Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER)/VCR002: Development of Soils on Barrier Island-Salt Marsh Boundaries

LTER/VCR002:
Soils were sampled at four sampling stations (two inland, two on the
marsh) for the Hog island and Brownsville transects. Four pits were
dug at each site and the soils were sampled at seven depths in each
station. Three replications per sample were analyzed in the
laboratory. From this procedure, baseline soil data and the
distribution of different sulfur forms in the soils in various
positions in the landscape can be determined. The sampling stations
included soil catenas with upland well-drained soils, poorly drained
soils with considerable distance from the marsh, and very poorly
drained tidal marsh soils. On the island, organic matter was found to
be concentrated in the concave of the dunes where the tree line
starts. Soils on the barrier island are ranging from excessively well
drained sandy soils (Udipsamment) with less than 0.5% total sulfur to
very poorly drained sandy loam with more than 6.5% total sulfur
(Sulfaquents).

Information about LTER is also available at
'http://lternet.edu/'