ammonium concentration and pH. Heterogeneity in soil characteristics and ammonia oxidizer diversity were lower in improved soils. The results therefore demonstrate significant effects of soil management on diversity and heterogeneity of ammonia oxidizer populations that are related to similar changes in relevant soil characteristics.

Bacteria as Emerging Indicators of Soil Condition

PubMed Central

Hermans, Syrie M.; Buckley, Hannah L.; Case, Bradley S.; Curran-Cournane, Fiona; Taylor, Matthew

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT Bacterial communities are important for the health and productivity of soil ecosystems and have great potential as novel indicators of environmental perturbations. To assess how they are affected by anthropogenic activity and to determine their ability to provide alternative metrics of environmental health, we sought to define which soil variables bacteria respond to across multiple soil types and land uses. We determined, through 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, the composition of bacterial communities in soil samples from 110 natural or human-impacted sites, located up to 300 km apart. Overall, soil bacterial communities varied more in response to changing soil environments than in response to changes in climate or increasing geographic distance. We identified strong correlations between the relative abundances of members of Pirellulaceae and soil pH, members of Gaiellaceae and carbon-to-nitrogen ratios, members of Bradyrhizobium and the levels of Olsen P (a measure of plant available phosphorus), and members of Chitinophagaceae and aluminum concentrations. These relationships between specific soil attributes and individual soil taxa not only highlight ecological characteristics of these organisms but also demonstrate the ability of key bacterial taxonomic groups to reflect the impact of specific anthropogenic activities, even in comparisons of samples across large geographic areas and diverse soil types. Overall, we provide strong evidence that there is scope to use relative taxon abundances as biological indicators of soil condition. IMPORTANCE The impact of land use change and management on soil microbial community composition remains poorly understood. Therefore, we explored the relationship between a wide range of soil factors and soil bacterial community composition. We included variables related to anthropogenic activity and collected samples across a large spatial scale to interrogate the complex relationships between various bacterial community attributes and soil condition. We provide evidence of strong relationships between individual taxa and specific soil attributes even across large spatial scales and soil and land use types. Collectively, we were able to demonstrate the largely untapped potential of microorganisms to indicate the condition of soil and thereby influence the way that we monitor the effects of anthropogenic activity on soil ecosystems into the future. PMID:27793827

Bacteria as Emerging Indicators of Soil Condition.

PubMed

Hermans, Syrie M; Buckley, Hannah L; Case, Bradley S; Curran-Cournane, Fiona; Taylor, Matthew; Lear, Gavin

2017-01-01

Bacterial communities are important for the health and productivity of soil ecosystems and have great potential as novel indicators of environmental perturbations. To assess how they are affected by anthropogenic activity and to determine their ability to provide alternative metrics of environmental health, we sought to define which soil variables bacteria respond to across multiple soil types and land uses. We determined, through 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, the composition of bacterial communities in soil samples from 110 natural or human-impacted sites, located up to 300 km apart. Overall, soil bacterial communities varied more in response to changing soil environments than in response to changes in climate or increasing geographic distance. We identified strong correlations between the relative abundances of members of Pirellulaceae and soil pH, members of Gaiellaceae and carbon-to-nitrogen ratios, members of Bradyrhizobium and the levels of Olsen P (a measure of plant available phosphorus), and members of Chitinophagaceae and aluminum concentrations. These relationships between specific soil attributes and individual soil taxa not only highlight ecological characteristics of these organisms but also demonstrate the ability of key bacterial taxonomic groups to reflect the impact of specific anthropogenic activities, even in comparisons of samples across large geographic areas and diverse soil types. Overall, we provide strong evidence that there is scope to use relative taxon abundances as biological indicators of soil condition. The impact of land use change and management on soil microbial community composition remains poorly understood. Therefore, we explored the relationship between a wide range of soil factors and soil bacterial community composition. We included variables related to anthropogenic activity and collected samples across a large spatial scale to interrogate the complex relationships between various bacterial community attributes and soil condition. We provide evidence of strong relationships between individual taxa and specific soil attributes even across large spatial scales and soil and land use types. Collectively, we were able to demonstrate the largely untapped potential of microorganisms to indicate the condition of soil and thereby influence the way that we monitor the effects of anthropogenic activity on soil ecosystems into the future. Copyright © 2016 American Society for Microbiology.

Using Remotely-Sensed Estimates of Soil Moisture to Infer Soil Texture and Hydraulic Properties across a Semi-arid Watershed

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Santanello, Joseph A.; Peters-Lidard, Christa D.; Garcia, Matthew E.; Mocko, David M.; Tischler, Michael A.; Moran, M. Susan; Thoma, D. P.

2007-01-01

Near-surface soil moisture is a critical component of land surface energy and water balance studies encompassing a wide range of disciplines. However, the processes of infiltration, runoff, and evapotranspiration in the vadose zone of the soil are not easy to quantify or predict because of the difficulty in accurately representing soil texture and hydraulic properties in land surface models. This study approaches the problem of parameterizing soils from a unique perspective based on components originally developed for operational estimation of soil moisture for mobility assessments. Estimates of near-surface soil moisture derived from passive (L-band) microwave remote sensing were acquired on six dates during the Monsoon '90 experiment in southeastern Arizona, and used to calibrate hydraulic properties in an offline land surface model and infer information on the soil conditions of the region. Specifically, a robust parameter estimation tool (PEST) was used to calibrate the Noah land surface model and run at very high spatial resolution across the Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed. Errors in simulated versus observed soil moisture were minimized by adjusting the soil texture, which in turn controls the hydraulic properties through the use of pedotransfer functions. By estimating a continuous range of widely applicable soil properties such as sand, silt, and clay percentages rather than applying rigid soil texture classes, lookup tables, or large parameter sets as in previous studies, the physical accuracy and consistency of the resulting soils could then be assessed. In addition, the sensitivity of this calibration method to the number and timing of microwave retrievals is determined in relation to the temporal patterns in precipitation and soil drying. The resultant soil properties were applied to an extended time period demonstrating the improvement in simulated soil moisture over that using default or county-level soil parameters. The methodology is also applied to an independent case at Walnut Gulch using a new soil moisture product from active (C-band) radar imagery with much lower spatial and temporal resolution. Overall, results demonstrate the potential to gain physically meaningful soils information using simple parameter estimation with few but appropriately timed remote sensing retrievals.

Experiments with a small behaviour controlled planetary rover

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miller, David P.; Desai, Rajiv S.; Gat, Erann; Ivlev, Robert; Loch, John

1993-01-01

A series of experiments that were performed on the Rocky 3 robot is described. Rocky 3 is a small autonomous rover capable of navigating through rough outdoor terrain to a predesignated area, searching that area for soft soil, acquiring a soil sample, and depositing the sample in a container at its home base. The robot is programmed according to a reactive behavior control paradigm using the ALFA programming language. This style of programming produces robust autonomous performance while requiring significantly less computational resources than more traditional mobile robot control systems. The code for Rocky 3 runs on an eight bit processor and uses about ten k of memory.

SMAP validation of soil moisture products

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) satellite will be launched by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in October 2014. SMAP will also incorporate a rigorous calibration and validation program that will support algorithm refinement and provide users with information on the accuracy ...

Use of humic products for production of berry crops

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Many berry growers in the United States and elsewhere are incorporating humic acid products into their fertilizer programs. Proclaimed benefits of these substances include improved soil properties and structure, greater bioavailability of soil nutrients, increased microbial populations, and plant ho...

NEW GIS WATERSHED ANALYSIS TOOLS FOR SOIL CHARACTERIZATION AND EROSION AND SEDIMENTATION MODELING

EPA Science Inventory

A comprehensive procedure for computing soil erosion and sediment delivery metrics has been developed which utilizes a suite of automated scripts and a pair of processing-intensive executable programs operating on a personal computer platform.