Anything which covers the ground surface or topsoil and has the affect of reducing erosion Preferably this would be a vegetative layer of grasses and/or other low-growing plants but may also include plant residues such as leaf litter and tree debris as well as various forms of rock Artificial groundcovers may also be established with such materials as straw mulch or jute mesh
The amount of ground-level vegetation covering a given area For the GLOBE program, "ground level" is defined as "below the observer's knees " Ground cover is expressed as a percentage E g 30% ground cover means that, viewed from above, 30% of the ground surface is obscured by ground-level vegetation
Plants grown to keep soil from eroding Ground Water Under the Direct Influence (UDI) of Surface Water: Any water beneath the surface of the ground with: 1 significant occurence of insects or other microorganims, algae, or large-diameter pathogens; 2 significant and relatively rapid shifts in water characteristcs such as turbidity, temperature, conductivity, or pH which closely correlate to climatological or surface water conditions Direct influence is determined for individual sources in accordance with criteria established by a state