Are You Curious About What Lies Beneath the Earth's Surface? So Are We!

From USDA:

Posted by Heather Emmons and Brien Park, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Nevada, on November 18, 2014 at 1:00 PM

Brien Park, Nevada NRCS soil scientist, logs soil survey data into a computer at a soil survey site.

Brien Park, Nevada NRCS soil scientist, determines a soil profile. This information is available in the recently released soil survey.

Those curious about what’s below the water’s surface don snorkeling gear and immerse themselves into the depths of the ocean. But what about discovering what lurks below the earth’s surface, under topsoil, trees, shrubs, rocks and plants? 

USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, (NRCS) in Nevada is curious, too, and the agency’s soil scientists have finished unearthing what kind of soils lie beneath the surface in portions of central and eastern Nevada. Their findings are available to assist farmers, ranchers, land managers, homeowners or those just simply curious about what lies beneath.The survey covers 1,062,220 acres and includes three major land resource areas, which are based on geology, groupings of major plant communities and climate conditions. The survey provides soils and associated ecological site information for the Mount Moriah area, Schell Creek Range, Ward Mountain area, White Pine Range, and Grant Range of White Pine County and Quinn Range of Lincoln and Nye Counties. Work began in 2006 and was completed in fall 2013.   

The survey used soil profiles that included color, texture and structure to identify characteristics that regularly support vegetative communities in those areas. Soils information, along with vegetation information, can be used to understand the types of crops that can be grown by farmers and ranchers, what seed should be used to replant the landscape post-fire or how to better manage the landscape for range, wildlife or wilderness. 

The survey provides a key tool for land management agencies in making scientifically sound decisions when it comes to rangeland, forestland and wildlife management.  

Soil surveys also provide valuable information for private land owners such as soil depth, rock and clay content of soil. This information is useful for gardening, constructing a home’s foundation or placing a septic system. The soil survey also provides information on soil characteristics that can be used to determine possible erosion and infiltration rates. 

To determine what lies beneath, scientist first analyzed aerial images for similarities in elevation, geology, landform, aspect, slope and vegetation. They then went out into the field to collect soil profile information in representative areas. They dug holes up to five feet deep, which they were able to stand in while analyzing the area’s soil profile layers. 

This allowed them to either confirm what they thought was beneath the surface or discover something unique. Soil profile and vegetation information is then analyzed to develop the final soil survey. 

“I look at the soil layers to identify horizons based on color, texture, structure and rock fragments. Then I see if there are accumulations of things, such as calcium carbonate, salt or clays,” said Brien Park, NRCS soil scientist, who worked on the soil survey. “After I get my hands dirty, the next step is to use computers to correlate notes and information.” 

During the winter, scientists entered the data into a national database, analyzed information and developed map units. The soil survey has been published on NRCS’ online tool. 

The survey is a cooperative effort between the U.S. Forest Service and NRCS’ National Cooperative Soil Survey. NRCS has extensive national soils information, maps and data on 95 percent of counties nationwide.

Water Supply Forecast Shows Record Snow in Northern Parts of West, Parched in Southwest

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Spencer Miller, Natural Resources Conservation Service, on April 14, 2014 at 1:00 PM

Streamflow in the West consists largely of accumulated mountain snow that melts and flows into streams as temperatures warm. (NRCS photo)

March storms increased snowpack in the northern half of the West but didn’t provide much relief for the dry southern half, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Water and Climate Center (NWCC) in its April 2014 water supply forecast.

According to the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), most of Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and northern parts of Colorado and Utah are expected to have near normal or above normal water supplies, according to the forecast.  Far below normal streamflow is expected for southern Oregon, California, Arizona, New Mexico, southern Utah and western Nevada.

Early April is commonly regarded as the transition from snow accumulation to snowmelt, making the April 1 water supply forecast of key importance for planning, according to NWCC hydrologist Cara McCarthy.

“Many water managers, reservoir operators, irrigation districts and hydroelectric power companies make significant strategic decisions based on the April forecasts,” McCarthy said.

In states where snowmelt accounts for the majority of the seasonal water supply, information about snowpack serves as an indicator of future water supply. Streamflow in the West consists largely of accumulated mountain snow that melts and flows into streams as temperatures warm. NRCS scientists analyze the snowpack, air temperature, soil moisture and other measurements taken from remote sites to develop the water supply forecasts.

For the second consecutive month, many snow telemetry, or SNOTEL, sites in Montana, Wyoming, and parts of Idaho, Washington, and Oregon received two to three times the normal amount of precipitation. The Cascade Mountains in Washington went from extremely dry in January to a normal snowpack currently and Montana and Wyoming snowpack is now at record levels.

“There’s flooding potential in the Missouri River basin,” McCarthy said. “These areas will be most vulnerable if snow melts rapidly during a hot spell, or if there’s extreme rain while the streams are swollen with snowmelt.”

NRCS’ streamflow forecasts are one of the tools used to assess drought conditions. USDA is partnering with western states to help mitigate the severe effects of drought on agriculture.

Since 1939, NRCS has conducted snow surveys and issued regular water supply forecasts. Since the late 1970s, NRCS has been installing, operating and maintaining an extensive, high-elevation automated system called SNOTEL, designed to collect snowpack and related climatic data in the western U.S. and Alaska.

The center will continue to monitor and forecast water supplies for the next two months. View the April Snow Survey and Water Supply Forecast map or view information by state. And to learn more about how NRCS is helping private landowners deal with drought, visit NRCS’ drought resources. You can also visit USDA’s disaster and drought information page.

Watch the April water supply forecast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoK5Vdd3NUc