Student Research Reports
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Exploring the Suur Taevaskoda sandstone outcrop
Organization(s):Estonian Learning Expedition
Country:Estonia
Student(s):Andre Ületoa,
Samuel Linnus, Rosmarii Ilp, Mirell
Mattisen, Mattias Ilp, Kristelle
Riigor, Eke Varusk, Silver Oja
Grade Level:Middle School (grades 6-8, ages 11-14)
GLOBE Educator(s):Eelika Kiil, Laura Altin, Vaike Rootsmaa
Contributors:Johanna Raudsepp
Report Type(s):International Virtual Science Symposium Report
Protocols:Bulk Density, Soil Characterization, Soil Fertility, Soil Infiltration, Soil Moisture - Gravimetric, Soil Particle Density, Soil Particle Size Distribution, Soil pH, Soil Temperature
Presentation Poster:
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Language(s):English
Date Submitted:03/05/2025
Soil plays a vital role in our global ecosystems. Soils influence our daily lives in numerous,
often overlooked ways, and their significance deserves greater attention. We can gather
information from a multitude of different sources: from books, soil maps, specialists and
geographic info systems. A more effective way to acquire knowledge is through direct
fieldwork and data collection. This report is the result of that determination.
The fieldwork for this report was conducted during the GLOBE Estonia Learning Expedition
of 2024 at Suur Taevaskoda, Estonia. We had the help of a junior researcher in geology
Eelika Kiil and geography teacher Vaike Rootsmaa. To test our hypotheses, we constructed
four boreholes and examined a nearby outcrop. We worked according to GLOBE soil
protocols, helping us characterize different soil types, horizons, textures, and measure the soil
temperature and pH.
We discovered that human impact on the soil horizons in the form of walking or trampling is
noticeable, but menial. Furthermore, we confirmed that pine needles have a considerable
impact on the soil’s pH, but the overall vegetation and tree shadows did not change the soil
temperature considerably during our fieldwork.