Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Soil Development Processes On The Western Slope Of The Southern Sierra Nevada Mountains: A Geographic Study, Kristopher (Kris) Osterloh

Earth and Soil Sciences

No abstract provided.

Brizzolara Creek Revegetation & Restoration Plan, Cailin O'Meara

Earth and Soil Sciences

In 2009, a portion of the Cal Poly Farm Shop was removed to create a stream bank supported by rip-rap facing for Brizzolara Creek. However, weed eradication and revegetation measures were necessary to fully restore the riparian corridor. The Brizzolara Creek Revegetation and Restoration plan was implemented in winter 2011. The plant palette was composed of early successional native species including Salix lasiolepis, Salix laevigata, Populus balsamifera spp. trichocarpa, Rubus ursinus, Rhamnus californica, Baccharis pilularis, Sambucus mexicana, and Artemisia douglasiana. A monitoring plan will evaluate the relative success of this project in Spring 2014. The final success criteria for this …

A Map Of Relict Landscapes And Landslides: Bitter Creek National Wildlife Refuge, Kern County, California, Usa, Colin Lawson, Jeanette Mccracken

Earth and Soil Sciences

The San Andreas Fault Zone is a great location to conduct geomorphologic research, because of its recent history of tectonism and related surface uplift. In the Bitter Creek National Wildlife Refuge - located in Kern, San Luis Obispo, Ventura, and Santa Barbara counties – a map of relict landscapes and landslides was created. The map was created using a combination of techniques of air photo mapping and field mapping. A digital version of the map was created and used for further analysis of the relict landscapes and landslides. This research serves as reconnaissance for future research in this area, and …

Soil Survey Report For Saucelito Canyon Vineyard Proposed Vineyard Site, Thomas E. Richardson, Ryan S. Stirm

Earth and Soil Sciences

The Saucelito Canyon Vineyard ranch future vineyard site was investigated using eighteen (18) soil pits to document soil morphological properties including soil structure, color, depth, presence of carbonates, and soil chemical characteristics. Pits were also used to obtain soil samples that were delivered to A & L Western Agriculture Laboratories for further soil chemical analysis and to classify the soils.

This collective information was used to classify the soils into five (5) different soil series using Soil Taxonomy. The surface soil textures and slope phases for these soil series were then used to group similar soil types located throughout the …

Evidence Of Tectonic Uplift Along The Oceanic Fault Near San Simeon, San Luis Obispo County, California, George Gecy

Earth and Soil Sciences

Post-Seismic satellite imagery after the 2003 earthquake near San Simeon confirmed 10s of millimeters of north-east side uplift along the Oceanic Fault. In order to determine whether or not there has been a history of tectonic uplift northeast of the Oceanic Fault zone, longitudinal profiles of Morro Creek and San Simeon were made using a digital planimeter and 1:24,000 scale maps. Utilizing the stream profiles, convexities could be observed in the streams coinciding where the streams crossed the Oceanic Fault; of the stream profiles, the convexity along San Simeon Creek could be confirmed to be caused by north-east side uplift …

Creation Of A Revised Site Specific Liquefaction Potential Map Utilizing Geographic Information Systems (Gis) Technology And Arcgis® Software, Michael S. Armstrong

Earth and Soil Sciences

No abstract provided.

Trends In Soil Science Education And Employment, J. Havlin, N. Balster, S. Chapman, D. Ferris, T. Thompson, T. Smith

Earth and Soil Sciences

During the last several decades, members of the SSSA have discussed several trends related to soil science education, including: (i) declining academic programs and course offerings at land grant universities, (ii) decreased enrollments, and (iii) improved employment opportunities for soil science graduates (SSSA, 2006; Ferris et al., 2010). The SSSA Advocacy/Education Task Force met in 2007 and concluded that quantitative survey information was needed to document trends in soil science academic programs, student enrollment, faculty, and job opportunities for graduates. Suggested survey topics included:

• Has the recognition of soil science as a distinct discipline increased or decreased?
• How has the …

A Study Of Soil Development On Marine And Stream Terraces Of Swanton Pacific Ranch, Davenport, Ca, Genevieve M. Widrig, Kristine W. Johnson, Anna E. Tornincasa

Earth and Soil Sciences

No abstract provided.

The Influence Of Vegetation And Landscape Position On Soil Temperature Change In A Sagebrush-Steppe Eastern Sierra Environment: Implications On Soil Taxonomy, Nathan Michael Lurie

Earth and Soil Sciences

Soil temperature is a parameter that has been studied for a considerable time and from many different perspectives. However, relatively few studies have been conducted for taxonomic purposes and fewer still have focused on how changes in soil temperature related to global climate change may affect soil taxonomy. Soil temperature regimes are used to subdivide soils with similar properties that exist in dissimilar climate zones requiring different management practices depending on intended use. Seven sites with variable surficial features were used for this study within a cohesive sagebrush-steppe Eastern Sierra glacial moraine landform. Soil temperature was measured once a month …

Management And Control Plan For Zinfandel Vines In South Paso Robles, Ca., Tanner E. Campbell

Earth and Soil Sciences

Zinfandel, also known as Zin, is a red skinned variety of wine grape very popular in California. The wines produced from Zinfandel grapes have an intense fruitiness and luscious texture. Production is extremely variable throughout California and is dependent upon, climate, soil fertility, crop level management practices, and irrigation. This study was conducted to determine the on site soil physical and chemical properties as a means to obtain optimal yields and fruit quality. The A & L Western Agriculture Laboratories performed comprehensive fertility analysis to determine the concentrations of the plant essential nutrients, organic matter, electrical conductivity, cation exchange capacity, …

Urban Heat Island Expansion In The Greater Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, Alex Remar

Earth and Soil Sciences

The growth of human settlements into vast urban metropolitan areas is often accompanied by relatively higher temperatures in comparison with surrounding rural countrysides, a phenomenon known as the “urban heat island effect.” The city of Las Vegas has been selected as an examination of this trend because of its unprecedented urban growth in the last 50 years, which has been mapped by satellite imagery for several decades. Studying the growth of Las Vegas’ relatively new heat island can provide valuable insight into the causes and magnitude of all urban heat islands in general.

In this investigation, a series of temperature …

Fragaria Species Grown In A Greenhouse Cropping System Chemigated By Phosfite® And Bacillus® In Subsidence Of Phytophthora Fragariae And Verticillium Dahliae, Russell L. Morgan

Earth and Soil Sciences

Strawberry yields depend directly on infestation of Phytophthora fragariae and Verticillium dahliae in correspondance to the use of Phosfite and Bacillus. The objective is to find understanding of newly administered techniques in prevention of Phytophthora fragariae and Verticillium dahliae and prohibiting the use of Methyl Bromide. Application of Phosfite and Bacillus on patented Fragariae species to identify utilization of P and ZN forms and their aid in prevention of Phytophthora and Verticillium species. In the Plots on the western bench the developmental symptoms of PRR disease were absent within all infested soil containers containing the FHS-1 crop. In the plots …

Soil Infiltration Study: Measuring The Difference In Leachate Quality Between Surface Compost Application And Incorporated Compost Application, Christopher Gallo, Kristin Roberts

Earth and Soil Sciences

No abstract provided.

Measurement And Interpolation Of Sea Surface Temperature And Salinity In The Tropical Pacific: A 9,000 Nautical Mile Research Odyssey, Amber Brooks

Earth and Soil Sciences

The purpose of this project was to compare spline and inverse distance weighting interpolation tools on data collected in the tropical Pacific Ocean by ship and data from a global network of CTD floats, known as Argo floats (fig.1), to provide evidence that technological advancement and integration is aiding our understanding of the ocean-atmosphere system of planet Earth. Thirty-one sea surface temperature and salinity samples were manually taken across a 9,000 nautical mile trek of the Pacific Ocean for the months of April, May and June 2008. Argo ASCII globally gridded monthly averaged sea surface temperature and salinity data, from …

Adaptivearc And The Future Of The Energy Industry, Trevor Chase

Earth and Soil Sciences

No abstract provided.

Detrital Zircon Geochronology For Neoproterozoic To Cambrian Sediment Sources Of The Deep Creek Range And The Pilot Range In The Southwestern United States, Kaysea Perry

Earth and Soil Sciences

Detrital zircon studies of miogeoclinal sediments can help provide a deeper look into the mechanisms leading to continental breakup by studying the evolution of the continental margin of North America. Few detrital zircon studies have been conducted to support previous research and theories about the sedimentation of the Miogeocline from the Neoproterozoic to the Cambrian. Studies targeted at the Basin and Range province of the western United States show a trend of increasing local sediment sources. We analyzed detrital zircons from the Pilot and Deep Creek Ranges in Nevada and Utah via LA-MC-ICP-MS at the University of Arizona LaserChron Center …

Social Behaviors Of Modern And Indigenous Peoples Impacting The Ecology Of The Amazon Rain Forest In Brazil, Josef W. Schaffer

Earth and Soil Sciences

Human induced disruption of the environment is prevalent in every culture. In Brazil, the effects of massive deforestation have become apparent since the nineteen eighties. However, along with deforestation, and a coinciding loss in an economic resource for the country, is a significant loss of natural habitat and species extinction. The Amazon in Brazil contains a large proportion of the world’s species diversity that is threatened by the socio-economic activities of modern Brazilian culture. Historically and presently, indigenous groups have contributed to insignificant levels of ecological disruption and are themselves threatened by the activities of modern Brazilians. The effects of …

Creation Of Soil Liquefaction Susceptibility Maps For San Luis Obispo & Marin Counties Using Geographic Information Systems., Amelia M. Lowman

Earth and Soil Sciences

Liquefaction of soils in response to earthquake shaking is a pressing issue in the state of California. Using Geographic Information Systems, Geological and lithology layers, along with criteria in order to separate out the data into four risk categories, a liquefaction risk assessment map was created for San Luis Obispo and Marin Counties. The accuracy of these maps was then assessed using liquefaction occurrences for San Luis Obispo County, and it was determined that while the map is somewhat accurate, in order to obtain a greater amount of accuracy and increase the usefulness of these maps, more data would need …

Effects Of Composted And Raw Manure And Ammonium Sulfate Applications On The Chemical Properties Of The Soils At Chorro Creek Ranch, San Luis Obispo, Ca., Renee Nall,, Craig Stubler, Christopher Appel, Tanner Campbell, Jose Gomez, Nathan Lurie, Russell Morgan, J. J. Scurich

Earth and Soil Sciences

The majority of agricultural systems, especially large-scale, require inputs of nutrients. In addition, many large scale dairies produce vast quantities of waste that can be potentially recycled as nutrients. This study was conducted to determine the differences in properties of soils amended with manure, compost, and fertilizer, and to assess implications of using animal waste products for forage crop fertilization. Forage crops, wheat, barley, and oat mix have been grown on the Chorro Creek Ranch part of Cal Poly farmland, for 15 years. Ammonium sulfate fertilizer has been applied at a rate of 200 lbs/acre/year for the past 4 years. …

Land Rehabilitation Of Construction Damaged Parcel At Santa Fe Road And Hoover Avenue In San Luis Obispo, California, Patience J. West

Earth and Soil Sciences

A plan for the rehabilitation of a construction damaged parcel of land with constructed swale running through it using native plants.

Overland Flow And Rainfall Simulation Studies On Ornamental Vegetation, Compost, And Jute Netting, Brent G. Hallock, Candace Kimmelshue, Steve Rein, Michael Curto, Misty Scharff

Earth and Soil Sciences

The literature is replete with studies quantifying erosion control effectiveness from raindrop impact on various vegetation types and erosion control products. However, there is little published overland flow research documenting the effectiveness of ornamental vegetation and erosion control products in filtering sediment and nutrients from stormwater runoff. The California Department of Transportation and the Office of Water Programs, California State University, Sacramento, has conducted two studies at the Erosion Control Research Facility at Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo addressing the use of ornamental vegetation as an erosion control treatment. The first study addressed how well ornamental vegetation, jute …

Analysis Of Chromium And Nickel In Soil And Plant Tissue Collected From The Experimental Vineyard At California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, Ca, Ian Leslie, Chip Appel, Craig Stubler, Kiana Amiri-Davani, Ashley Devalentine, Jose Gomez, Daniel Kim, Tommy Konwinski, Angie Quintana-Jones, Keith Patterson

Earth and Soil Sciences

Serpentinitic soils often contain high concentrations of heavy metals, including chromium (Cr) and nickel (Ni). Soils derived from serpentine parent material are used for agricultural purposes throughout San Luis Obispo County, CA. This study was undertaken to determine the amount of total and bioaccessible Cr and Ni in soil and vine tissue from a vineyard planted on soils derived from serpentine geology. Eighteen soil and plant samples were collected from different slope position and vine types (syrah and chardonnay). Soil samples were collected from about 0 to 30 cm at the base of the vines and 15 to 20 leaf …

Erosion Control Performance Studies On Ornamental Vegetation, Compost, And Jute Netting, Brent Hallock

Earth and Soil Sciences

No abstract provided.

Sequential Sorption Of Lead And Cadmium In Three Tropical Soils, Chip Appel, Lena Q. Ma, Roy D. Rhue, William Reve

Earth and Soil Sciences

It is important to examine mechanisms of Pb and Cd sorption in soils to understand their bioavailability. The ability of three tropical soils to retain Pb, Cd, and Ca was evaluated. The objectives of this study were to (1) determine the extent to which soil sorption sites are metal specific, (2) investigate the nature of reactions between metals and soil surfaces, and (3) identify how metals compete for sorption sites when they are introduced to soils sequentially or concurrently. Lead was shown to be much less exchangeable than Cd and inhibited Cd sorption. Cadmium had little effect on Pb sorption, …

Water Quality Relative To Slope Toe Strip Type And Length, Brent G. Hallock, Lauren Corkins, Steve Rein, Michael Curto, Misty Scharff

Earth and Soil Sciences

Vegetation plays an important role in decreasing soil particle detachment and transport from sites following disturbance. Past rainfall simulator research (Caltrans 2004) using 2.5 m L x 0.6 m W soil test boxes with a 0.25 m sod strip (1 :10 slope proportion) at the slope toe found statistically significant reduction of total sediment loss to near zero. A principle limitation of the previous in house experiment is that a 1: 10 proportion of sod strip to slope length is not practical, nor equivalent with many industry specifications. Therefore, another rainfall simulator experiment was designed and conducted from October 2005 …

Sequential Extraction Of Copper And Zinc From Two Californian Soils, Katharine Carr, Christopher Appel, Craig Stubler, Shana Mccarthy

Earth and Soil Sciences

In order to understand how to remediate soils contaminated with heavy metals, it is important to first understand their sorption mechanisms. The objective of this study was to evaluate the bioavailability of elevated levels of soil copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) via sequential extraction. Elevated levels of Cu and Zn were added separately and concurrently to a Mollisol and an Entisol from the central coast of California. The exchangeable amount of Cu and Zn was then extracted from the sorbed amount via 0.1 M NaNO₃. The residual fraction was then extracted with 0.1 M sodium citrate (NaC_{6 …}

Total And Bioavailable Chromium Along A Toposequence In San Luis Obispo, Ca., Britani Harris, Christopher Appel, Craig Stubler, Arwen Ross, Maribel Alvarado, Katharine Carr, Byron Clamor, Lauren Corkins, Scott Grandi-Hill, Walter Levicki, Michael Wagoner, Ryan Tappero

Earth and Soil Sciences

The presence of large quantities of Chromium metal in soil and plants is of major concern due to its toxicity to humans. Total (USEPA 3050a) and bioavailable (USEPA 1311) levels of chromium were measured along a serpentinic Central Coast toposequence. Soil from the surface and subsurface, as well as the above ground plants of the toposequence were determined and compared to several soil chemical and physical properties using a least squares regression. The binding environments and oxidation states were found through XANES and EXAFS x-ray spectroscopies. The total and bioavailable chromium concentrations of the soil averaged 1457.1 and 1.6 mg …

Quaternary Deposits Near The San Emigdio Mountains, California: Evidence For A Paleolandscape?, Paul G. Lavelle

Earth and Soil Sciences

Discontinuous low-relief surfaces are scattered throughout relatively high topography within the San Emigdio Mountains, California. These surfaces are considered anomalous, as they are preserved in a dissected, mountainous region that is affected by ongoing orogeny. Previous research has suggested that the low-relief surfaces may represent a once-contiguous alluvial surface. This project utilizes field mapping and sedimentological analysis to determine if the surfaces represent a paleo landscape. What is apparent from field work is the presence of two morphologically distinct lithologic units that most likely represent surficial geologic components of the same relict landscape.

Analysis Of Compost Treatments To Establish Shrubs And Improve Water Quality, Brent G. Hallock, Anne Power, Steve Rein, Michael Curto, Misty Scharff

Earth and Soil Sciences

Utilization of compost as an erosion control tool is gaining momentum for many reasons. Compost offers excellent surface protection for reducing topsoil loss while providing a favorable substrate for hydroseed mixes. Soil moisture is retained and nutrients for vegetation are provided, meanwhile inhibiting undesirable plant species. However, there is wide variation in available compost sources and cost. Possible interactions between compost composition, soil type and vegetation production may occur. Hence, an experiment aimed to determine whether there is a noticeable difference in erosion control and seedling germination performance between several common types of compost applied at varying rates and methods …

Determination Of Total And Bioavailable Soil Lead From A Shooting Range In Central California., Phil Roberts, Chip Appel, Jake Shneider, Tamber Schmall, Melissa Simoes, Carissa Griffith, Dave Baker, Chad Lessard, Katharine Carr, Myles Davis, Cameron Sharp, Jesse Hitchcock, Craig Stubler, Jason Stuckey

Earth and Soil Sciences

Lead can pose a significant risk to environmental quality at and around shooting ranges due to its use in bullets and shot. The concentrations of Pb in soils, plants and surficial waters from a shooting range were determined in this study. Soil and plant samples were analyzed for total Pb (US EPA method 3050a) to determine the extent of Pb contamination. The toxicity characteristic leach procedure (TCLP; US EPA method 1311) was followed to ascertain bioavailable Pb. Soil samples ranged from 14.71 to 6346.15 mg Pb kg-1 soil with an average value of 1157.43 (±2000.57) mg Pb kg-1 soil across …