Should Ditches be Graded? Testing Unpaved Roads with a Computer Program
Soil erosion and sedimentation reduce the diversity of the natural environment. When soil is eroded and sedimentation occurs, important nutrients are carried away from the soil. The scientists in this study wanted to find a way to predict how much erosion would be caused by unpaved roads.
A FACTivity is included with the article in the FACTivity tab below and as a separate pdf in the Activities tab.
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In this FACTivity, you will build an insloping road to test your own model of erosion. Materials: Two large cardboard boxes with lid flaps removed (around 30 inches square and...FACTivity – Should Ditches Be Graded?
In this FACTivity, you will build an insloping road to test your own model of erosion. Materials: Two large cardboard boxes with lid flaps removed (around 30 inches square and...
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Laurie Tysdal
I like being a scientist because I learned the building blocks of how things work in the natural world around us. Now I can figure out new things on my...View Profile
Standards addressed in this Article:
Social Studies Standards
- People, Places, and Environments
- Science, Technology, and Society
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Meet the Scientists
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What Kinds of Scientist Did This Research?
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Reflection Section
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Number Crunches
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Citation
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FACTivity
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In this FACTivity, you will build your own insloping road to test your own model of erosion.
Materials:
- Two large cardboard boxes with lid flaps removed (around 30 inches square and at least 12 inches high)
- Plastic (to line the boxes)
- Soil (to fill the boxes)
- Plastic straws
- Grass plugs or other small pieces of vegetation (with soil and roots attached)
- Watering can or hose and source of water
Line the boxes’ bottom and sides with plastic. Fill each box about half full with soil. Start by building a “hillside” in each box. The hillside should slope in two directions. Now, begin building an insloping mountain road. Remember to slope your road surface inward (see cross-section below). Don’t forget to build a ditch on the inside.
Use plastic straws for culverts along your road. You will need to cut the edge of the straw before burying it under the road (see illustration). Then, build a waterway from the “culverts” down the hillside by creating ditches down the hillside. The waterways should go down to the lowest corner of the box.
In one of the boxes, put plugs of grass or other vegetation on the upper hillside, the cutslope, and the downslope (but not on the road or waterway).
When you have finished building a road in each box, use a watering can or hose (on a gentle pressure) to pretend that it is raining.
- What happens to the water and the soil in each box?
- Is there a difference in the amount of erosion (soil being carried down the hillside) between the two boxes? Why or why not?
- What conclusions can you make about the construction of insloping mountain roads?
- What could you do to reduce erosion for your own insloping road?