Agricultural Soil in Urban Environments

Once America was called the breadbasket of the world because of how many crops were grown here. As our nation an economy flourished we farmed less focusing more on business and industry becoming more dependent on imported crops. Today as the American economy is moving in the other direction people are once again turning to farming as a means to reduce their financial obligations. In urban areas that can be a problem greatly due to the lead in paints which now have found their way into the soil. This material is poisonous to humans and could potentially be absorbed by and ingested in vegetables. Using various soil sampling and testing techniques we can ascertain if there are threatening levels of lead in the soil. One common method used to bypass this process is the utilization of raised flower beds which are generally constructed out of wood and filled with imported dirt that is lead free.

Here is a video I found of an urban garden in Atlanta

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRFaDUpXDWs

Deep Sea Deep Secrets

Out of the movies that we watched in our rainy day labs Deep Sea Deep Secrets was by far my favorite. It was about volcanic activity on the ocean's floor and the cycle of living organisms that flourish around it. Most of the rock formations looked to be pillow lava. Immense lava containing tubes bursting upward and solidifying almost instantly underwater growing like a stalagmite up from the ocean floor. What I found the most interesting was the wildlife. To think that animals can survive under such harsh conditions is amazing. By far the most adapted animal in this environment was the crab. Apparently crabs are well suited to this type of environment across the globe.

Here's a video on crabs surviving near a hydro thermal vent in Antarctica!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r17cPDVzTls&feature=fvsr

Feldsbar

Makes up 60% of the earth's crust.