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Frequently Asked Questions
What was your inspiration for this project?
I decided to conduct a soil study after taking a Research Methods class last year. Throughout the semester, the class mainly focused on water quality, but we did a short unit on soil infiltration and composition, which piqued my interest in soil analysis. I love going out into the field and working in the lab, so I was eager to start my project in October.
What challenges did you face during the research process?
I spent hours in the research lab analyzing the particle size, iron content, sulfate content, percent organics, percent moisture, pH, and conductivity and as the school year progressed, I was worried that I had overextended myself. At one point, I grew frustrated when I realized I had only taken one pH measurement from each sample instead of three, which was necessary to compute the mean.
Additionally, I struggled with the colorimeter at first, which I used to measure iron and sulfate content. Both tests required waiting periods of a few minutes in order for the color to develop, and it was difficult to test multiple samples simultaneously. With practice and a new labeling system, I maximized efficiency and became comfortable with
Furthermore, when I first began to analyze my results, I was overwhelmed with the plethora of data. At first, none of the regression tests I performed established a relationship between parameters, which discouraged me. A few weeks later, I realized that I could eliminate mathematical outliers from the data set which established a strong positive relationship between sulfate content and percent organics.
What were the most exciting or unexpected elements of this project?
One unexpected result was that the transitional marsh zone exhibited the greatest conductivity, deviating from the gradient across the zones for percent organics and moisture. This revealed the importance of the transitional marsh zone, which is often overlooked.
The most exciting elements of this project were the field sampling and the moment I realized that I had clear results and my hard work paid off.
What did you gain from this project?
Growing up on the Jersey shore, I have spent countless summer nights relaxing on the beach; however, it was not until this project that I learned to appreciate the local salt marshes - the backbone of the coastal ecosystem. Although the importance of estuaries is reiterated in many environmental classes, it was extremely rewarding to be able to quantify and see the results for myself.
What are the real-world applications?
In this study, I revealed that both rising sea levels and anthropogenic development will severely impact coastal ecosystems. Climate change will cause rising sea levels and increased frequency and severity of major storms. Rather than just reacting to the effects of climate change, coastal communities should take a proactive approach by researching and fortifying coastal salt marshes to prevent inland damage. Limiting development on the high marsh zone would allow for the marsh system to shift inland. Additional marsh restoration initiatives such as living shorelines could also be used to protect the coastal communities.
How would you continue this research for future studies?
If I were to conduct a soil study next year, I would sample these four locations during high and low tide once a week for six weeks. Future studies could also analyze water quality alongside soil quality since marsh sediments are heavily influenced by tidal flushing. Soil quality monitoring over time is necessary to examine the effects of climate change on coastal ecosystems. Additional studies could use plot markers and return to sample the same sites over a long period of time in order to observe the shifting of the marsh zonation gradient.
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