Soil Science Commons^™

An Overview Of Secondary Aquifers In Nebraska, Dana Divine, Steven S. Sibray

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Interpretive Geologic Cross Sections Across Lower Platte North Natural Resources District, Nebraska (Ccs-20), Dana Divine

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Evaluating The Impacts Of Grassland Conversions To Experimental Forest On Groundwater Recharge In The Nebraska Sand Hills, Zablon A. Adane

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The Nebraska Sand Hills grasslands provide the greatest groundwater recharge rates in the High Plains Aquifer. However, the grasslands and their ecological services have become vulnerable to land use change and degradation. This study used a series of field data to investigate the effects of grassland conversions to forest on recharge rates in a century-old experimental forest in the Sand Hills. The results show that the impact of grassland conversion on recharge was dependent on the species and plantation density. Estimated recharge rates beneath the dense plantations represent reductions of 86–94% relative to the native grassland. Results of ¹H …

Results Of Test-Hole Drilling For Observation Well Planning In The Upper Loup Natural Resources District, Fall 2016, Douglas Hallum, Sue Olafsen Lackey

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

The High Plains Aquifer underlies much of Nebraska (Figure 1). It is the primary source of groundwater within the Upper Loup Natural Resources District (ULNRD) of central Nebraska (Figure 2). Water derived from the aquifer is an important natural resource for the area and supplies water for recreation, wildlife and agriculture, as well as domestic, municipal, and industrial uses. A general lack of water level observations in the region (Figure 3), recently developed groundwater irrigated acres along the upper Calamus River (Figure 4), falling spring water levels measured in existing irrigation wells (Figure 5), and a stable to falling stream …

Basic Meteorological Data Derived 30-Year Normas (1981-2010) Of Actual Evapotranspiration Rates In Nebraska, Usa, Jozsef Szilagyi

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

2016 Nebraska Water Leaders Academy - Final Report, Mark E. Burbach, Connie Reimers-Hild

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

The effective management of Nebraska’s water resources is evermore challenged by variations in weather, climate, technology, socioeconomic policies, and regulation. Anthropogenic climate change, declining water tables and stream flows, increasing demands on freshwater, aging water infrastructure, fiscal constraints, and impacts on aquatic organisms are particularly imminent challenges in Nebraska and around the world (Pahl-Wostl et al., 2013; Pittock et al., 2008; USACE, 2010). Sustaining freshwater ecosystem services in the face of emerging environmental threats presents an immense societal dilemma worldwide (Pittock et al., 2013; Rockström et al., 2009, Millenium Ecosystem Assessment, 2005). The rapidly changing conditions of water resources in …

Quantifying Ephemeral Gully Erosion With Photogrammetry Surveying, C. B. Weerasekara, A. Y. Shechukov

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Nebraska Statewide Groundwater-Level Monitoring Report 2016, Aaron R. Young, Mark E. Burbach, Leslie M. Howard, Michele M. Waszgis, R. Matthew Joeckel, Sue Olafsen Lackey

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

The term “groundwater” has come to be all but synonymous with Nebraska. Nearly three-quarters of the volume of the High Plains aquifer lies beneath the State, and groundwater maintains our streams, our ecosystems, our people, and our vitally important agricultural economy. Although Nebraska’s total groundwater resource is vast, it is also quite vulnerable to changes induced by natural processes and by humankind, necessitating a long-term commitment to wise management through informed decision making. Monitoring, studying, and reporting are the essential basis for such management and, ultimately, for meeting the myriad challenges presented by change.

The personnel of the Conservation and …

The Development And Evaluation Of Lecture Tutorials For Introductory Soil Science, Judith K. Turk

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

The wide-array of concepts from the natural sciences that must be mastered to succeed in an introductory soil science course presents a significant challenge to students. This study was conducted to determine if students’ conceptual development regarding topics in introductory soil science could be improved by using lecture tutorials. Lecture tutorials are activities that students complete following a lecture. They guide the students to critically analyze their understanding of a concept presented in the lecture. Eight lecture tutorials were written and evaluated using pre/post quizzes and surveys in two courses (an environmental science program course and a general studies course). …

Identifying And Addressing Soil Property Issues Affecting Roadside Vegetation Establishment, Xu Li, Martha Mamo, Walter H. Schacht, Tala Awada, Humberto Blanco-Canqui

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

Attaining adequate vegetation cover along highways is important for NDOR to comply with EPA’s stormwater regulations. However, low plant cover is a common problem on shoulders (first 16 feet off the pavement) of many highways in Nebraska. The ultimate goal of this study is to identify cost-effective engineering solutions that assure adequate seed beds (i.e., soil conditions) for establishment of selected seeding mixtures. The objectives of this study are to (1) characterize the soil properties along roadsides where vegetation stands have not developed well, and (2) verify the effects of select soil property parameters on plant germination and establishment.

Sampling …

Three-Dimensional Architecture And Hydrostratigraphy Of Cross-Cutting Buried Valleys Using Airborne Electromagnetics, Glaciated Central Lowlands, Nebraska, Usa, Jesse T. Korus Dr., Robert Matthew Joeckel, Dana P. Divine, Jared D. Abraham

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

Buried valleys are characteristic features of glaciated landscapes, and their deposits host important aquifers worldwide. Understanding the stratigraphic architecture of these deposits is essential for protecting groundwater and interpreting sedimentary processes in subglacial and ice-marginal environments. The relationships between depositional architecture, topography and hydrostratigraphy in dissected, pre-Illinoian till sheets is poorly understood. Boreholes alone are inadequate to characterize the complex geology of buried valleys, but airborne electromagnetic surveys have proven useful for this purpose. A key question is whether the sedimentary architecture of buried valleys can be interpreted from airborne electromagnetic profiles. This study employs airborne electromagnetic resistivity profiles to …

The Cosmic-Ray Neutron Probe Method For Estimating Field Scale Soil Water Content: Advances And Applications, William A. Avery

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The need for accurate, real-time, reliable, and multi-scale soil water content (SWC) monitoring is critical for a multitude of scientific disciplines trying to understand and predict the earth’s terrestrial energy, water, and nutrient cycles. One promising technique to help meet this demand is fixed and roving cosmic-ray neutron probes (CRNP). However, the relationship between observed low-energy neutrons and SWC is affected by local soil and vegetation calibration parameters. This effect may be accounted for by a calibrated equation based on local soil type and the amount of standing biomass. However, determining the calibration parameters for this equation is labor and …

11th New World Luminescence Dating Workshop Scientific Program And Abstracts And Field Trip Guide Book, P.R. Hanson, James B. Swinehart, Joseph Mason

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Geology Of The Platte River Valley Near Kearney, Nebraska, Jeremy S. Dillon, Paul R. Hanson, Ashley Larsen, Jacob Bruihler, Carissa Raymond

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Aquifers Of Nebraska I: The Codell Aquifer In Northeastern Nebraska, Dana Divine, R. Matthew Joeckel, Sue Olafsen Lackey

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Late Glacial And Holocene History Of The Penobscot River In The Penobscot Lowland, Maine, Roger Leb. Hooke, Paul R. Hanson, Danile F. Belknap, Alice R. Kelley

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

When the Laurentide ice sheet retreated rapidly (~150 m/a) across the Penobscot Lowland between ~16 and ~15 ka, the area was isostatically depressed and became inundated by the sea. Silt and clay were deposited, but no significant moraines or deltas were formed. The Penobscot River was reborn at ~14 ka when ice retreated onto land in the upper reaches of the river’s East Branch. As isostatic rebound exceeded sea level rise from melting ice, the river extended itself southward. Between ~13.4 and 12.8 ka, it established a course across marine clay and underlying glacial till in the Lowland. Its gradient …

A Desert In Disguise: The Resilience Of The Nebraska Sandhills, Jeff Hartman

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The Nebraska Sandhills are the largest sand dune system in the Western Hemisphere, and are unique because they remain relatively undisturbed from row crop agriculture. Research in the past two decades demonstrated that the Sandhills are dynamic on millennial timescales, switching between stabilized, vegetated states to non-vegetated, mobilized states. The Sandhills are currently stabilized, but understanding how ecological processes are altered as sand dunes transition from stabilized to mobilized states, provides insight into the thresholds, stability, and resilience of this grassland ecosystem. My research investigated the impacts of vegetation disturbances on ecological processes and the sand dune surface stability. For …

Phosphorus Release Potential Of Agricultural Soils Of The United States, Rebecca A. Young

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Phosphorus (P) is one of the leading causes of surface water quality decline in the United States, leading to algal blooms and hypoxia in lakes and streams. Decreasing conservation funds dictate that agencies such as the Natural Resources Conservation Service, maximizes its effectiveness and efficiency in implementing practices to address P management and runoff on agricultural lands. Additional information on P behavior in soil is needed to improve P management plans to reduce pollution risk at the watershed, farm, and field scales. This research focuses on the development of total soil P release models, to be included into assessment and …

Nebraska's Public Access Hunting Program: Hunter Preferences And Usage Final Report, Lisa Pennisi, Mark E. Burbach, Namyun Kil, Muhammed Imran Kahn, Andrew J. Tyre

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

North-Central Nebraska Geology: Niobrara River Valley In Brown, Cherry, And Keya Paha Counties, R. M. Joeckel, L. M. Howard, S. T. Tucker

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Basic Guide For Description Of Cuttings From Boreholes In Nebraska, Dana P. Divine, R. M. Joeckel, Jesse T. Korus

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

The Groundwater Atlas Of Saunders County, Nebraska, Dana Divine

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Hydrophobic Organic Contaminant Transport Property Heterogeneity In The Borden Aquifer, Richelle M. Allen-King, Indra Kalinovich, David F. Dominic, Guohui Wang, Reid Polmanteer, Dana Divine

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

We determined that the spatial heterogeneity in aquifer properties governing the reactive transport of volatile organic contaminants is defined by the arrangement of lithofacies. We measured permeability (k) and perchloroethene sorption distribution coefficient (K_d) for lithofacies that we delineated for samples from the Canadian Forces Base Borden Aquifer. We compiled existing data and collected 57 new cores to characterize a 30 m section of the aquifer near the test location of Mackay et al. (1986). The k and K_d were measured for samples taken at six elevations from all cores to create a data set consisting of …

Cover Crops And Ecosystem Services: Insights From Studies In Temperate Soils, Humberto Blanco-Canqui, Tim M. Shaver, John L. Lindquist, Charles A. Shapiro, Roger Wesley Elmore, Charles A. Francis, Gary W. Hergert

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Cover crops (CCs) can provide multiple soil, agricultural production, and environmental benefits. However, a better understanding of such potential ecosystem services is needed. We summarized the current state of knowledge of CC effects on soil C stocks, soil erosion, physical properties, soil water, nutrients, microbial properties, weed control, crop yields, expanded uses, and economics and highlighted research needs. Our review indicates that CCs are multifunctional. Cover crops increase soil organic C stocks (0.1–1 Mg ha^–1 yr^–1) with the magnitude depending on biomass amount, years in CCs, and initial soil C level. Runoff loss can decrease by up …

Hydrophobic Organic Contaminant Transport Property Heterogeneity In The Borden Aquifer, Richelle M. Allen-King, Indra Kalinovich, David F. Dominic, Guohui Wang, Reid Polmanteer, Dana Divine

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

We determined that the spatial heterogeneity in aquifer properties governing the reactive transport of volatile organic contaminants is defined by the arrangement of lithofacies. We measured permeability (k) and perchloroethene sorption distribution coefficient (K_d) for lithofacies that we delineated for samples from the Canadian Forces Base Borden Aquifer. We compiled existing data and collected 57 new cores to characterize a 30 m section of the aquifer near the test location of Mackay et al. (1986). The k and K_d were measured for samples taken at six elevations from all cores to create a data …

Nebraska Statewide Groundwater-Level Monitoring Report 2015, A. R. Young, M. E. Burbach, L. M. Howard

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

North-Central Nebraska Geology: Niobrara River Valley In Brown, Cherry, And Keya Paha Counties, R. M. Joeckel, L. M. Howard, S T. Tucker

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Field Trip Guidebook For The Nebraska Well Drillers Association, Duane A. Eversoll, Matt Joeckel, Lee Orton

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Pore Water Extraction For Unsaturated Zone Isotope Research: An Investigation Using An Immiscible Displacement Fluid And A Centrifuge, Caitlin Burnett Weaver

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Accurate and reliable pore water extraction techniques are important to an array of scientific fields including, but not limited to, hydrogeology, soil science, and paleoenvironmental research. The aim of the current project is to test the applicability of an immiscible displacement extraction technique for stable isotopes of water under a range of textural, hydrologic, and chemical conditions. In this study, laboratory experiments were conducted to establish the extent to which the proposed method 1) achieves sufficient yield for laboratory isotopic analyses, 2) results in isotopic exchange between water and the displacement fluid, 3) conserves initial isotopic compositions of spike test …

A Regional Investigation Of In-Season Nitrogen Requirement For Maize Using Model And Sensor-Based Recommendation Approaches, Laura Joy Stevens

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

N management for corn can be improved by applying a portion of the total N during the growing season, allowing for adjustments responsive to actual field conditions. This study was conducted to evaluate two approaches for determining in-season N rates: Maize-N model and active crop canopy sensor. Various sensor algorithms designed for making in-season N recommendations from crop canopy sensor data were evaluated. The effects of corn hybrid and planting population on recommendations with these two approaches were considered. In a 2-yr study, a total of twelve sites were evaluated over a 3-state region, including sites in Missouri, Nebraska, and …