Soil Sense Eco-Acoustics
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Soil is the foundation of biodiversity on our planet. It supports diversity of plant, insect, aquatic, animal and human life. Despite its importance, soil is often the least understood of all the biospheres that support our world. It comprises of a rich network of fauna, flora and fungi that contribute to making it an effective biosphere that supports our life. Composting is one known way to improve soil health and biodiversity.
Soil Sense
Lecturer Gerry Ryder from the School of Mechanical Engineering is pioneering a project aimed at teaching students about the importance of soil health and how to evaluate it. The project uses a Living Lab approach giving students from Sustainable Energy Engineering (TU801) the opportunity to test soil health in the courtyard gardens at TU Dublin's Tallaght campus using composting techniques.
To facilitate evaluation students experimented with a rotational composter and a wormery. One of the early tasks for students was to study soil samples under the microscope. When they detected very little biodiversity in the soil, this prompted the students to ask why the soil biodiversity in this space was so poor and how it could be improved.
Common methods of evaluating composting technique include using temperature, moisture, chemical and microbial sensors. This project used a lesser known approach and introduced audio sensors in conjunction with the more common approaches. The acoustic sensors are positioned to monitor biodiversity in two samples of soil, some with compost and some without.
Sensor data shows a series of pulses at different points in the recordings - these pulses are believed to be the sound of various organisms and processes within the soil. Patterns observed in the data can be used to identify what organism or process is causing the data. Students have been responsible for designing and building their own audio sensors.
In preparation for upcoming soil experiments, students have arranged for collection of approximately five kilograms of fresh vegetable waste each week from the college canteen kitchen and paper waste from recycling bins. The organic material will be used to feed composters, forming a key part of their hands-on research into soil health and environmental impact.
Project Impact
The practical approach to building the sensors mean that students learn valuable skills such as using tailor made 3D printed lab equipment and how to calibrate the sensors for accuracy. Building the equipment from the bottom up gives the students greater understanding of the environmental data that they are creating.
Speaking about the project Gerry Ryder says:
‘Preparing the students to work on advanced environmental sensors is an important steppingstone to research activity within the environmental field’
The use of eco-acoustics offers a non-invasive way to monitor the soil life and allows researchers to detect organisms without disturbing the area - preserving the natural environment.
Student on the course Jennifer Scott said: ‘our group felt that this project has significant educational value, as studying composting methods serves as a platform to conduct experiments on soil health, biodiversity, and plant growth. We hope that the outcome of this project will not only reduce our environment impact but also fosters a culture of sustainability among students and staff.
As the sensors are improved there is potential to scale up the project to map soil health across all three TU Dublin campuses.
Shared Impact
At TU Dublin we are committed to progressing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through collaboration and action. This project addresses targets under SDG 15: Life on Land. SDG 15 aims to protect, restore and promote sustainable use of ecosystems, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
This project aligns with the Green-Campus themes of Biodiversity, Litter & Waste. Biodiversity aims to build awareness around the value of protecting biodiversity and develop our understanding of environmental and natural resource management. Litter & Waste explores the practical means for preventing, reducing and minimising the amount of litter and waste produced by the campus.
Green Campus Open Call
The Green-Campus Open Call can help bring ideas like these to life by making micro-grants available to selected project ideas submitted in response to the open call. The Green-Campus programme encourages a partnership approach to environmental education and management. To optimise the potential for impact, the Green-Campus Open Call programme encourages project proposals that can be implemented using the Living Lab approach and that include exploration, co-creation, experimentation and evaluation phases. You can read more about the TU Dublin Living Lab and access living lab planning templates.