Physicochemical Properties of Soil at Verbrugge Environmental Center

Soil physicochemical properties influence its ability to retain water, promote biodiversity, and support agriculture. Four physicochemical characteristics of soil (total organic carbon, pH, moisture, and bulk density) at the Verbrugge Environmental Center near Spokane, WA were determined to assess its quality. Soil pH was determined with a H+ ion-selective glass electrode using a ratio of 1:1 soil: water. Loss on Ignition technique was used to determine total organic carbon. Moisture percent was determined by using the weight difference between original and dried soil. Bulk density, an indicator of soil compaction, was calculated using dried soil and its volume. Mean soil pH was 6.82 ± 0.07, total organic carbon was 7.82% ± 0.7, moisture was 83.5% ± 0.3, and bulk density was 0.223 g/cm3 ± 0.002. These physicochemical properties ultimately affect the amount of water, air, and nutrients that the soil can provide to support the ecosystem