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Article: A new look at urban soil.(SPECTRUM)(Brief article)
- Article from:
- Environment
- Article date:
- September 1, 2007
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 Heldref Publications. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The soil beneath urbanites' feet might not be as sterile as expected and is so varied in composition that there is no single "urban soil," according to a new study in Baltimore, MD. The research team, composed of scientists from the USDA Forest Service and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, set out to observe how land use and cover impact soils. Researchers extracted soil samples from 122 sites across the city of Baltimore and analyzed the differences in the properties of the soil samples. The samples revealed high chemical variability, but less variation among physical characteristics. "In general, levels of essential nutrients in Baltimore's soils were ...