Soil Science | Open Access Articles | Digital Commons Network™

Estimating Soil Solution Nitrate Concentration From Dielectric Spectra Using Partial Least Squares Analysis, Giorgi Chighladze, Amy L. Kaleita, Stuart J. Birrell, Sally D. Logsdon

Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Publications and Papers

Fast and reliable methods for in situ monitoring of soil NO₃–N concentration could help guide efforts to reduce NO₃–N losses to ground and surface waters from agricultural systems. While several studies have been done to indirectly estimate NO₃–N concentrations from time domain spectra, no research has been conducted using a frequency domain technique. Hence, the goal of this laboratory study was to estimate NO₃–N concentrations from frequency-response data obtained in a frequency range of 5 Hz to 13 MHz. Dielectric spectra of soil samples wetted to five different volumetric water contents (VWC ...

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Determination Of The Cec In Srs Soils And The Capability Of Epa Model 9081 For Cec Of Acidic Soils, Alexandra M. Simpson

Georgia State Undergraduate Research Conference

No abstract provided.

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Clay Synthesis: Modeling The Uptake Of Potassium During Low Temperature Illitization Of Smectite, Peter M. Razumov, Lucy C. Taylor, Rebecca A. Pickering

Georgia State Undergraduate Research Conference

No abstract provided.

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Characterization Of Wetting Front Geometry And Fluid Migration In The Vadose Zone Using Surface Time-Lapse Seismic First-Arrival Tomography, Rachel Elizabeth Storniolo

Masters Theses

Characterizing and quantifying vadose zone parameters and processes are critical for assessing environmental, agricultural, and engineering problems. The shallow subsurface is essential to the geologic and hydrologic cycles because it supports agriculture and ecosystems, influences water resources, and acts as a repository for contaminants. Fluid migration in the vadose zone is dependent on a number of soil characteristics (e.g. soil type and saturation). Quantifying parameters is often the primary goal of hydrological fluid-flow investigations; however, the values calculated can be misrepresentative of the subsurface due to anisotropic features. Hydraulic conductivity (K), the most common quantitative parameter used to describe ...

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Phosphorus Transport And Distribution In Kentucky Soils Prepared Using Various Biochar Types, Anvesh Reddy

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Conserving the environment is an issue that is gaining popularity day by day. Phosphorus transfer from agricultural soils is an important environmental issue that is being closely observed as the transport of phosphorous to water bodies is adversely affecting water quality due to accelerated eutrophication. It is important to establish phosphorous models that accurately account for soil test phosphorous. Standard models like SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) and EPIC (Environmental Policy Integrated Climate) were designed for serving this purpose. They are now used as the basis for developing new models that can more accurately account for the phosphorus transport ...

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Cave Ventilation Is Influenced By Variations In The Co2-Dependent Virtual Temperature, Enrique P. Sánchez-Cañete, Penélope Serrano-Ortiz, Francisco Domingo, Andrew S. Kowalski

International Journal of Speleology

Dynamics and drivers of ventilation in caves are of growing interest for different fields of science. Accumulated CO₂ in caves can be exchanged with the atmosphere, modifying the internal CO₂ content, affecting stalagmite growth rates, deteriorating rupestrian paintings or creating new minerals. Current estimates of cave ventilation neglect the role of high CO₂ concentrations in determining air density – approximated via the virtual temperature (T_v) –, affecting buoyancy and therefore the release or storage of CO₂. Here we try to improve knowledge and understanding of cave ventilation through the use of T_v in CO₂-rich ...

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Trace Element Soil Contamination At Urban Community Gardens In Washington, Dc, Adam J. Long

Environmental Analysis Program Mellon Student Summer Research Reports

In recent years, urban gardening has become a popular form of environmental, food, and social justice. Urban community gardens such as those in Washington, DC can reduce the environmental footprint of food production, provide access to healthy produce in “food deserts,” and provide other social, educational, and even financial benefits. However, the rising popularity of urban gardening has put many people in close contact with urban soils, which are likely to contain various contaminants due to concentrated human activity over extended periods of time. This study investigates heavy metal soil contaminants found in community gardens located in Washington, DC. 45 ...

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Examining The Impact Of Pau Jacaré (Piptadenia Gonoacantha) Growth On Soil Fertility In The Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest, Aleksandra Ponomareva

Environmental Analysis Program Mellon Student Summer Research Reports

The Atlantic Rainforest of Brazil is an area of astounding diversity in both flora and fauna, taking its place among the top five “biodiversity hotspots” in the world. However, in the past 40 or 50 years the area has been increasingly threatened by the presence of humans – approximately 93% of the Rainforest has disappeared as a result of exploitation (Turner 2004). Unsustainable farming practices, as well as logging, cattle ranching and mining activities have caused soil infertility, water depletion, erosion and destruction of ecosystems. This project examines the effects of the Pau Jacaré, Piptadenia gonoacantha, tree on soil health in ...

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The Effects Of Biochar Age And Concentration On Soil Retention Of Phosphorus And Infiltration Rate, Emilie Schneider

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

Changes in land use and land management practices are regarded as one of the main factors in altering the hydrogeological system, causing changes in runoff, surface supply yields, and the quality of receiving water (Tong and Chen, 2002). Phosphorus is a significant contributor to accelerated eutrophication of fresh water and is largely sourced from agricultural runoff (Sharpley et al., 1994). The dominant processes controlling solution composition in agricultural soils are primarily ‘chemical’ for P (i.e. adsorption/desorption and dissolution/precipitation) (Edwards and Withers, 1998). Biochar has chemical characteristics that have the potential to adsorb P or influence precipitation of ...

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Soil Nutrient Composition In Afromontane Forests Of Northern Ethiopia, Maria Baimas-George

Colgate Academic Review

Deforestation in the northern highlands of Ethiopia has left 35,000 forest fragments ranging in size from 3 to 300 ha (Bongers et al 2006). Deforestation produces edges which increase disturbance within the forest such as decreased water availability and increased light. To determine the degree of these edge effects and the nutrient status of these forests, I analyzed the nutrient composition of soils along a gradient from pasture, exterior forest, interior forest and canopy. I examined two forests at different elevations: Bahir Dar (1800 m) and Debre Tabor (2800 m). Deforestation had a strong, negative effect on soil nutrients ...

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The Spatial Distribution Of K-Factor Values Across A Toposequence And A Soil Survey Map Unit, Jacqueline Elizabeth Tilligkeit

Master's Theses and Project Reports

Rivers and streams are adversely affected by an increase in sedimentation in their waters from eroding land. High sediment loads in streams can bury fish eggs and prevent hatching, increasing nutrients in the water causing algae blooms, or even contaminating the water with heavy metals carried in or on the aggregates. The erodibility of soil is valuable knowledge to all land users so that we may predict soil loss and its potential to pollute streams. This is done by using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE). By predicting soil loss from a given landscape, land managers can take mitigation ...

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Provenance And Geological Significance Of Red Mud And Other Clastic Sediments Of The Mugnano Cave (Montagnola Senese, Italy), Francesco Iacoviello, Ivan Martini

International Journal of Speleology

The Mugnano cave is characterized by a thick clastic sedimentary fill showing a great variability of sedimentary facies, ranging from clay to coarse-grained sand deposits. This paper deals with combined sedimentological and mineralogical (XRD and SEM) studies of these sediments and bedrock insoluble residues in order to understand the origin and geological significance of cave deposits, with particular attention to red mud sediments, often considered as the residue of host rock dissolution. Three different sedimentary facies were recognized: i) YS, yellow sand with occasionally shell fragments, testifying the arrival of sediments from the surrounding landscape; ii) RS, red laminated mud ...

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A Study Of Enhanced De-Chlorination And Bio-Remediation: Molasses Injections Into Groundwater, Brent Anderson

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

No abstract provided.

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