Ecological Impacts on ErosionWeathering - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Title: Ecological Impacts on ErosionWeathering
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Ecological Impacts on Erosion/Weathering
- BEE 694 Ecohydrology
- March 14, 2006
- Ian Toevs
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Introduction
- Typical concept of erosional influences
- Wind, water, land cover, slope, and management
- Dietrich and Perron
- Are there other important factors?
- At what scale are these factors important?
- Li et al.
- Effect of microbiotic soil crusts on hydrology
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Dietrich and Perron
- Is there a signature of life on our planet?
- If so what does it look like?
- Conservation of mass
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Dietrich and Perron
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Uplift and Bedrock Erosion
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Dietrich and Perron- Conclusions
- Is there a signature of life on our planet?
- Yes, but you may have to look hard
- Comparison between lifeless planets and ours can
provide information - Not significant differences in the general forms
- Evident differences in the frequency of occurance
and scale
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Other Influences
- Microbiotic soil crusts (MSC)
- Algae, fungi, bacteria exudates
- Wildlife
- Cows, sheep, goats
- Turkeys
- Beavers
- Fish
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Microbiotic Soil Crusts- Li et al.
- Influences
- Wind erodability
- Water erodability
- Infiltration rate
- Water holding capacity
- Evaporation rate
- Soil albedo
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Li et al.
- Findings contradicted what most have found
- Decreased infiltration rate
- Decreased the water in lower part of soil
- Increased evaporation
- Decreased the amount of shrubs in the area
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Li et al.- Conclusions
- Breaking up MSCs will promote
- Growth of shrubs to help decrease wind erosion
- What is wrong with having the MSC provide erosion
resistance? - More successful seed germination
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Exudates
- Bacteria
- Cyanobacteria
- Fungi
- Algae
- Lichens
- Fungi
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Exudate Effects
- Acids that weather minerals and rocks
- Biofilms or coatings cause soil aggregation
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Wildlife
- Cows, sheep, goats
- Turkeys
- Beavers
- Fish
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Relevance?
- Is the biotic contribution to erosion
significant? - Climate dependant
- Need more specific research
- Modeling
- Few models account for anything more than land
use/cover - Further questions
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