I think both Kristen and I had our ups and downs in this lab, but overall it was an interesting and insightful experience. Needless to say I now know a lot more about soil than I had in the past (who would've guessed that dirt is different than soil?) and am glad to learn more about what I'm stepping on everyday. I for one never really thought about the fact that there are millions of microorganisms that live and function in the soil, hence making soil in fact alive. I also learned just what makes soil fertile and able to grow crops through all the labs and then in the remediation and controlled experiment labs. The labs helped me understand the fundamentals of soil and its various components.
People should be more aware of the dangers of soil overuse in agriculture. We use so much soil in agriculture nowadays and use the soil more than we're able to replenish it, and if we don't slow down our production and use it sustainably, we could end up not being able to feed large portions of the world. Although I was absent for most of the salinization lab, I know that the amount of salt we put into the soil can cause many problems for the soil and can cause it to lose its fertility. Like many of our natural resources, soil is a part of the environment we take for granted, and we are in serious jeopardy of losing it in the near future if we don't change our agricultural practices.
The lab was sometimes tiresome work, but I think it allowed us to learn about soil in an intriguing and effective way. And although sometimes I may still call it dirt, I'll know deep down that it is and always will be soil.
Also, I am responsible for the remediation, berlese funnel, soil fertility analysis, and soil porosity posts while Kristen is responsible for all the others.
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