How does the vegetation surface type affect the amount

Name: Nadia Blake
Date: 6/8/2015
Instructor’s Name: Michanna Talley
Assignment: SCI103 Phase 3 Lab Report
Title: Soil Infiltration and Runoff
Instructions: Enter the Virtual Lab and gather the information needed to complete the report
from the field. Please type your answers. When your lab report is complete, submit it to the
Submitted Assignments area of the Virtual Classroom.
Part I: Field Research
Section 1: Gather the following information from field research while in the Phase 3 lab
environment. Notice that each site you visit has a distinctly different surface, which could affect
runoff.

Vegetation
Mountain
Bare soil

One Inch of Rainfall
Shallow water
Deep water
infiltration
infiltration
25%
25%
10%
5%
20%
15%

Runoff water
10%
60%
35%

Evaporation
water
40%
25%
30%

Section 2: One inch of rainfall deposits 144 cubic inches (0.623 gallons) of water per square foot
of surface area. Use the following formula to calculate the amount of water after one inch of
rainfall (in gallons) for each section:
(0.623) x (square feet of surface area) x (% from lab demo*) = gallons of water
*Remember 40% is written as “0.40” in an equation.

Vegetation
Mountain
Bare soil

One Inch of Rainfall
Shallow water
Deep water
infiltration
infiltration
15.57 gallons
15.57 gallons
6.23 gallons
3.11 gallons
12.46 gallons
9.34 gallons

Runoff water
6.23 gallons
37.38 gallons
21.80 gallons

Evaporation
water
24.92gallons
15.57gallons
18.69 gallons

Part II: For the following questions, provide your response in short-answer format (2–3
sentences each). Use this Phase’s activities and resources to assist you in answering.

1.

How does the vegetation surface type affect the amount of runoff? Speculate why this
happens.

2.

How does the smooth mountain rock surface type affect the amount of runoff? Speculate
why this happens.

3.

How does the bare soil surface type affect the amount of runoff? Speculate why this
happens.

4.

How does vegetation slow and prevent sediment loss?

5.

How does vegetation allow greater infiltration?

6.

How does pavement or smooth rock runoff affect waterways?

7.

How do heavy sediment deposits affect waterways?

8.

How does sediment loss affect land and soil quality?