Soil erosion lab
Collaborators-
Griffin Matthews, Naara Mendez, and Celeste Castillo
Griffin Matthews, Naara Mendez, and Celeste Castillo
Abstract-
An experiment was conducted to test the ease of erosion between 3 different types of ground cover/ conditions: grass and soil, gravel and soil, and just soil. Each of the combinations were put into cut open 2 liter bottles. 400ml of water was then poured on them and the water was allowed to flow out the top freely. We measured the amount of water captured, the time for the water to stop flowing from opening, and general observations. The grass and soil and the gravel and soil both resisted the erosion from the flowing water but the grass and soil retained 74% more water than the gravel and soil. The plain soil eroded horribly and the water expelled from the bottle was almost black. Grass and gravel cover are by far the best ground conditions to combat erosion.
An experiment was conducted to test the ease of erosion between 3 different types of ground cover/ conditions: grass and soil, gravel and soil, and just soil. Each of the combinations were put into cut open 2 liter bottles. 400ml of water was then poured on them and the water was allowed to flow out the top freely. We measured the amount of water captured, the time for the water to stop flowing from opening, and general observations. The grass and soil and the gravel and soil both resisted the erosion from the flowing water but the grass and soil retained 74% more water than the gravel and soil. The plain soil eroded horribly and the water expelled from the bottle was almost black. Grass and gravel cover are by far the best ground conditions to combat erosion.
Problem-
What types of ground coverings/conditions are most resistant or most susceptible to erosion?
What types of ground coverings/conditions are most resistant or most susceptible to erosion?
Hypothesis-
If we test the effects of water erosion on 3 different ground coverings, Gravel, Grass, and plain dirt, then, the grass will erode the least because the soil will be strengthened by the roots of the grass.
If we test the effects of water erosion on 3 different ground coverings, Gravel, Grass, and plain dirt, then, the grass will erode the least because the soil will be strengthened by the roots of the grass.
Parts of Experiment-
Control Group- Plain Soil
Experimental Group- The ground covering/ conditions
Independent Variable- The ground covering/ conditions
Dependent Variable- Severity of erosion, amount of water captured, and time for water to stop collecting.
Control Group- Plain Soil
Experimental Group- The ground covering/ conditions
Independent Variable- The ground covering/ conditions
Dependent Variable- Severity of erosion, amount of water captured, and time for water to stop collecting.
Materials-
2 Liter Bottle (3)
Scissors
Soil
Grass Seed
Water
Gravel
5 Meter Sticks (to stack to elevate one end of the bottle)
Beaker
Graduated Cylinder
2 Liter Bottle (3)
Scissors
Soil
Grass Seed
Water
Gravel
5 Meter Sticks (to stack to elevate one end of the bottle)
Beaker
Graduated Cylinder
Methods-
1. Cut holes big enough to grow grass out of in 3 two liter bottles. Choose one and set other 2 aside.
2. Fill bottle with dirt and grass seed. Water the grass periodically and wait 2-3 weeks until the grass reaches maturity.
3. Cut the grass to 2 inches tall.
4. Fill one of the other 2 containers, one with soil and gravel, and one with just soil.
5. Stack the 5 meter sticks so that when the bottles are placed on them, the bottom ends of the bottles will be elevated.
6. Set up the beaker below the opening of the bottles and pour 400ml of water into each bottle
7. Record observations, color,amount of water, and time for water to stop collecting.
1. Cut holes big enough to grow grass out of in 3 two liter bottles. Choose one and set other 2 aside.
2. Fill bottle with dirt and grass seed. Water the grass periodically and wait 2-3 weeks until the grass reaches maturity.
3. Cut the grass to 2 inches tall.
4. Fill one of the other 2 containers, one with soil and gravel, and one with just soil.
5. Stack the 5 meter sticks so that when the bottles are placed on them, the bottom ends of the bottles will be elevated.
6. Set up the beaker below the opening of the bottles and pour 400ml of water into each bottle
7. Record observations, color,amount of water, and time for water to stop collecting.
Data-
Grass and Soil
Gravel and Soil
Soil
Data Analysis-
The gravel was the best ground cover for the water to flow over, as that is what was observed when the water was poured. The water from the gravel was remarkably clear, so in terms of not picking up foreign debris, the gravel was the best. The water also flowed fastest over the gravel at 20.89 seconds. The plain soil was quite badly eroded and a small gully had actually formed in the bottle. The water was almost black and had many particles of dirt. The 200ml of water still left in the bottle, not collected from the dirt test, essentially turned the remaining dirt to mud. The grass and soil held the most water, over 80 % of water that was poured onto it. It also had fairly clear water. This probably means that the more roots there are, then the more stable the soil will be, therefore meaning less erosion and more water retention. This article from wild-again.org supports this theory.
The gravel was the best ground cover for the water to flow over, as that is what was observed when the water was poured. The water from the gravel was remarkably clear, so in terms of not picking up foreign debris, the gravel was the best. The water also flowed fastest over the gravel at 20.89 seconds. The plain soil was quite badly eroded and a small gully had actually formed in the bottle. The water was almost black and had many particles of dirt. The 200ml of water still left in the bottle, not collected from the dirt test, essentially turned the remaining dirt to mud. The grass and soil held the most water, over 80 % of water that was poured onto it. It also had fairly clear water. This probably means that the more roots there are, then the more stable the soil will be, therefore meaning less erosion and more water retention. This article from wild-again.org supports this theory.
Conclusion-
The results in this experiment supported the hypothesis on almost all levels. The grass does appear to erode less than bare soil. This is a small scale example of deforestation and erosion problems that arise from it. The plain soil was eroded quite badly and was a great small scale indictor of how damaging erosion can be. The gravel had most of the water flow over it, picking up little bits of dirt here and there. The gravel overall performed quite well but grass is still the best option by far. The gravel is still a good alternative. I would normally say that since the gravel water was clearer that gravel is a better ground cover for erosion, but, the grass held more water and since one of the plant's natural services is filtration, I feel that the grass is a better option of ground cover to have around your river. The time for the water to stop flowing varied about 6 seconds at the most, so, i'm not entirely sure that those numbers are significant since I expected there to be more of a difference.
1. The plain soil's water was very dark and had significant amounts of dirt in it. The grass's water had a yellowish tint and was relatively clear. The gravel was the most clear with small bits of dirt.
2. I feel that spreading grass seed is the best option because the forest will have a chance to grow back eventually, as well as lessen pollution and the banks of a river would not be eroded away before a forest could begin to repair itself.
3. Grass would be by far the best option for filtration as it is a natural service for grass. More water is retained, which means more water is filtered through the grass and is free of pollutants.
4. If you were to find a deforested area on a river, then you could measure long term erosion there as well as other places with different conditions on the river. You could use this data to find out exactly what is the best erosion resistant ground cover in the real world.
The results in this experiment supported the hypothesis on almost all levels. The grass does appear to erode less than bare soil. This is a small scale example of deforestation and erosion problems that arise from it. The plain soil was eroded quite badly and was a great small scale indictor of how damaging erosion can be. The gravel had most of the water flow over it, picking up little bits of dirt here and there. The gravel overall performed quite well but grass is still the best option by far. The gravel is still a good alternative. I would normally say that since the gravel water was clearer that gravel is a better ground cover for erosion, but, the grass held more water and since one of the plant's natural services is filtration, I feel that the grass is a better option of ground cover to have around your river. The time for the water to stop flowing varied about 6 seconds at the most, so, i'm not entirely sure that those numbers are significant since I expected there to be more of a difference.
1. The plain soil's water was very dark and had significant amounts of dirt in it. The grass's water had a yellowish tint and was relatively clear. The gravel was the most clear with small bits of dirt.
2. I feel that spreading grass seed is the best option because the forest will have a chance to grow back eventually, as well as lessen pollution and the banks of a river would not be eroded away before a forest could begin to repair itself.
3. Grass would be by far the best option for filtration as it is a natural service for grass. More water is retained, which means more water is filtered through the grass and is free of pollutants.
4. If you were to find a deforested area on a river, then you could measure long term erosion there as well as other places with different conditions on the river. You could use this data to find out exactly what is the best erosion resistant ground cover in the real world.
Citation-
"Erosion and Flooding." Deforestation Causes Erosion and Flooding. Reforestation Can Prevent Erosion and Flooding. Www.wild-again.org, n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2013.
"Erosion and Flooding." Deforestation Causes Erosion and Flooding. Reforestation Can Prevent Erosion and Flooding. Www.wild-again.org, n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2013.