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Chris Johnson |
Tiffany Melvill |
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Sample
Spread Sheet for Soil - pdf |
Plant
Growth Information - pdf |
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INAA Sample from
Sweet Home |
INAA Sample from
Crescent Valley |
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INAA Results
from Sweet Home |
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Chris Johnson Proposal Paper Introduction The objective of this project is to see the relationship between the arsenic levels in the soil and the growth of the plants in the area. Our goals of this project are too successfully take soil samples from Sweet Home, and Crescent Valley, take plants that are able to grow in both areas. Then see if those plants are affected in their growth by the different soils. Therefore we will be able to determine if the arsenic levels in the soil have an affect on the plants, and their growth. We will be collecting four soil samples from each of our soil locations. Four samples from sweet home, and four more samples from CVHS. We are doing this so we can get an accurate reading to if there is a relationship between the arsenic levels in the soil, and the growth of plants in the soil. The plant our group has decided to use is English Ivy, we chose this plant based on how fast and how easily it can grow. English Ivy, also known as hedera helix, is a fast growing plant that grows well in the sun and the shade. Arsenic is a naturally occurring element widely distributed in the earth's crust. In the environment, arsenic is combined with oxygen, chlorine, and sulfur to form inorganic arsenic compounds. (www.atsdr.cdc.gov) There are many ways that you can be exposed to arsenic, besides in soil. Such as eating food, drinking water, or breathing air containing arsenic. Long-term exposure to arsenic via drinking-water causes cancer of the skin, lungs, urinary bladder, and kidney, as well as other skin changes such as pigmentation changes and thickening. English ivy is an evergreen climbing vine in the ginseng family (Araliaceae). Vines attach to the bark of trees, brickwork, and other surfaces by way of numerous, small root like structures, which exude a glue like substance. Leaves are dark green, waxy, somewhat leathery, and are arranged alternately along the stem. English ivy has many recognized leaf forms, the most common being a three-lobed leaf with a heart-shaped base. English ivy was probably first introduced to the US by European immigrants and is widely sold as an ornamental plant for landscapes. (www.nps.gov/plants) The study that our group is performing is important to many different areas of science. It deals with the welfare of the soil, and if the arsenic levels are high, it will affect everything that is in the soil from plants, to insects, to many other things that are in the soil. Therefore if the arsenic is affecting the plants, and insects in the area, it will affect the wildlife of that area, since they eat the plants and insects that are being affected by the arsenic. For animals such as deer, if the plants growth is being affected, that means that there aren’t enough plants to eat, and that they aren’t reproducing fast enough for the animals to eat. So based on the information found in our study, it will affect many different areas of science not just soil science. This study would affect many people in many ways, not just the scientific community. It would affect the community in the area of where we’re doing our study, because if we find arsenic levels are affecting plant growth in an area such as a public park; this would influence people heavily where they decide to take their children to play outside. Since high levels of arsenic are very unhealthy to people, they would not want to expose their children to places where they could get affected. It would also affect city planner’s decision on where they would put water pipes, festivals, or recreation facilities. Since high levels of arsenic in water is very harmful to people, and it would influence people on the city council where they would want there pipes to be running through. It would also affect city council members on planning locations of recreational events, or festivals, since they would not want there city members to be to more arsenic then they already have too. So I believe our study would affect a lot more people then just the scientific community. Hypothesis I believe the soil samples that we will be collecting from Sweet Home will show different Results then the soil samples that we collect from Crescent Valley. We believe the plants planted in the soil with the higher levels of arsenic will not grow as well as the plants growing in the soil with lower levels of arsenic. We think this because high levels of arsenic in the soil and in the plants, are known to either stunt growth of certain plants, or kill them if levels are high enough. Therefore I believe the plants that are planted in the soil from the sweet home site will not grow as well as the plants planted in the soil from our crescent valley site. Sources www.atsdr.cdc.gov , Author unknown, updated in June 2000. www.nps.gov/plants. Author unknown, updated October 2001. www.terraserver.microsoft.com , Author unknown, updated 2003. http://www.epa.gov/safewater/arsenic.html, Author unknown, updated July 14th, 2003 |