Finally Permafrost!
Our final day out in the field was largely spent coring trees and collecting data. However, I worked on a soil survey at the end of the day. We dug nine holes along a transect line in the tundra area and examined the soil. The soil was largely organic, composed from decaying leaves and other vegetation. We dug a pit at the end and found…PERMAFROST! It was found 71 centimeters from the top. I recorded the site’s location of N58 º 37.224’ and W 93º47.255’. Of course we all rallied around and jumped into the pit. When we grabbed a handful of the soil just above the permafrost we could see small crystals of ice.
We moved into the forest area and repeated the procedure of digging nine holes. Here we found the soil to have a lot of sand in addition to the organic layer. We dug another hole and found a few different soil horizons. Water began
to seep in from the sides and filled the bottom of the hole. It was interested when we took the pH of the layers. As we came up from the bottom of the hole the soil became more acidic. What do you think caused the higher acidity? (Clue: Think about what you might find closer to the surface?)
We moved into the forest area and repeated the procedure of digging nine holes. Here we found the soil to have a lot of sand in addition to the organic layer. We dug another hole and found a few different soil horizons. Water began
to seep in from the sides and filled the bottom of the hole. It was interested when we took the pH of the layers. As we came up from the bottom of the hole the soil became more acidic. What do you think caused the higher acidity? (Clue: Think about what you might find closer to the surface?)
posted by Mrs. McMinn @ 10:35 PM
2 Comments:
The soil solution does not have plant nutrients but they do include hydrogen and aluminum ions.
As soil acidity builds up, nutrient bases are washed beneath the root level.
There are many types of horizons like the O, A, E, B, and C horizons.
The O horizon is a thin sheet of organic substance.
The A horizon is a “region of leaching (topsoil)” that includes inorganic and organic substances.
The E horizon is full of minerals that grows better with high rainfall. It is also lighter than most of the layers.
The B Horizon is the area of clay growth iron oxides tend to make the color of it red. It does not contain much organic material.
The C horizon is tainted parent substance called bedrock.
A great site to go on which contained this info and more is: http://io.uwinnipeg.ca/~wbuhay/Weathering%20and%20Soils.htm
- Dawn
It must have been so exciting when you found the Permafrost. I learned in your class that Permafrost isground that remains frozen for 2 or more years, but how do you know that it has been frozen for that long? Can you tell just by looking at it? I also learned in your class that Permafrost covers 20% of the land in the Northern Hemisphere. I also loved the picture of the polar bear. It is hard to believe that such a cute animal could be so dangerous. I was wondering if a polar bear ever wandered into the area where you were staying. Your trip sounds so exciting and fun. I hope that you had a great time.
Meghan M.
Mr. Sollitto's Advisory
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