Seize the Memory of Soil
a Citizen Science project on mapping soil moisture memory
Soil Matters
Soil Matters
In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt stated, "A nation that destroys its soils destroys itself". Soils often take hundreds or thousands of years to form but can be destroyed in a single event due to human activities. We could not survive without soil.
In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt stated, "A nation that destroys its soils destroys itself". Soils often take hundreds or thousands of years to form but can be destroyed in a single event due to human activities. We could not survive without soil.
Soil plays an important role in our planet and society because it is responsible for many essential functions that we call ecosystem services. These soil functions include regulating air quality and composition, cycling water, carbon, and nutrient, treating natural "waste", and providing habitat for most living things and their food.
Soil plays an important role in our planet and society because it is responsible for many essential functions that we call ecosystem services. These soil functions include regulating air quality and composition, cycling water, carbon, and nutrient, treating natural "waste", and providing habitat for most living things and their food.
Soil is a living thing. Just like a human, the soil has its own memory, an ability to memorize its past environment. Scientists are very interested in soil memory and have tried to use different methods to estimate the memory of soil. One of the most widely studied soil memory is soil moisture memory, which reflects the ability of soil to hold water and prevent it from drying out.
Soil is a living thing. Just like a human, the soil has its own memory, an ability to memorize its past environment. Scientists are very interested in soil memory and have tried to use different methods to estimate the memory of soil. One of the most widely studied soil memory is soil moisture memory, which reflects the ability of soil to hold water and prevent it from drying out.
In this project, we will answer the following questions:
In this project, we will answer the following questions:
- What does soil moisture memory look like in different regions of the world?
- How can we increase/decrease soil moisture memory?
- How could we measure the memory of soil?
We need support from Citizen Scientists like you to help collect soil information across the country and work through a number of science exploration tasks to figure these questions out. Are you ready for the challenges and getting involved to Seize the Memory of Soil?
We need support from Citizen Scientists like you to help collect soil information across the country and work through a number of science exploration tasks to figure these questions out. Are you ready for the challenges and getting involved to Seize the Memory of Soil?
