Urban Soil
This is one characteristic of urban soils.
What is compaction, highly contrasting soil layers, and contamination?
Soil erosion is the movement of soil particles by these 3 factors.
What is wind, water, or tillage?
Farmers must practice organic farming for this long before applying for organic certification.
What is 3 years?
These 2 common practices help reduce the amount of waste that reaches landfills.
What is recycling and composting?
This type of tillage reduces erosion, improves OM content, increases soil biodiversity, and leaves crop residues on the soil surface.
What is conservation tillage?
These types of plants are typically used in rain gardens.
What are native grasses, perennials, and deep rooted plants?
This type of soil erosion is human-induced. Soil is washed, blown, or scraped away faster than new soil can be formed.
What is accelerated erosion?
This is the biggest challenge farmers face when transitioning from conventional to organic farming.
What is pest control?
This is about how long it takes for a landfill to reach capacity.
What is 30 - 40 years?
All organic / living or once living organisms contain this element.
What is carbon?
This is how urbanization disrupts the hydrologic cycle.
What is impermeable layers (like pavement) reduce water filtration?
In the U.S., most of the soil erosion takes place in these areas.
What is crop land, construction sites, desert regions, and cleared forests?
This is how weeds are managed in certified organic farming.
What is mulch and cover crops?
This type of landfill relies on soil to filter water that infiltrates it.
What are natural attenuation or unsecured landfills?
These types of crops are grown during "off-seasons" and are primarily used to protect and enhance soils.
What are cover crops?
This is one reason temperatures in urban areas are higher than temperatures in rural areas.
What is increased pavement, decreased vegetation, decreased water supply in soil?
Wind erosion is most serious in these types of climates.
What is dry / desert / arid?
Certified organic livestock must always have access to _______________________.
What is the outdoors and a grazing pasture?
This type of landfill does not rely on the soil to filter water, but instead uses a system of pipes and pumps to remove water.
What are contained / secured landfills?
This is how soil microbes influence nutrient availability in soils.
What is eating OM and pooping it out?
This is the purpose of a buffer zone or riparian area near urban waterways.
What is reducing contamination + sediment deposit in urban rivers and streams?
These large channels are formed by rapid water erosion and can damage entire landscapes.
What are gullies / gully?
This "pesticide" is commonly used in organic farming because it influences insect mating behavior, rather than killing insects.
What are pheromones?
This is 1 environmental concern associated with landfills.
What is water pollution,
unstable land due to "settling" of compostable materials,
or contribution to greenhouse gases?
This is the zone where soil meets the groundwater.
This is the zone where soil meets the groundwater.