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Let’s Talk About Soil!

Student(s):Ella Curry
Grade Level:Upper Primary (grades 3-5, ages 8-11)
GLOBE Educator(s):Roger Glenn Rose
Contributors:
Report Type(s):Standard Research Report
Protocols:Soil Fertility, Soil Temperature, Soil pH
Language(s):
Date Submitted:05/03/2019
ABSTRACT Let’s Talk About Soil! (A study conducted using procedures in the GLOBE soil protocols to analyze soil from north & south slopes) Ella K. Curry - 5th grade Alpena Middle School, Alpena, AR Is there a difference in the soil properties of north-facing verses south facing slopes? It was predicted that wooded northern-facing slopes would have the best soil properties. I was also predicted that open northern-facing slopes would have the second-best soil properties. North and south facing slopes were located and a GPS was used to record coordinates. A digital 3-way analyzer was put directly into soil to determine fertility and ground temperature. Results were recorded. Soil samples were collected and placed in Ziploc bags. Test kits for phosphorus, potash, nitrogen, and pH were used to analyze the samples. The pH average levels for North and South slope were both 7.0. Nitrogen, Potash, and Phosphorus levels are as follows: 0=depleted, 1=deficient, 2=adequate, 3=sufficient, 4=surplus. North slope average for nitrogen = 1, south slope averaged 1.2. North slope averaged a potash level of 1, south slope averaged a potash level of 0.8. North slope averaged a phosphorus level of 1.2, south slope averaged 1. The digital 3-way analyzer showed a fertility level of 0.8 as the average for the north slope and 0.6 for the south slope. Fertility levels range from 0–10. The hypothesis was minimally supported by the data. The north-wooded slope had the highest pH and phosphorus average. The south-wooded slope and north-wooded slope average for Potash were both 1.5 which was the highest recorded. The highest nitrogen content was from the south-wooded slope. Neither the north or south slope had sufficient levels of nitrogen, potash, or phosphorus.



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