3. AIM-
To measure the temperature inside the forest and outside the forest area
RESEARCH QUESTION-
How does the soil temperature differ from inside the forest to that of outside the forest?
HYPOTHESIS
I hypothesize that there is a difference between the temperature of soil inside and outside the forest due to the difference in the quality of soil and the difference between the temperature inside and outside the forests.
The quality and type of soil is different in each area. Hence if the type of soil is different that means that the temperature would also vary. Also the ph would be very different depending upon the area and other abiotic factors such as sunlight and water. Also the temperature varies on the depth of the soil and the temperature of the air that is above the ground.
PRE- REQUISITE KNOWLEDGE Soil - The upper layer of earth in which plants grow, a black or dark brown material typically consisting of a mixture of organic remain Soil temperature- The temperature that is measured near the surface of the soil.
MATERIALS REQUIRED
- Meter stick or tape measure
- Thermometer
- A rod (to make holes in the soil for putting the thermometer inside)
- Stop watch
PROCEDURE
1. From forest edge measure 30 meters into the forest.
2. Use object to make a hole in the soil so that you do not break your thermometer by pushing too hard into the soil.
3. Place thermometer into the soil 3-4 inches deep.
4. Allow three minutes for thermometer to register temperature.
5. Record temperature in raw data table.
6. Repeat steps 2-5, 5-6 times. Making a different hole for each measurement.
7. From forest edge measure 30 meters outside of the forest.
4. 8. Use object to make hole in the soil so that you do not break your thermometer by pushing too hard into soil.
9. Place thermometer into the soil 3-4 inches deep.
10. Allow three minutes for thermometer to register temperature.
11. Record temperature in raw data table.
12. Repeat steps 8-11, 5-6 times. Making a different hole for each measurement.
VARIABLES
Independent variables
The independent variables were the pH levels of the soil and sunlight. Dependant variables Dependant variables that were found during the testing of soil were the samples of soil we collected. After testing the temperature we had collected soil samples for further testing of the Ph levels.
MEASURES TO CONTROL VARIABLES CONTROLLED VARIABLES HOW TO CONTROL THE VARIABLES
The time of the day the samples were taken
The samples were taken at the hottest time of the day 12:00-1:00 P.M.
The number of time the samples were taken
The samples were taken 5-6 times, they can be controlled through double checking the data
5. DATA COLLECTION AND PROCESSING
RAW DATA
TEMPERATURE OF SOIL INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE FOREST SITES Inside forest temperature Outside forest temperature 1 12 18 2
10
19 3 14 18 4
18
20 5 20 19 6
22
21
PROCESSING-
The data that has been represented above shows us the different soil temperatures of two different areas inside the forest and outside the forest respectively- GRAPH 1
Site 1
Site 2
Site 3
Site 4
Site 5
Site 6
Inside forest temperature
12
10
14
18
20
22
0
5
10
15
20
25
Soil Temperature
Inside forest temperature
6. The following graph 1 demonstrates the data that was found on the given sites. The highest temperature was found on site 6 due to various reasons that shall be discussed. There is a huge difference between the temperature of Site 2 and Site 6.
GRAPH 2
Graph 2 represents the temperature outside the forest and shows the variation in the temperature of site 7 and site 12
GRAPH 3
Site 7
Site 8
Site 9
Site 10
Site 11
Site 12
Outside forest temprature
18
19
18
20
19
21
16.5
17
17.5
18
18.5
19
19.5
20
20.5
21
21.5
Soil temeperature
Outside forest temperature
Site 1
Site 2
Site 3
Site 4
Site 5
Site 6
Inside forest
12
10
14
18
20
22
Outside forest
18
19
18
20
19
21
0
5
10
15
20
25
Temperature
Comparison of temperature inside and outside the forest
7. The following data that has been represented above shows the different temperatures of soil found at different sites. The temperatures that were found from site number one to site number six were inside the forest whereas the temperatures found from site number seven to twelve were outside the forest.
If we compare the two data by adding up the temperatures found inside the forest and outside the forest we obtain the following result-
Inside forest soil temperature- 12+10+14+18+20+22= 96 degree Celsius
Outside forest soil temperature- 18+19+18+20+19+21= 115 degrees Celsius
Hence as the calculation suggest the temperature of soil outside the forest is more than the temperature of the soil inside the forest.
DISCUSSION
The aim of this experiment was to measure the temperature of soil inside and outside the forest area. The temperature of soil outside the forest area was found to be more than that of inside the forest area. There could various reasons for such a result such as vegetation, colour of the soil, solar radiation, condensation, evaporation moisture content, human and animal contact of that particular piece of land (soil) and tillage. According to my research question, “How does the soil temperature differ 30 or 50 meter inside of the forest from 30 or 50 meters outside of the Ropar wetland forest?” the possible reasons for difference in soil temperatures are as follows-
1. Tillage
2. Solar radiation
3. Evaporation
4. Reaction of microbes
Tillage- Cultivated soil has higher soil temperature in comparison to uncultivated land. The soil that is outside the forest is more accessible to humans in comparison to the soil that is inside. Hence there would be more cultivation outside the forest which would be a reason of higher temperature.
Solar radiation- Soil outside forest would be more exposed to the heat of the sun than the soil that is inside. The soil deep inside the forest would be covered by the canopy of trees or by wild vegetation, whereas soil outside the forest is not covered by much wild vegetation gathers the nutrients essential for its growth from the sunlight.
Evaporation- The greater the rate of evaporation the cooler the soil would be. As there would be lesser cultivation inside the forest hence the soil inside would absorb more water when it rains hence the rate of evaporation is also going to be greater. Whereas evaporation outside
8. the forest would be at a slower rate due to more cultivation of crops, since most of the water would be absorbed by the plant.
Reaction of microbes- Different type of microbes affects the difference in the soil temperature. Some microbes such as soil bacteria and nitrogen fixing bacteria increase the temperature of the soil. Whereas some other bacteria help in reducing the temperature of the soil.
EVALUATION
SR. NO.
LIMITATION
Impact of each limitation on the result
Improvements to reduce or eliminate each limitation.
1.
I did not have the pH readings for the soil samples
It could have helped me evaluate things further. The ph. readings could have helped to find out the quality of soil as well
In future I would be more careful while collecting all my data
2.
I could only take the temperature of six sites per area due to shortage of time
If I had taken the data of ten sites per area then I would have been able to compare the data in a better manner
In future I will ensure that I am I able to finish everything on time by executing better time management skills.
3.
I did not much about the forest where the experiment was performed.
If I knew more about the forest and the soil content of the forest my analysis could have been much better.
I took help from secondary resources to find out about the soil content and the difference between the soil temperatures inside and outside the forest. In future I would find out more about the place through the locals around.
9. CONCLUSION
I would hence like to conclude after the findings from secondary and primary resources that that the temperature of the soil does differ with its location. In the case given to us, there is a difference in temperature in soil found outside the forest and the soil that is found inside the forest. The temperature of the soil found outside the forest is higher due to the reasons of tillage, solar radiation and evaporation.
My conclusion is also supported by my results. Apart from site number 6 and site number 5 the temperature of soil outside the forest has been consistently higher. After summing up the temperatures of both the areas it was found that outside soil temperature (115 degrees) is more than inside soil temperature (96 degrees). Hence it has been proved that abiotic factors such as sunlight and water effect the temperature of the soil.
