Investigating Soil's Water Absorbance Levels after Wildfires in British Columbia

Abstract

Number of wildfires in British Columbia has been increasing over the years, which led to questioning its impact on the soil. Our goal was to investigate if, in the case of increased amounts of ash, it can affect the soil’s absorbance of water during a season of decreased precipitation in Vancouver (May-July). Our experiments aimed to highlight the percentage of ashes' water absorbance and how it acts as an insulator in this particular matter. This research can contribute to future studies because it could help understand the post-effects of the co-occurring wildfires, and how it affects other aspects of the ecosystem by conducting site studies and experiments.

Biographies

Tara Ubovic is a first-year student at UBC Vantage College - Science faculty. She previously graduated from Mathematical Grammar School and Music High School "Josif Marinkovic" in Belgrade, Serbia. Her main area of interest is Computer Science, Statistics and Mathematics.

Maria Eduarda Siegel Barbosa is a first-year at UBC Vantage College - Science faculty. She comes from a small town in the south of Brazil, where she graduated from Bom Jesus Divina Providência. Her main area of interest is Microbiology & Immunology.