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Burning Beyond The Soil?

Student(s):Cameron Dickard
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, (Protocol Deactivated), Soil Temperature, Soil pH
Language(s):
Date Submitted:04/09/2018
The purpose of this project was to use GLOBE protocols to analyze the soil composition in and around a burn pile for pH levels, moisture, Phosphorus, Nitrogen, and Potash. It was predicted that the chemical composition of the soil tested from three different bands around a burn pile would have varying levels for the components tested. Five soil samples were collected from three different bands around a burn pile, center, mid-way out, and the outer edge and taken to the middle school science lab for testing. Digital meters for pH, moisture, and fertility along with chemical tests for P, N, and K were used. The meters were placed in the soil samples for analysis. Then, 140grams of each soil was measured out with 250ml of distilled water added, let set overnight, then chemical analysis was conducted in the science lab. Average pH inner soil samples=5.68, middle=6.28, outer samples=6.88. Average moisture inner=1.96, middle=6.08, outer=2.54. Average fertility inner=4.4, middle=4.6, outer samples=0.8. Fertility cross-referenced results: Nitrogen and Potash inner=119ppm, middle=113ppm, outer=20ppm; Phosphorus inner=8.8ppm, middle=9.2ppm, and outer=1.6ppm. Chemical Tests Results: All were negative for oil; Nitrogen inner=3.2ppm, middle=3.6ppm, and outer samples=1.8ppm; Phosphorus inner=2.2ppm, middle=2.2ppm, outer=2.0ppm; Potash= inner=1.8ppm, middle=2.6ppm, outer =2.4ppm. The middle band samples from the burn pile had the most different levels compared to the inner and outer bands. The middle band had the highest moisture reading, and fertility reading from the digital meters. Chemical soil test results also indicated that the middle band had the highest readings for Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potash.



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