Urban forests perform essential ecological functions, and their performance is dependent on soil quality, which is often degraded by human activity. Because earthworms play a key role in soil health, augmenting earthworm populations in urban soils may improve tree performance. However, we know very little about earthworm ecology in highly urbanized soils. The objectives of our study were: (1) to assess earthworm demographics across a range of urban land uses and (2) to evaluate earthworm augmentation techniques for rehabilitating disturbed soils and improving tree growth. 1. We conducted an observational study across three landuse types to assess earthworm abundance and diversity as well as associated soil properties. Earthworm abundance and biomass in were affected by land use type, disturbance time frame, and seasonality. Earthworm abundance and biomass were affected by a suite of complex soil and temporal variables, and soil temperature and moisture seemed to be the most influential properties. 2. We conducted an earthworm inoculation experiment on a compacted cut-fill field soil with a very low existing earthworm population. In 2008, three soil treatments (control, compost, and compost + earthworm) were applied to 2 m2 plots into which two common urban tree species with contrasting soil tolerances were planted (Acer rubrum and Cornus florida). We measured soil physical and chemical properties along with earthworm survival and soil respiration. Earthworm inoculation did not succeed in improving bulk density or increasing soil organic matter, yet it was successful in increasing soil CEC, Fe, and Mn relative to compost only effects. / Master of Science

No description available.

Master of Science / Department of Agronomy / DeAnn Presley / Steve Thien / Interest and participation in urban agriculture is growing in many cities throughout the United States. Urban gardeners and farmers produce food on various types of urban lands. Common soil contaminants of urban areas limit the amount of land on which food may safely be grown. The objective of this study was to assess and meet the informational and technical assistance needs of urban gardeners and farmers as well as students enrolled in the introductory soils science course at Kansas State University on the topics of urban soil quality and contamination. A needs assessment survey of urban gardeners and farmers was conducted in four communities; Tacoma and Seattle, Washington, Kansas City, Kansas and Missouri, Manhattan, Kansas, and Gary, Indiana. The survey generated information about what urban gardeners and farmers know, think they know, and want to know about urban soil quality and contamination. Eighty-eight percent of respondents indicated that they do not have knowledge of the best management practices to minimize health risks involved when growing food crops on soils contaminated with lead, cadmium, arsenic or organic contaminants. Our results suggest that urban gardeners and farmers require and want information and guidance on soil testing for common contaminants, interpretation of testing results, and best management practices for growing food on mildly contaminated soils. The students enrolled in the introductory soil science course at Kansas State University are future agricultural and environmental professionals who need skills to address urban soils issues. Most of the students in the Agronomy 305: Soils course are not Agronomy majors. Furthermore, an increasing number of Agronomy 305 students come from urban and suburban communities and/or have interest in working in urban environments upon completion of their undergraduate degree. An urban soils laboratory was developed in response to the future workforce demands as well as the demographics of students enrolled in the Agronomy 305 course. Throughout the semester students evaluated the physical, chemical, and biological properties of a soil from this urban community garden. Reaction of students to the new urban soils lab offering has been positive with 72% of students enrolled in the course reporting that they have interest and need in learning about the urban soil issues covered in the lab course. Overall, student responses about their learning experience in the urban soils laboratory course were positive, indicating that incorporating urban soil principles enhanced their soil science education. Students who participated in the urban soils lab are better prepared, as future agricultural and environmental professionals, to address the educational and technical assistance needs of urban growers.

Green roof design has proceeded without integration of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). A literature survey was therefore conducted in order to determine which aspects of green roof functioning might be enhanced by AMF, and subsequently levels of AMF and endophyte colonization were determined for seven plant species used in green roofs. Plants were sampled from an experimental green roof and from the field. A commercial growing medium was also tested for AMF inoculum potential. Colonization was poor in both field and rooftop samples of the commercially popular succulent, Sedum acre, but significantly higher in Solidago bicolor, a proposed green roof species. The commercial growing medium was found to contain extremely low levels of viable AMF propagules. Although the apparent lack of mycorrhizal dependency of S. acre helps to explain its popularity as a green roof plant, its overuse precludes the important ecosystem services potentially provided by AMF symbioses.

Due to the large amount of impervious surface cover, urban areas are at high risk for flooding and, in cities with combined sewer systems, subject to sewer overflow during heavy storm events. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDot) is currently reconstructing and expanding parts of Interstate 95 (I-95) through the city of Philadelphia. Due to both federal and local laws, PennDOT must account for the stormwater runoff and minimize outflow to the sewer system. To do so, PennDOT has plans to construct a series of stormwater management practices (SMPs) adjacent to I-95 to control the volumes of highway runoff. In partnership with Villanova University, Temple University has been tasked with monitoring these SMPs, known as bioswales, to provide insight and guidance as the project moves forward and to ensure mistakes aren’t reproduced in future construction. This research is contributing to the overall project goals by testing the application of geophysical monitoring to one of the bioswales known as SMP A. Unlike commonly used point measurements, geophysical surveys are non-invasive and provide extensive spatial coverage. Specifically, this research involves the use of electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), in which a series of cable-connected electrodes are placed in the ground and measure electric potential differences when an electric current is applied. Once processed, the results are a contoured subsurface image of the distribution of electrical resistivity (the inverse of electrical conductivity). If multiple surveys are taken over time, the data can be differenced, known as time lapse inversion, to quantify changes in electrical resistivity. ERT is a favorable for these SMPs as survey results are sensitive to changes in soil moisture and fluid conductivity, which are essential parameters when tracking infiltration and road salt influx at these SMPs. Additionally, the ERT data can be converted to soil moisture values using Archie’s law, which is important for determining soil moisture at points where no sensors are currently placed. We built and installed three ERT survey lines connected to an on-site monitoring station in April 2019 and collected quasi-daily measurements until monitoring seized in November 2021. One way to test SMPs is through a simulated runoff test, in which an SMP is flooded with water from an external source and the SMP’s response is recorded. During September 2020, Villanova University performed an SRT at SMP A, while we performed ERT surveys before, during, and after the SRT to track the infiltration and dry-out cycle. Knowing how long the soil at an SMP takes to recover to pre-storm soil moisture levels is essential in understanding an SMP’s performance and functionality. We were successfully able to capture the wet-up associated with the SRT and the corresponding dry-out period with the ERT data, which showed around a 20% decrease in resistivity when soil sensors indicated saturation. This resistivity change began to decrease and finally reached pre-SRT levels (0 – 5% change) after 68 hours, leading to our estimate of a three day recovery time for SMP A. Interestingly, inflow/outflow measurements at SMP A showed that only 24% of the input water exited the SMP via the overflow drain, meaning the rest of the water remained in the SMP. This discrepancy was solved with our ERT data, which showed that the decrease in resistivity, and therefore increase in soil moisture, was seen at depths beyond the 0.60 m layer of amended fill the SMP contained. Overall, the water was infiltrating past this layer and into the urban soil below. Initially it was thought that the native urban soil would impede infiltration, hence SMP A was designed around this assumption. However, our geophysical results indicate that the native urban soil underlying the SMP has an infiltration rate of 10 cm/hr and is contributing to the overall function of the SMP. This was unknown as previous monitoring was focused on the layer of amended fill material, not the underlying native soil. The relationship between electrical resistivity and soil moisture, fluid conductivity, and porosity is known as Archie’s law, who derived an empirical formula that allows electrical resistivity data to be converted to soil moisture values. However, this equation requires quantifying two parameters, m (also known as the cementation factor) and n, the saturation exponent. Researchers commonly use pre-published values for m and n, or establish site-specific values by fitting Archie’s law to a set of soil moisture and conductivity data. However, as soil is heterogeneous, one set of m and n values may not be accurate across an entire site, especially with the presence of hysteresis, where one soil moisture value can correspond to multiple conductivity values depending on whether the soil is experiencing imbibition or drainage. Additionally, m and n can change over time as soil fabric changes, as well as soil conductivity changes due to the influx of road salt during winter months. In December 2019, we finished installing 16 TEROS12 soil sensors at SMP A, which recorded soil volumetric water content (VWC) and bulk electrical conductivity (bulk EC) every five minutes for nearly two years. These sensors were at six different locations within SMP A at depths of either 0.10 m, 0.30 m, or 0.60 m. We selected 13 storm events and fit Archie’s law to the soil VWC and bulk EC data to get values for m and n. While we were able to find m and n for all events, including events that exhibited hysteresis in soil VWC and bulk EC, each sensor had a different pair of m and n values. This discrepancy was surprising, given that the soil at SMP is a homogeneous, sandy-loam fill with no more than 10% clay. However, even sensors at the same depth show statistically significant differences. We also found that m and n were changing over time, notably m was increasing over time, possibly due to porosity changes. This result indicates that multiple sensors are needed to accurately calculate m and n, even at sites with relatively homogeneous soil. Most notably, the reason why we had success in fitting Archie’s law for every sensor was due to our accounting for changes in porewater conductivity. Most researchers assume a constant value for porewater (fluid) conductivity in Archie’s law. However, we found that not accounting for porewater conductivity changes lead to severe misestimation of soil VWC, even getting physically impossible values (VWC > 1.0 m3/m3) in some cases. Therefore, accounting for changes in porewater conductivity is essential when using Archie’s law. Road salt transport in SMPs is a concern, especially in Philadelphia, which is subject to winter storms and freezing conditions. In some PennDOT SMPs, the presence of road salt in the soil during leaf-out has been suspected to be the cause of stunted plant growth and pre-mature plant mortality. Vegetation is an important aspect of the SMPs, as they provide evapotranspiration pathways, aesthetics, and soil erosion control. Thus, vegetation impairment affects SMP functionality, and plants often need to be replaced, increasing maintenance costs. To track and assess the spatial distribution of road salt, we performed ERT surveys along three lines, with two lines in the topographically lower portion of the SMP, or flood zone, and the other line on the elevated bank parallel to the other lines. All three of these lines had vegetation. In total, we collected 900 ERT surveys from October 2020 to September 2021, sufficiently covering the winter months and growing season. During February 2021, the soil sensors indicated significant increases in conductivity, with sensors ranging from 5.0 – 20.0 mS/cm, compared to pre-winter values of 0.1 – 0.6 mS/cm. The winter ERT surveys show the formation of a shallow conductive (< 10 Ω) layer in the top 0.25 m of soil, and an overall decrease in resistivity of up to 70%. This change decreased over the spring and summer months, indicating that dilute runoff was flushing the salt through the soil column. However, flood-zone ERT data still showed a 20% decrease in resistivity in June when compared to pre-winter data, indicating that road lingered in the soil during the spring and summer months. In May, we began taking bimonthly measurements of plant height, width, and leaf chlorophyll content (SPAD) on plants along the ERT lines, then in July took leaf tissue, root tissue, and root-zone soil samples and analyzed them for sodium content. We found that the plants along Lines 2 and 3 (flood-zone) had statistically significant stunted growth when compared to the plants along the elevated bank, as well as elevated sodium levels (> 400 mg/kg) in root tissue. No detectable sodium was found in leaf tissue samples. The stunted growth and elevated root sodium in the flood-zone plants indicate that early spring storms are not enough to flush out the road salt, and therefore artificial flooding may be required before leaf-out to ensure plant survival. We also suggest planting salt-tolerant plant species in areas of SMPs prone to flooding, such as the topographically lower portions. ERT can also be used to guide the placement of these plant species, as ERT can delineate areas of higher conductivity. / Geoscience

No description available.

Managing stormwater volume and quality has become an important issue in urban hydrology. Impervious cover associated with urbanization increases surface runoff volumes and degrades the water quality of urban streams and rivers. Cities with combined stormwater and sewer lines such as Philadelphia, have been tasked with decreasing runoff volumes to help reduce combined sewer overflows and improve the water quality of local waterways. The Philadelphia Water Department uses the Environmental Protection Agency’s Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) to predict runoff and evaluate if proposed stormwater infrastructure will reduce overflows. This study focused on the hydrogeological properties of grassy areas on and near Temple University’s main campus in north Philadelphia. The dataset includes terrestrial LiDAR, ground penetrating radar, soil moisture sensor, surface compaction, and double ring and mini disk infiltrometer measurements. These data were used to establish what controls infiltration rates in the area and also provide input parameters for a SWMM model. A terrestrial LiDAR scan of the Berks St. site, a grassy vacant lot located just east of Temple’s campus was used to generate a high-resolution digital elevation model. This elevation model was used to calculate the depression storage parameter, partition subcatchments in the SWMM model, and calculate a topographic wetness index (TWI). The TWI is a microtopography-based predictor of where runoff will collect and infiltrate. The TWI assumes a homogeneous infiltration rate and that runoff is routed by topography. This TWI was compared with soil moisture sensor measurements to determine if the microtopographic index could predict the majority of change in soil moisture at the field site. To determine if accounting for buried debris helped strengthen the TWI, GPR was used to map the extent and depth of subsurface objects. The results indicate that the TWI and GPR data could not predict where runoff would accumulate and then infiltrate because the TWI’s assumptions were not met. Measurements made with a double ring infiltrometer indicate that infiltration rates at the site were both high and heterogeneous (40 to 1060 mm/hr), allowing precipitation to infiltrate into the subsurface rather than become runoff, minimizing the influence of microtopography. Co-located surface compaction and double ring infiltrometer measurements at sites on and nearby Temple’s campus showed a negative correlation between surface compaction and infiltration rate (R2 = 0.67). Compacted areas on campus had lower infiltration rates and exhibited depression storage and runoff during rain events. Less compacted areas off campus had higher infiltration rates and exhibited no depression storage or runoff. The results of this study showed variance in surface compaction caused grassy areas around Temple’s campus respond differently to rain events. The results not only provided field-based parameter values for a SWMM model, but shows that compaction’s influence on infiltration should be considered when constructing a SWMM model. Runoff volumes in SWMM may be underestimated if compacted grassy areas are modeled with high infiltration rates. / Geology

As urban land expands across the globe and impervious surfaces continue to be used for constructing urban infrastructure, stormwater treatment costs and environmental damage from untreated stormwater will rise. Well designed urban landscapes can employ trees and soils to reduce stormwater runoff flowing to streams and treatment facilities. Typical urban soil, however, is compacted and restricts tree growth via high soil strength and inadequate gas exchange. A site preparation method that deeply incorporates compost and includes trees for long term carbon input and pore development was evaluated in the urban setting of Arlington, Virginia. Three species were used in that study of 25 streetside plantings. The site preparation affected soil at 15 30 cm by lowering soil bulk density by 13.3%, and increasing macro-aggregate-associated carbon by 151% compared to control plots, and resulted in 77% greater tree growth during the first year after transplant. In a second experiment, rainfall simulations were used to evaluate common landscape mulch materials for their ability to prevent compaction from traffic as well their affect on surface runoff before and after traffic. When plots were subjected to heavy rainfall, (>97 mm/h) mulches were found to reduce sediment loss 82% and 73% before and after traffic, respectively. Runoff rates from wood chips were only 0.19 ml/s faster after traffic while rates from bare soil and marble gravel with geotextile increased 2.28 and 2.56 ml/s, respectively. Management of soils, trees and landscapes for stormwater benefit could reduce cost of wastewater treatment for municipalities and can prevent environmental degradation. / Master of Science

No / This study aims to determine the concentration of 16 Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in urban soils from Leeds in order to determine what the factors are controlling their distribution and abundances. Soil samples were collected across an area from Leeds. Gas chromatography with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) using selected ion monitoring (SIM) was used to identify and quantify PAHs in the soil samples with the aid of PAH external standards. The results showed the highest concentrations of total PAHs in sample L8 (1344 ng/g) taken from an area located near a parking site and road in Leeds and the lowest total concentration of the 16 PAHs in sample L16 (87 ng/g) taken from a private garden. The ratio of anthracene to anthracene plus phenanthrene AN/(AN + PH), fluoranthene to fluoranthene plus pyrene FLU/(PY+FLU) and benzo[a]anthracene to 228 (BaA/228) implied that the PAHs pollution originated from pyrogenic, biomass and petroleum combustion in the samples which were collected from Leeds city.

Yes / This study aims to determine the concentration of 16 Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in urban soils from Leeds in order to determine what the factors are controlling their distribution and abundances. Soil samples were collected across an area from Leeds. Gas chromatography with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) using selected ion monitoring (SIM) was used to identify and quantify PAHs in the soil samples with the aid of PAH external standards. The results showed the highest concentrations of total PAHs in sample L8 (1344 ng/g) taken from an area located near a parking site and road in Leeds and the lowest total concentration of the 16 PAHs in sample L16 (87 ng/g) taken from a private garden. The ratio of anthracene to anthracene plus phenanthrene AN/(AN + PH), fluoranthene to fluoranthene plus pyrene FLU/(PY+FLU) and benzo[a]anthracene to 228 (BaA/228) implied that the PAHs pollution originated from pyrogenic, biomass and petroleum combustion in the samples which were collected from Leeds city.