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Soil Scientist

Studies soil composition, health, and how it supports agriculture and ecosystems.

Did you know?

Soil forms incredibly slowly: in parts of Sicily, scientists measured new soil building up by only about 0.1 mm a year.

How subjects help

• Chemistry: Measure how acidic a soil is and which minerals it holds for plants to use.
• Biology: Study the worms, fungi and microbes that break down dead plants into rich soil.
• Geography: Map soil types across a region to show which land suits farming or building.
• Mathematics: Calculate how much soil a field loses to wind and rain and how fast new soil forms.

A famous name

Vasily Dokuchaev: Regarded as the father of soil science for his studies of Russia's soils in the 1800s.

Try it yourself: Build a layered water filter

1. Set the funnel over the jar and line it with the coffee filter or kitchen paper.
2. Add layers from the bottom up: cotton wool, then sand, then gravel on top.
3. Pour the muddy water in slowly and watch what comes out. Compare it with a little muddy water you kept back. Never drink it, even if it looks clean: filtering does not kill germs.
4. Change the order or thickness of the layers and try again. Which design gives the clearest water?

Chemical and environmental engineers design treatment works that push water through layers of gravel, sand and other materials to take out dirt before further cleaning.

Adapted from TeachEngineering (University of Colorado Boulder): The Dirty Water Project: Design-Build-Test Your Own Water Filters.

Also try: Be a weather watcher for a week.

Known for it in

USA, Netherlands, Australia, Brazil, UK

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