Assignment 1

This assignment consists of summarizing a subject related to material covered in the course. This is an opportunity to demonstrate knowledge in a specific subject and to produce a study document for the final exam (the subjects will be included in the final exam). While content is of course of greatest concern, form is also important so please follow the format guidelines.

Format Guidelines

To allow for editing:

Use a word processor; double space; use these margins - 1" on top, bottom, left and right; use 12 point type for text.

Length:

Two to three pages (excluding title page, reference list¹, and, if applicable, figures and tables).

Style:

Formal: use third person (not "I", "we", or "you"); do not use contractions (like "don't").

Foreign words, such as et al., in situ, and species names, must be italicized (or underlined).

¹The format for the references must be:

 Lastname1, Intials1, Initials2 Lastname2, and Initials3 Lastname 3. Year. Article title.

Journal, VolNumber: FirstPage-LastPage.

 [Of course for other than 3 authors, include ALL the authors' names. Journal name must

be in italics; Volume number in bold, without "Vol."]

 For example:

Thorstenson, D.C., and D.W. Pollock. Gas transport in unsaturated zones: multicomponent systems and the adequacy of Fick’s laws. Water Resour. Res., 25: 477-507.

Subjects—In addition to the specific reference provided use the textbook and lecture notes

1. Soil Structure (Bronick and Lal, 2004)

a. How is soil structure defined in the field?

b. Describe the process of soil structure formation.

c. Discuss the influence of texture, organic matter and climate on the formation of soil structure.

2. Soil Formation (Bockheim et al, 2005)

a. Discuss the factors of soil formation with examples

b. Discuss the processes of soil formation with examples

3. Water Movement through soil (Narasimhan, 2005; and http://soilandwater.bee.cornell.edu/Research/pfweb/extensions/videoclips/video_water.htm)

a. Describe saturated flow and discuss Darcy’s law (including Ks).

b. Describe unsaturated water flow. Explain the properties of water retention and hydraulic conductivity.

4. Describe techniques to measure (Or and Wraith, 2002):

a. Water content (volumetric and gravimetric

b. Soil water potential

c. Explain the meaning of the terms: soil water storage field capacity, wilting point, hygroscopic water and available water.

5. Preferential Flow: http://soilandwater.bee.cornell.edu/Research/pfweb/educators/intro/why.htm

a. Macropore flow

b. Flow over sloping coarse layer

c. Finger flow