Critical Needs: Soils

To manage the nation’s soils efficiently:

Encourage monitoring of soil quality and moisture for optimal agricultural production. Soil fertility and its ability to produce crops depend on the nutrients it contains. Better monitoring and management can improve crop yields and potentially reduce offsite contamination.

Soils: Errata

Here you will find mistakes from the 2001 edition of the IES Soil.

Investigation 7: Using Soil Data to Plan a Garden

Here you will find resources to help teachers and students plan a garden suited to their school's soil profile.

Investigation 6: Soil Erosion

Here you will find resources to help teachers and students model how wind and water erode soil.

Investigation 5: Water and Other Chemicals in Soil

Here you will find resources to help teachers and students do soil percolation tests and use test kits to measure nutrients in soil

Investigation 4: Examining Core Samples of Soil

Here you will find resources to help teachers and students analyze a core sample of soil and compare it to other samples.

Investigation 3: Separating Soil by Sieving

Here you will find resources to help teachers and students separate soil by using strainers of different sizes.

Investigation 2: Separating Soil by Settling

Here you will find resources to help teachers and students separate soil samples.

Investigation 1: Beginning to Investigate Soil

Here you will find resources that teachers and students can use to help them observe soil samples and formulate questions about soil

Soils

Here you will find links to a variety of other websites that will help deepen your understanding of content and prepare you for the Investigating Soil IES module.

American Geosciences Institute

soils