Environmental Science
Essential Standard 5.00: Understand the environmental science industry (water, soils,
wildlife and forestry).

Major career areas of Environmental Science
o Water resources

o Soil resources


Career Examples
o Soil
o Soil
appropriate use.
o Soil technician –

– assists landowners in implementing
– classify soil according to the most
(4 yr)
Water Resources
o Potable Water
 Drinkable-free from harmful chemicals and organisms
 Most of the Earth’s water is
o
 it dissolves or otherwise changes most other materials
o Water Cycle
 cycling of water between

– moisture from rain or snow

– changing from a liquid to a gas
o Watershed
 large area in which water is absorbed from rain or melting snow and
from which water drains

 absorbs excess water and releasing it slowly throughout the year
o Water Table


Types of Groundwater
o
 water that
can absorb
o Free (
)
 Water that drains out of a soil after it has been wetted
o
 water that is held too tightly for plant roots to absorb

Conserving Water and Improving Water Quality
o Ask the right questions
 How can we reduce water pollution?
 How can soil erosion be reduced?

What is the most productive use of water and soil without polluting or losing these
essential resources?
o Good practices:
 Save clean water

 Dispose of household products carefully and appropriately.


Soil


Care for lawns, gardens and farmland carefully

Soil Profile
o A Horizon Surface layer of soil approximately

 Typically darker color
 Greatest influence on crops
o B Horizon –
 Subsurface layer
 Increase in clay content
 Greatest influence on
systems, etc.)
o C Horizon –
 Releases water to the upper soil layers
 Contains larger soil particles
.
(building sites, septic
Soil Texture
o Refers to the size of soil particles
 Sand

 Problems holding enough water for good plant growth
 Individual particles can be seen with the
 Drain well

 Intermediate size soil particle
 Can’t be seen with naked eye
 Clay
 smallest soil particle


holds
may be airtight, infertile for root growth, and associated with
wet soils

Soil Structure
o Refers to the tendency of soil particles to cluster together

 sandy soils

 particles cling together to form rounded aggregates
 very desirable for all soil uses

 particles cling together in angular aggregates
 typical of soils with high

Soil Classification
o Land capability maps are based on the
o Land Capability classes are designated by Roman Numerals I – VIII.

 best land for the





Class


Class

fewest limitations and can be planted year after year
very steeply sloping
best used for
land is best suited for
Soil Conservation
o Two types of erosion

– removal of layers of soil from the land.

– removal of soil that leaves
o
 Crops are planted directly into the residue of a previous crop

o
Tillage
 disturbs the soil surface by plowing
o
Tillage
 intermediate tillage system conventional and no-till
Examples of tools used in Environmental Science
o Soil
 Boring into soil to get samples
o
 measures turbidity of water