Salt Minds

Salt Minds aims to create an addendum to the Munsell soil color system, providing a unified framework to use color as evidence of environmental salinity impact due to Freshwater Salinization Syndrome (FSS). By fostering collaboration between scientists, policymakers, and the public, the project aims to protect freshwater ecosystems and ensure clean, safe water for future generations.

The Biodesign Challenge offers art and design students the opportunity to envision future applications of biotechnology.

Team: Yostina Kaoud, Andrea Wittner, Vivyan Zhang

2024
Biodesign Challenge

Winner:
Outstanding Field Research

Color as Solution
Speculative Futures
Design Research

Works Cited

1. Ben, S. (2017) Detroit Salt Company wants to expand, seeks to ease air pollution concerns, MLive. Advance Local Media. Available at: https://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/2017/05/detroit_salt_facility_expansio.html (Accessed: 3 June 2024).
2. Chakraborty, R. et al. (2019) ‘Health implications of drinking water salinity in coastal areas of Bangladesh’, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(19), p. 3746. doi: 10.3390/ijerph16193746.
3. Chemical spills | emergency management (no date). Available at: https://emergency.fsu.edu/hazards/chemical-spills (Accessed: 3 June 2024).
4. Cunillera-Montcusí, D. et al. (2022) ‘Freshwater salinisation: a research agenda for a saltier world’, Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 37(5), pp. 440–453. doi: 10.1016/j.tree.2021.12.005.
5. Dingle, A. (2016) The Flint Water Crisis: What’s Really Going On?, American Chemical Society. Available at: https://www.acs.org/education/resources/highschool/chemmatters/past-issues/2016-2017/december-2016/flint-water-crisis.html (Accessed: 3 June 2024).
6. Does the body need salt? (no date). Available at: https://www.sciencefocus.com/the-human-body/does-the-body-need-salt (Accessed: 6 June 2024).
7. From seawater to drinking water, with the push of a button (2022) MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Available at: https://news.mit.edu/2022/portable-desalination-drinking-water-0428 (Accessed: 3 June 2024).
8. Gillam, C. (2023) ‘Revealed: the US is averaging one chemical accident every two days’, The Guardian, 25 February. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/feb/25/revealed-us-chemical-accidents-one-every-two-days-average (Accessed: 3 June 2024).
9. Humans are disrupting natural ‘salt cycle’ on global scale, new study… (2023) Maryland Today. Available at: https://today.umd.edu/humans-are-disrupting-natural-salt-cycle-on-global-scale-new-study-shows (Accessed: 3 June 2024).
10. Inc, L. A. M. (2018) How do metals & plastics stand up to salts, brine & seawater? Available at: https://www.corzan.com/en-us/blog/how-well-do-metals-and-plastics-stand-up-to-salts-brine-or-seawater (Accessed: 3 June 2024).
11. Kaushal, S. S. et al. (2023) ‘The anthropogenic salt cycle’, Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, 4(11), pp. 770–784. doi: 10.1038/s43017-023-00485-y.
12. Kirillova, N. P. et al. (2018) ‘New perspectives to use Munsell color charts with electronic devices’, Computers and Electronics in Agriculture, 155, pp. 378–385. doi: 10.1016/j.compag.2018.10.028.
13. Lohan, T. (2019) ‘More salt in our water is creating scary new “chemical cocktails” • the revelator’, The Revelator, 23 January. Available at: https://therevelator.org/water-salinity-chemical-cocktails/ (Accessed: 3 June 2024).
14. Maas, C. M. et al. (2023) ‘Freshwater salinization syndrome limits management efforts to improve water quality’, Frontiers in Environmental Science, 11. doi: 10.3389/fenvs.2023.1106581.
15. Melnikova, N. (2020) ‘National toxic substances incidents program — nine states, 2010–2014’, MMWR. Surveillance Summaries, 69. doi: 10.15585/mmwr.ss6902a1.
16. Mokhtari, M. and Vahid, H. (2016) ‘Salt and its role in health and disease prevention from the perspectives of iranian medicine and modern medicine’, Iranian Journal of Medical Sciences, 41(3 Suppl), p. S58. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5103567/ (Accessed: 6 June 2024).
17. Olson, J., Wharton, C. and Cormier, S. (2021) Predicted Background Conductivity Data, ArcGIS. Environmental Protection Agency. Available at: https://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=540abb1d015b4bd2b87d30f4c28a58cb (Accessed: 3 June 2024).
18. du Plessis, A. (2022) ‘Persistent degradation: Global water quality challenges and required actions’, One Earth, 5(2), pp. 129–131. doi: 10.1016/j.oneear.2022.01.005.
19. PubChem (no date) Sodium chloride. Available at: https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/5234 (Accessed: 3 June 2024).
20. Reports, C. (2023) ‘Humans are disrupting natural “salt cycle” on a global scale, new study shows’, UConn Today, 31 October. Available at: https://today.uconn.edu/2023/10/humans-are-disrupting-natural-salt-cycle-on-a-global-scale-new-study-shows/ (Accessed: 3 June 2024).
21. S. Kaushal, S. et al. (2022) ‘Evaluating impacts of freshwater salinization syndrome on mobilization of nutrients and metals from stormwater best management practices’, Department of Geology & Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland. Available at: https://cbtrust.org/wp-content/uploads/CBT-Road-Salt-FINAL-REPORT.pdf.
22. Salinization (2024) Saline Agriculture Worldwide. Ministry of Agriculture. Available at: https://www.salineagricultureworldwide.com/URL/salinization (Accessed: 3 June 2024).
23. ‘Salt and sodium’ (2013) The Nutrition Source, 18 July. Available at: https://nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu/salt-and-sodium/ (Accessed: 6 June 2024).
24. Saltwater intrusion | usda climate hubs (no date). Available at: https://www.climatehubs.usda.gov/taxonomy/term/399#:~:text=Salt%20water%20degrades%20these%20sites,and%20eventually%20to%20open%20water (Accessed: 3 June 2024).
25. Seawater desalination: a method for combating scarcity? (no date) Iberdrola. Available at: https://www.iberdrola.com/innovation/desalination (Accessed: 3 June 2024).
26. ‘Soil color charts book includes over 10 munsell soil color charts | munsell color system; color matching from munsell color company’ (no date). Available at: https://munsell.com/color-products/color-communications-products/environmental-color-communication/munsell-soil-color-charts/ (Accessed: 3 June 2024).
27. Toxic chemical spills: causes, prevention, and health impacts (no date) Consumer Notice, LLC. Available at: https://www.consumernotice.org/environmental/chemical-spills/ (Accessed: 3 June 2024).
28. Types of salinity and their prevention (2024) NSW Environment and Heritage. Available at: http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/topics/land-and-soil/soil-degradation/salinity/type-of-salinity-and-their-prevention (Accessed: 3 June 2024).
29. ‘Understanding Algal Blooms’ (no date) St. Johns River: Water Management District. Available at: https://www.sjrwmd.com/education/algae/ (Accessed: 3 June 2024).
30. US EPA, O. (2022) Epa researching the impacts of freshwater salinization syndrome. Available at: https://www.epa.gov/sciencematters/epa-researching-impacts-freshwater-salinization-syndrome (Accessed: 3 June 2024).
31. US EPA, R. 01 (2021) Winter is Coming! And with it, tons of salt on our roads. Available at: https://www.epa.gov/snep/winter-coming-and-it-tons-salt-our-roads (Accessed: 3 June 2024).