Wednesday, July 8, 2015

July 8--Weekly Report

July 8--
Today at the DSC-AFRI Summer Science Club we talked about Subsidence and Levees and how we are going to frame questions for next week's interview sessions with the UC Davis and UC Berkeley scientists.

We are working on ideas for questions and hoping to have a few good answers from the scientists to add to our videos.

One of the professors who will be attending is an economist, Leslie Livingston, who is going to help us understand the economic ramification of keeping levees working on the Delta.

What happens to our California economy if all the levees failed and the state didn't help pay for them them?

We are also wondering a little bit about the structure of levees in the delta and how they work?

We also tested our main field soil before the we transplant the rice from the greenhouse. We did tests for phosphates, nitrogen and potassium.

Our numbers were:
Phosphates = M
Nitrogen = M
Potassium = L

Those are really good numbers to start with this year.

We also completed Green House Gas (GHG) or CO2 air sampling. We tested the everyday air we breathe at Big Break Regional Shoreline Park and then burned peat soil and measured the air (in simulation of the peat fires we often see on Delta islands.)

Our carbon (GHG) reader said the normal air was 394, but when we tested the black smoke of the peat fire air the readings were off the charts at 2,400+. That just means that all of those fires we see on the Delta islands are adding way to much GHGs into our atmosphere. From tests they've read last year out at our Learning Lab where most of the soil is peat the everyday area usually reads into the 700s.


Thanks to EB Parks intern Kyle for helping us start our fire and keep it under control. :)

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