SPRING 2000 SYLLABUS

Attendance and participation for all laboratories and examinations is mandatory. Background information will be presented in this web page for each lab.

YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR REVIEWING THIS INFORMATION BEFORE EACH LAB PERIOD. The lab instructional material is adapted from an autotutorial laboratory originally designed by Dr. Phillip Craul, Professor Emeritus at SUNY ESF.

Some of the laboratory analyses will be carried out individually; others will be done in teams, or be done as demonstrations by the teaching assistants. In all cases a written report, which consists of answers or explanations to questions at the end of each laboratory exercise in the lab manual, must be submitted at the end of the lab session.

Week Of: Lectures and Readings Lab Exercises
Jan 19 Origin of the elements, rocks and minerals.
Lab 1
Introduction to the Web
Jan 24

Jan. 26

 Rocks, Minerals, Weathering.
Soil Formation, The Soil Profile
Chapters 1 and 2 		Lab 2
Soil-forming rocks and minerals, and soil weathering
Jan 31

Feb 2

 Soil physical properties: texture and structure
Chapter 4 		Lab 3
Structure and Texture
Feb. 7

Feb. 9

 Bulk density and porosity
Soil air and temperature
Chapters 4 and 7
Lab 4
Bulk density and pore space
Feb. 14

Feb. 16

 FIRST EXAM

        Soil Water 
        Chapter 5

Lab 5
Concepts of soil and the soil profile
FIELD TRIP TO LAFAYETTE
Feb. 21

Feb. 23

 Soil water movement  and retention
The hydrologic cycle
Chapters 5 and 6		 Lab 6:
Soil water tension, and measurement

Feb. 28

Mar. 1

 Soil erosion and Productivity

Chapters 17 and 20 (15)

Soil organic matter
Chapter 12 (11)

 Lab 7
Soil Erosion
Mar. 6

Mar. 8

 Soil organisms
Chapter 11 (10)

SECOND EXAM

Lab 8
Organisms and Organic matter; humus types; nitrogen.
Mar. 12 - Mar. 19 SPRING BREAK .
Mar. 20

Mar. 22

 Soil chemical properties: soil colloids, cation exchange capacity Chapter 8 Lab 9
Cation exchange capacity.
Mar. 27

Mar. 29

 Soil reaction (pH), buffering
Chapter 9 		Lab 10
Soil Reaction.
Apr. 3

Apr. 5

Soil Environmental Problems
Chapter 18 		Lab 11:
Hazardous waste.
Apr. 10

Apr. 12

 THIRD EXAM

Acid rain; nutrient cycling

Lab 12:
Acid rain.
Apr. 17

Apr. 19

 Nitrogen and Phosphorus
Chapter 13 and 14
(12-13) 		Lab 13:
Field Trip:Wetland delineation
See description of Lordstown, Mardin,
Volusia and Chippewa soil series at
  Soil SeriesDescriptions Site
Apr. 24

Apr. 26

 Sulfur and micronutrients
Chapter 13 and 15 (12-13) 		Lab 14:
Soil mapping and the soil survey report
May 1 Soil classification
Chapter 3
May ? FINAL EXAM .
email: bhouser@mailbox.syr.edu
Updated on April 27, 2000 11:48 PM
SUNY Environmental Science and Forestry