SOil Lab 9

Intro Soils – Lab 9 Soils and Chemical Pollution

o Labs submitted without advised instructions will result in a 4 point deduction: Proper document name (LastName_SoilsLab9), name included in document, legible spacing, numbering, and use of spell and grammar check.

Lab 9 – Soils and Chemical Pollution

Lab 9 is a web-based exercise – Seek out detailed, but concise answers to the questions from reputable web-based sources (government sites, universities, reputable popular press, etc.) and please include those sources in your answers. Plagiarism will not be tolerated and will result in a zero for this assignment.

1.) What is a superfund site? Why and how is the government involved? Research one superfund site (anywhere in the US) and give a brief description of the contaminant issues and remediation efforts. (http://www.epa.gov/superfund/index.htm)

2.) Phytoremediation is the utilization of plants for bioremediation efforts. What are some plants commonly used for this purpose, and what are the contaminants (including metals) they are known to be helpful in remediating?

3.) Bioremediation using both microbes as well as plants is an in situ method for remediating contamination issues. Search for a remediation project that involves bioremediation efforts (oil spills, pesticides, and even brownfields just as examples) and give a brief description of the contamination issues and remediation efforts. Some of these sites may be companies or industries detailing projects or products used in these efforts, which are acceptable to use for sources of information.

4.) Pollinators, bees in particular, have been a topic of much discussion in research as well as in the popular press due to their recent significant decline in numbers. Why are bees important? What causes are being linked to their decline? What efforts are underway to boost their overall numbers? (10 points)