User:Coadm001/sandbox

Article evaluation: Environmental Studies
- all the information there is relevant

- nothing is very distracting

- there is information missing that could be added such as; disciplines within the study of environmental studies, carers that could evolve from that study

- the links to other articles are helpful as they expand on the topic

- overall it is not a very informative article, more about the discipline needs to be discussed

- the article is neutral and there doesn't seem to be any viewpoints that are over or underrepresented

Sources:

- the links work but some of the pages that were linked no longer exist

- some seem credible, others its hard to tell if its a credible source or not

- the sources seem neutral in tone and don't represent biases

Talk Page:

- seems like people agree that the article in unfocused and needs to be expanded on

- there is confusion on the talk page about the distinction between environmental science, earth science and environmental studies

- it seems like other editors are unhappy about edits that have been made to the page in the past

- this is rated C-class and is of interest to wikiprojects

Potential Articles:
Non-point source pollution:

- rated class c

- This article is short and the examples within it are not expanded on. I would expand on each category and add more sources.

- also add more in depth descriptions about different types of non-point source pollution and the challenges that they cause in the environment

Areas to Improve:

Introduction: discusses various sources of non-point source pollution however it is not a very extensive list and the terms used are very scientific and could use definitions with them or links to articles about them to improve understanding and clarity for people without a scientific background. There are examples of where non-point source pollution comes from but a few crucial ones are missing.

Sediment could be expanded on (more about the harmful effects of sediment)

Toxic contaminants and chemicals section could also be expanded on

Urban and Suburban areas: similarly to introduction links should be added to certain terms to further understanding

Infiltration Hydrology:

- rated Start class

this article is also very short. I would expand on it by adding more general information and more credible sources to expand on what the topic is about and why it is important.

- It has a lot of the mathematical portion of this topic but not on the physical aspects of it

- I would add more about how infiltration occurs without using mathematical equations so that more people can understand it

- I would also expand on the different factors that can impact infiltration rates such as soil/material type

Erosion:

- This is rated a c-class article.

- There are lots of categories but none of them are expanded on enough or have enough sources to back up information.

- I will add to the categories and provide more in depth information about them and also add more sources so the article is more credible.

The coastal erosion section needs to be expanded on as there are many more forms of coastal erosion than those mentioned, and there are ways to combat it that could be mentioned.

Floods also is very short and can be expanded on with more sources. It would be good to explain how much it impacts erosion rates in respect to other forms maybe

Factors affecting climate change have good categories but more can be said under each one.

Chemical Erosion section needs to be expanded on a lot as it is only a short paragraph in length. More sources needed as well.

Adding a Citation:
"These characteristics are further impacted by pore size distribution and continuity of pores or pathways within the soil."

- above is the statement I added to the article Infiltration Hydrology in the introduction section.

Kutílek, M. (2004-12). "Soil hydraulic properties as related to soil structure". Soil and Tillage Research. 79 (2): 175–184. doi:10.1016/j.still.2004.07.006. ISSN 0167-1987

- above is the citation that was added

Peer Review:
User Name: Varelasara

Article: Glacial Lake

The sections on Biotic Ecosystem and Societal Perspectives are well written and very straight forward making them informative and easy to follow. The formation section is a little brief and it would be nice if factors that could affect formation were included if possible. The climate change section could be separated into its own heading, Otherwise a very concise addition to the Wikipedia article. The content is neutral in tone and the resources all seem to be reliable.

User Name: BN1998

Article: Freshwater Acidification

The overview is really well written and clearly introduces the topic. It does a great job of summarizing the overall content without complicating any details. The sections clearly explain the causes for acidification and the information is sourced with reliable sources. The harmful effects on aquatic ecosystems could be expanded on more to highlight more species at risk (especially corals) however, for the purpose of this article this section sufficient. A whole other article could be written just on the biotic impacts. Overall really well written with no biases.

Responding to Peer Review
After reading the peer review left for me I will be adding some media to my edits in order to clarify some of the information provided and make it more visually appealing. I will also try to find more sources to make my additions more reliably sourced.

Final Additions to Wikipedia
Adding to Infiltration Hydrology:

Introduction: replaces the initial paragraph
Infiltration is the process by which water on the ground surface enters the soil. It is commonly used in both hydrology and soil sciences. The infiltration capacity is defined as the maximum rate of infiltration. It is most often measured in meters per day but can also be measured in other units of distance over time if necessary. The infiltration capacity decreases as the soil moisture content of soils surface layers increases. If the precipitation rate exceeds the infiltration rate, runoff will usually occur unless there is some physical barrier.

Infiltrometers, permeameters and rainfall simulators are all devices that can be used to measure infiltration rates.

Infiltration is caused by multiple factors including; gravity, capillary forces, adsorption and osmosis. Many soil characteristics can also play a role in determining the rate at which infiltration occurs.

Precipitation:
Precipitation can impact infiltration in many ways. The amount, type and duration of precipitation all have an impact. Rainfall leads to faster infiltration rates than any other precipitation events, such as snow or sleet. In terms of amount, the more precipitation that occurs, the more infiltration will occur until the ground reaches saturation, at which point the infiltration capacity is reached. Duration of rainfall impacts the infiltration capacity as well. Initially when the precipitation event first starts the infiltration is occurring rapidly as the soil is unsaturated, but as time continues the infiltration rate slows as the soil becomes more saturated. This relationship between rainfall and infiltration capacity also determines how much runoff will occur. If rainfall occurs at a rate faster than the infiltration capacity runoff will occur.

Soil Characteristics:

The porosity of soils is critical in determine the infiltration capacity. Soils that have smaller pore sizes, such as clay, have lower infiltration capacity and slower infiltration rates than soils that have large pore size, such as sands. One exception to this rule is when clay is present in dry conditions. In this case, the soil can develop large cracks which leads to higher infiltration capacity.

Soil compaction is also impacts infiltration capacity. Compaction of soils results in decreased porosity within the soils, which decreases infiltration capacity.

Hydrophobic soils can develop after wildfires have happened, which can greatly diminish or completely prevent infiltration from occurring.

Soil Moisture Content:

Soil that is already saturated has no more capacity to hold more water, therefore infiltration capacity has been reached and the rate cannot increase past this point. This leads to much more surface runoff. When soil is partially saturated then infiltration can occur at a moderate rate and fully unsaturated soils have the highest infiltration capacity.

Organic Materials in Soils:

Organic materials in the soil (including plants and animals) all increase the infiltration capacity. Vegetation contains roots that extent into the soil which create cracks and fissures in the soil, allowing for more rapid infiltration and increased capacity. Vegetation can also reduce surface compaction of the soil which again allows for increased infiltration. When no vegetation is present infiltration rates can be very low, which can lead to excessive runoff and increased erosion levels. Similarly to vegetation, animals that burrow in the soil also create cracks in the soil structure.

Land Cover:

If land is covered by impermeable surfaces, such as pavement, infiltration cannot occur as the water cannot infiltrate through an impermeable surface This relationship also leads to increased runoff. Areas that are impermeable often have storm drains which drain directly into water bodies, which means no infiltration occurs.

Vegetative cover of the land also impacts the infiltration capacity. Vegetative cover can lead to more interception of precipitation, which can decrease intensity leading to less runoff, and more interception. Increased abundance of vegetation also leads to higher levels of evapotranspiration which can decrease the amount of infiltration rate. Debris from vegetation such as leaf cover can also increase infiltration rate by protecting the soils from intense precipitation events.

Slope:

When the slope of land is higher runoff occurs more readily which leads to lower infiltration rates.

Reflective Essay:
Critiquing Articles: During the Wikipedia article evaluation I learned quite a few things. One main thing I learned is that there are strict rules about what is and is not acceptable for a Wikipedia article. Writing without bias is a main component of the articles which makes them more informative and allows the reader to form their own opinions which I really appreciate as a rule. In terms of critiquing the article I selected I looked at topics that I knew a lot about and found one that was lacking in information. The article I choose was easy to improve as it had improper definitions and lacked general information about the topic. I decided to add a whole new section that discusses factors affecting the topic because the article was lacking organization and clarity. By splitting it up into more sections the reader will be able to find the information needed much more easily and quickly. In addition to this additional section, I removed the current section that was titles introduction (although it was the second paragraph) and improved the first paragraph of the article and titled it the new introduction. These changes again made the article more concise and organized. I also added more sources to the article which improves the predictability of the article.

I completed two peer reviews as part of this process. The articles I looked at were already very well written so I mostly commented on ways to increase the organization and also add more sources. For my recommendations people said that I should add more sources as well so I added two more to go from 3 to 5. I have not received any feedback from and editors so far, so I cannot comment on how I respond to any feedback. Overall, I think this assignment gave insight into how Wikipedia works and how to determine the validity and credibility of different Wikipedia pages. Compared to other writing assignments that I have had, this one is very similar, although I find it surprising that Wikipedia doesn't like primary sources. Although I don't think that this improved my knowledge on the topic, I do think it served as a good reminder about the topic which is beneficial.