Sediment-al Journey: Measuring Metal Concentrations in Soil Beside Urban Waterways
Chemicals from auto emissions, industrial processes, and urban development are found in most urban areas. Two of the chemicals found most abundantly in urban areas are calcium and lead. The calcium comes from all the concrete and the lead comes from oil-based fuels. These chemicals bind to the soil and can be carried by waterways. Often after flooding events, these chemicals are deposited in riparian areas along the waterways. Scientists in this study wanted to find out the chemical content in these riparian sediments and what that content can tell us about how urban land is being used.
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The question you will answer in this FACTivity is: What is the relationship between the level of chemicals in a city’s soils and level of the same chemicals in the...FACTivity – Sediment-al Journey
The question you will answer in this FACTivity is: What is the relationship between the level of chemicals in a city’s soils and level of the same chemicals in the...
Glossary
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Daniel Bain
My favorite science experiences generally involve one of three things: (1) finding a clear pattern from data I have collected, (2) working in an urban stream or soil pit and...View Profile -
Ian Yesilonis
Did you know more living individual organisms are in a tablespoon of soil than people are on Earth? Usually people don’t know a lot about soil, and without it, our...View Profile -
Richard Pouyat
For me, science is most exciting when I have made a new discovery! If you practice science long enough, you too will make a discovery. One of my first scientific...View Profile
Standards addressed in this Article:
Social Studies Standards
- Culture
- Individual Development and Identity
- Individuals, Groups, and Institutions
- People, Places, and Environments
- Power, Authority, and Governance
- Production, Distribution, and Consumption
- Science, Technology, and Society
- Time, Continuity, and Change
Note To Educators
The Forest Service's Mission
The Forest Service’s mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the Nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. For more than 100 years, our motto has been “caring for the land and serving people.” The Forest Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), recognizes its responsibility to be engaged in efforts to connect youth to nature and to promote the development of science-based conservation education programs and materials nationwide.
What Is the Natural Inquirer?
Natural Inquirer is a science education resource journal to be used by students in grade 6 and up. Natural Inquirer contains articles describing environmental and natural resource research conducted by Forest Service scientists and their cooperators. These scientific journal articles have been reformatted to meet the needs of middle school students. The articles are easy to understand, are aesthetically pleasing to the eye, contain glossaries, and include hands-on activities. The goal of Natural Inquirer is to stimulate critical reading and thinking about scientific inquiry and investigation while teaching about ecology, the natural environment, and natural resources.
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Meet the Scientists
Introduces students to the scientists who did the research. This section may be used in a discussion about careers in science.
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What Kinds of Scientist Did This Research?
Introduces students to the scientific disciplines of the scientists who conducted the research.
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Thinking About Science
Introduces something new about the scientific process, such as a scientific habit of mind or procedures used in scientific studies.
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Thinking About the Environment
Introduces the environmental topic being addressed in the research.
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Introduction
Introduces the problem or question that the research addresses.
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Method
Describes the method the scientists used to collect and analyze their data.
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Findings & Discussion
Describes the results of the analysis. Addresses the findings and places them into the context of the original problem or question.
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Reflection Section
Presents questions aimed at stimulating critical thinking about what has been read or predicting what might be presented in the next section. These questions are placed at the end of each of the main article sections.
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Number Crunches
Presents an easy math problem related to the research.
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Glossary
Defines potentially new scientific or other terms to students. The first occurrence of a glossary word is bold in the text.
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Citation
Gives the original article citation with an internet link to the original article.
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FACTivity
Presents a hands-on activity that emphasizes something presented in the article.
Science Education Standards
You will find a listing of education standards which are addressed by each article at the back of each publication and on our website.
We Welcome Feedback
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Contact
Jessica Nickelsen
Director, Natural Inquirer program -
Email
Lessons
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In this lesson, students will create a storyboard to graphically represent the main points from the research article they read. This can be used with any Natural Inquirer article.Lesson Plan – Storyboard (Freshwater)
In this lesson, students will create a storyboard to graphically represent the main points from the research article they read. This can be used with any Natural Inquirer article.
Education Files
Project Learning Tree
If you are a trained Project Learning Tree educator, you may use “Water Wonders,” “Field, Forest, and Stream,” and “Soil Stories” as additional resources.