Soil Erosion Model project, supports STEM NGSS C3 standards

Summary

This hands-on STEM project demonstrates how soil erosion affects topsoil, essential for sustaining plant and animal life. Using simple materials like plastic bottles, soil, and seeds, the experiment simulates rainfall to observe the impact of vegetation and organic matter on soil retention. Three scenarios are explored: one with grass seeds, one with humus, and one with bare soil. The project illustrates the importance of sustainable farming practices like no-till farming and how vegetation helps prevent soil erosion, providing valuable insights for gardening and agricultural practices.

Takeaways

• 😀 Erosion affects topsoil, which is crucial for supporting plant and animal life due to its nutrient content.
• 😀 The project demonstrates how to simulate erosion and the effects of rainfall on soil using a simple model.
• 😀 The model requires 14 days to complete and uses plastic bottles, topsoil, and other materials to simulate erosion scenarios.
• 😀 The project involves cutting plastic bottles, filling them with soil, and setting them at a 45-degree angle to mimic land slope.
• 😀 The use of clear cups and a box helps collect water runoff to measure the effects of rainfall on each model.
• 😀 Quick-growing seeds like grass are used to simulate vegetation that helps prevent soil erosion, with cat grass being chosen for its benefits.
• 😀 Humus (organic matter like decomposed leaves) is used in one of the containers to demonstrate how it can protect against erosion.
• 😀 A third container without vegetation or humus is left as a control to show the effects of erosion on barren soil.
• 😀 The experiment simulates a heavy rainfall by watering the containers equally, allowing the water to drain and collect in cups.
• 😀 The results of this experiment can be linked to farming practices like no-till farming, which helps reduce soil erosion and conserve topsoil.
• 😀 The experiment also illustrates the benefits of using mulch or other organic matter in gardening to protect the soil from erosion.

Q & A

Why is topsoil important for plant and animal life?

Topsoil contains the majority of nutrients necessary to sustain plant and animal life. If it is washed away, the soil left behind is barren and unable to support life.

How long does this erosion model experiment take to complete?

The project requires at least 14 days to complete.

What materials are necessary to create the erosion model?

You will need three empty plastic containers of equal size, something to hold them at an angle, three clear cups, topsoil, quick-growing seeds (like grass seeds), humus (decomposed organic matter), and an egg carton for support.

What is the purpose of placing the bottles at an angle in the box?

The bottles are placed at an angle to simulate the effect of rainfall on the soil and to allow water to run out through the spouts into the cups, mimicking erosion.

How do you secure the bottles in the setup?

The bottles are secured using a hot glue gun, and an egg carton is used to help support their weight within the box.

What types of seeds are suggested for the erosion model experiment?

Quick-growing seeds like cat grass are recommended, as they grow quickly and form a thick root system. This also benefits pets if you choose cat grass.

What is humus, and why is it included in the experiment?

Humus is organic matter, such as decomposed leaves or twigs, that is included to simulate the no-till farming method and illustrate the effect of adding organic matter to the soil to prevent erosion.

What is the purpose of watering the containers during the experiment?

Watering the containers simulates heavy rainfall, which helps demonstrate the effects of erosion and how different soil conditions react to water.

What does the container with just plain soil represent in the experiment?

The container with just plain soil demonstrates what happens when a heavy rainfall occurs over barren land with no vegetation or humus, which leads to soil erosion.

How does this experiment connect to real-world farming practices?

The experiment illustrates the impact of adding organic matter to soil, similar to the no-till farming method, and shows how vegetation can prevent soil erosion, which is an important concept in sustainable farming and gardening.