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  • Food for the Soil: Soil and the Amount of Salmon-Derived Nutrients in Southeast Alaska
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Food for the Soil: Soil and the Amount of Salmon-Derived Nutrients in Southeast Alaska

  • Article
  • Middle School
  • 1 Classroom Period
  • Agriculture
  • Water
  • Wildlife
  • Alluvial Soil
  • Carbon
  • Geomorphology
  • Isotopes
  • Nitrogen Cycle
  • Nutrient
  • Soil
  • Watersheds
The cover of the article "Food for the Soil" featuring a photo of Dr. David D'Amore standing in a forest.
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In this article, learn about soils and the amount of salmon-derived nutrients (SDN) in Southeast Alaska! Salmon-derived nutrients are nutrients in the soils that are from decomposing salmon. The scientists looked at how alluvial soil affected the role of SDN in the North Pacific coastal rainforests of southeast Alaska.

Food for the Soil: Soil and the Amount of Salmon-Derived Nutrients in Southeast Alaska

Part Of

Food for the Soil - Vol. 1 No. 6

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  • In this FACTivity, you will create a model of what happens to things in a river when a flood occurs. Scientists often create models to help them understand better how...

    FACTivity – Food for the Soil

    • Activity
    • Middle School
    • 1 Classroom Period
    • Agriculture
    • Water
    • Wilderness
    • Experiment
    • Flood
    • Hands-on
    • Indoor Activity
    • Modeling
    • Outdoor Activity
    • River
    • Simulation
    In this FACTivity, you will create a model of what happens to things in a river when a flood occurs. Scientists often create models to help them understand better how...
    Explore Activity Download FACTivity (PDF)
    Explore Activity Download FACTivity (PDF)

    Part Of

    Food for the Soil - Vol. 1 No. 6

  • In this FACTivity, you and your classmates will work together to analyze the research study and provide a brief presentation on your findings to your classmates. The question you will...

    FACTivity – Common Core Guided Reading

    • Activity
    • Middle School
    • 1 Classroom Period
    • Agriculture
    • Water
    • Wildlife
    • Analysis
    • Class Discussion
    • Guided reading
    In this FACTivity, you and your classmates will work together to analyze the research study and provide a brief presentation on your findings to your classmates. The question you will...
    Explore Activity Download FACTivity (PDF)
    Explore Activity Download FACTivity (PDF)

    Part Of

    Food for the Soil - Vol. 1 No. 6

  • Look at four photos or illustrations from “Food for the Soil” and use what you’ve learned to explain what each of the provided photos or illustrations is about. Try it...

    eyeChallenge – Food for the Soil

    • Activity
    • Middle School
    • Less than 30 minutes
    • Agriculture
    • Water
    • Wildlife
    • Auger
    • Maps
    • Nitrogen Cycle
    • Reading Comprehension
    • Reading for Information
    • Salmon
    Look at four photos or illustrations from “Food for the Soil” and use what you’ve learned to explain what each of the provided photos or illustrations is about. Try it...
    Explore Activity Download eyeChallenge (PDF)
    Explore Activity Download eyeChallenge (PDF)

    Part Of

    Food for the Soil: Soil and the Amount of Salmon-Derived Nutrients in Southeast Alaska

  • Test your knowledge on alluvial soil, watersheds, and fish.

    Crossword – Food for the Soil

    • Activity
    • Middle School
    • Less than 30 minutes
    • Agriculture
    • Water
    • Wildlife
    • Fish
    • Geomorphology
    • Vocabulary
    • Watershed
    Test your knowledge on alluvial soil, watersheds, and fish.
    Explore Activity Download Crossword (PDF)
    Explore Activity Download Crossword (PDF)

    Part Of

    Food for the Soil: Soil and the Amount of Salmon-Derived Nutrients in Southeast Alaska

  • Test your knowledge on alluvial soil, geomorphology, and spawn.

    Word Search – Food for the Soil

    • Activity
    • Middle School
    • Less than 30 minutes
    • Agriculture
    • Water
    • Wildlife
    • Fish
    • Geomorphology
    • Vocabulary
    • Watershed
    Test your knowledge on alluvial soil, geomorphology, and spawn.
    Explore Activity Download Word Search (PDF)
    Explore Activity Download Word Search (PDF)

    Part Of

    Food for the Soil: Soil and the Amount of Salmon-Derived Nutrients in Southeast Alaska

Glossary

View All Glossary
  • alluvial soil

    (ə lü vē əl soi(ə)l): Soil material (such as clay, silt, sand, or gravel) deposited by running water.

  • auger survey

    (ȯ gər sər vā): The examination or inspection of soil with a variety of tools made like a spiral or screw and used for boring holes or moving loose material.

  • carcass

    (kär kəs): A dead body.

  • continental

    (kän tə nen təl): Of, relating to, or characteristic of a continent.

  • geomorphology

    (jē ō mor fä lə jē): A science that deals with the relief features (or landforms) of the Earth or of another celestial body (such as the Moon) and how they were made and developed.

  • isotope

    (ī sə tōp): Any of two or more species of atoms of a chemical element with the same atomic number and nearly identical chemical behavior but with differing atomic mass or mass number and different physical properties.

  • mean

    (meen): The average in a set of numbers.

  • organic

    (ȯr ga nik): Of, relating to, or obtained from living things.

  • piscivore

    (pī sə vor): A fish-eating animal.

  • spawn

    (spän): To produce young especially in large numbers.

  • sustain

    (sǝ stān): (1) To give support or relief to; (2) to keep up.

  • watershed

    (wȯ tǝr shed): A region or area bounded on the edge by a dividing ridge and draining ultimately to a particular watercourse or body of water.

  • Dr. David D'Amore standing in a forest

    David D’Amore

    Soil Scientist

    My favorite science experience was conducting bird surveys in the forest. I assisted the bird survey crew and had to get up before dawn, which meant 2 a.m. in Alaska....
    View Profile

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  • Education Standards
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Standards addressed in this Article:

Social Studies Standards

Social Studies Standards are educational guidelines outlining the essential knowledge, skills, and concepts students should learn in subjects such as history, geography, civics, and economics, aiming to provide a comprehensive understanding of societal structures, historical events, and global perspectives.
  • People, Places, and Environments
  • Science, Technology, and Society
  • Time, Continuity, and Change

Note To Educators

The Forest Service's Mission

The Forest Service’s mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the Nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. For more than 100 years, our motto has been “caring for the land and serving people.” The Forest Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), recognizes its responsibility to be engaged in efforts to connect youth to nature and to promote the development of science-based conservation education programs and materials nationwide.

USDA and Forest Service Logos

What Is the Natural Inquirer?

Natural Inquirer is a science education resource journal to be used by students in grade 6 and up. Natural Inquirer contains articles describing environmental and natural resource research conducted by Forest Service scientists and their cooperators. These scientific journal articles have been reformatted to meet the needs of middle school students. The articles are easy to understand, are aesthetically pleasing to the eye, contain glossaries, and include hands-on activities. The goal of Natural Inquirer is to stimulate critical reading and thinking about scientific inquiry and investigation while teaching about ecology, the natural environment, and natural resources.

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  • Meet the Scientists

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  • What Kinds of Scientist Did This Research?

    Introduces students to the scientific disciplines of the scientists who conducted the research.

  • Thinking About Science

    Introduces something new about the scientific process, such as a scientific habit of mind or procedures used in scientific studies.

  • Thinking About the Environment

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  • Method

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  • Number Crunches

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  • Citation

    Gives the original article citation with an internet link to the original article.

  • FACTivity

    Presents a hands-on activity that emphasizes something presented in the article.


Science Education Standards

You will find a listing of education standards which are addressed by each article at the back of each publication and on our website.


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Lessons

  • In this lesson plan, students will increase their reading comprehension, organizational skills, critical thinking, and ability to explain concepts through the use of a graphic organizer. The goal is to...

    Lesson Plan – Food for the Soil

    • Lesson Plan
    • Middle School
    • 1 Classroom Period
    • Guided reading
    • Reading Comprehension
    • Reading for Information
    In this lesson plan, students will increase their reading comprehension, organizational skills, critical thinking, and ability to explain concepts through the use of a graphic organizer. The goal is to...
    Explore Lesson Plan Download Lesson Plan (PDF)
    Explore Lesson Plan Download Lesson Plan (PDF)

    Part Of

    Food for the Soil - Vol. 1 No. 6

Education Files

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  • Additional Resources

Additional Resources

  • Environmental Protection Agency: How's My Waterway

    How’s My Waterway was designed to provide the general public with information about the condition of their local waters based on data that states, federal, tribal, local agencies and others have provided to EPA.

    Visit Website
  • Natural Resource Conservation Service: Soils

    America’s vitality is rooted in the soil. Today, private landowners across the country are partnering with NRCS to conserve and improve soil. Additionally, NRCS is also a leader in soil science, playing a pivotal role in classifying and mapping soils as part of the National Cooperative Soil Survey.

    Visit Website
  • U.S. Department of Energy: National Isotope Development Center

    Learn more about the basics of isotopes at this Department of Energy education site.

    Visit Website
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