Physical Geography Lab Portfolio

Professor Emma Witt

April 22, 2015
Alex Melchiore

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Contents
Section 1: General Ecological Setting of Stockton......................................................3
Section 2: The Soil Resources of
Stockton7
Section 3: The Water Resources of
Stockton12

Figures
Figure 1: Campus Map
Figure 2: Campus Land Use
Figure 3 : Campus Land Use Pie Chart
Figure 4: Climographs
Figure 5: Soil Orders
Figure 6: Soil Series
Figure 7: Soil Transect
Figure 8: Stockton Wetlands
Figure 9: Watersheds
Figure 10: Riffle
Figure 11: Pool
Figure 12: Atlantic City

Section 1: General Ecological Setting of Stockton

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Figure 1 Campus Map

Figure 2 Campus
Land Uses

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Figure 3 Pie Chart of Campus Land Uses

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 The climate

classification is moist

subtropical. The biome that we live

in is the temperate coniferous

forest. Our coastal location and

our latitude affect our climate

because we are not too close to

the equator to have a humid

climate. Our coastal location is

important to our climate

because of the specific heat that

keeps us warmer in the winter and

Figure 4 Map of Climographs
cooler in the summer.

Section 2: The Soil Resources of Stockton

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Figure 5 Soil Orders

 In different sections of campus, we have many different soil orders. For
example in the Cedar Swamp we have a lot of histisols. Around the Housing one,
four, and five complexes we have mostly inceptisols and utisols. Around the main
complex, the soils are mostly entisol, utisol, and inceptisol dominated. Our campus
as a whole is mostly dominated by utisols as shown in Figure 5 above.

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 The five factors that impact our soils are climate, organisms, relief,
parent material and time. Vegetation is a big impact on our soils here because we
have a high concentration of spodosols on campus which dominate our coniferous
forests. Relief impacts our soils because we have a good concentration of histisols
which dominate our wetlands. Time affects our soils because we have many entisols
and inceptisols which are mostly younger soils.

Figure 6 Soil Series

Table 1 Soil Pit 1

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 Horizon Depth Boundary Color Texture Structure Notes

O 15 m Clearly 10YR 2/1 Sandy Blocky

defined loam
A 20m Clearly 10YR 5/1 Sandy Blocky
defined loam
E 40m Clearly 10 YR 6/1 Sandy Blocky
defined loam
B1 60m Clearly 10 YR 5/6 Sandy Blocky Sample
defined loam taken to
determine
difference
between
the color
of B1 and
B2
B2 75m Gradual 10YR 6/6 Sandy Blocky
loam

Horizon Depth Boundary Color Texture Structure Notes

O 5 in Wavy 10YR 2/2 Loam sand Granular

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 A 3 in Wavy 10 YR 2/1 Loam sand Granular

E 3.5 in Wavy 10 YR 3/2 Loam sand Granular

A 3.5 in Wavy 10 YR 2/1 Loam sand Granular

B 5 in Wavy 10 YR 3/6 Loam sand Granular

Table 2 Soil Pit 2

Figure 7 Soil Transect

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Section 3: Hydrology of Stockton

Figure 8 Stockton's Wetlands

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Figure 9 Watersheds

Table 3 Atlantic City data

Month PET P (cm)

January 0.0045 8.178
15 8
February 0.0845 7.289
85 8
March 1.6768 10.69
02 34
April 9.0778 9.220
27 2
May 26.481 8.509
45
June 54.399 7.899
95 4
July 75.591 9.448
91 8
August 63.813 10.43
48 94
Septem 35.495 8.001
ber 44

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October 12.979 8.686
4 8
Novemb 3.3979 8.305
er 02 8
Decemb 0.2523 9.372
er 55 6

Figure 10 Riffle Cross Section

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Figure 11 Pool Cross Section

Figure 12 Atlantic City Precip/Evapotrans.

The inputs of the water budget here on campus include groundwater,

precipitation, and aquifers. The outputs include streams, evaporation, and
evapotranspiration. The highest input of Lake Fred is the aquifer that is connected
beneath it. The vernal ponds only input is the amount of precipitation we have here
on campus as shown in Figure 9 above. The main storage of the inputs and outputs
are the many lakes and ponds we have here on campus.

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 Stockton has a big part in the hydrology of the area. For instance, Lake Fred is
fed by many of the streams outside of campus that converge into the lake. Lake
Fred Aquifers and groundwater insure that we have a huge water supply. We can
also study the runoff collected from our parking lots, buildings, ponds, and athletic
fields. The many hydrology professors and independent studies have also tested our
water quality in our lakes and pond as well as test the pH. Through the watersheds
shown in figure 9 we can see the many watersheds that impact Stockton. Stockton
is a major part of the hydrology for the surrounding area.

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