Revelations in Lentic Soils:

Transcription

1 Revelations in Lentic Soils: Deciphering System Processes and Resource Conditions from Mud, Muck, and Peat Mark A. Gonzalez National Riparian Service Team Prineville, Oregon

2 Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson Quiz: 1. Reminiscent of childhood? 2. Characterizes current job?

3 Lentic Soils: Outline I. Physical/Chemical features & processes II. Biological features and processes III. Management concerns/impacts IV.Management strategies/restoration toolbox

4 Lentic Systems Riparian: Transition from aquatic to upland environments Prairie Potholes, ND photo by J. Ringelman, Ducks Unlimited, Bismarck, ND

5 Lentic Soils: Outline I. Physical/chemical features & processes A. Gleying B. Redoximorphic features C. Hydrogen sulfide gas A rainbow of soil is under our feet; red as a barn and black as a peat. It s yellow as lemon and white as the snow; bluish gray. So many colors below. Hidden in darkness as thick as the night; The only rainbow that can form without light. Dig you a pit, or bore you a hole, you ll find enough colors to well rest your soil. - A Rainbow of Soil Words (by F.D. Hole, 1985)

6 Reduction: reduced valence Requirements: 1. Saturation/inundation to exclude atmos. O 2 2. Organic matter 3. Microbial population 4. Stagnation Photo by Jim David, Ochoco NF, Oregon

7 Physical/Chemical Features: Gleying

8 Physical/Chemical Features: Gleying Oi Bg Courtesy University of Idaho Cg Unknown source, NRST file photo

9 Redoximorphic features (mottles) Reduced forms of O, N, Mn, Fe, S Morphological features of reduced soils include: Specific color patterns Color changes upon exposure to air Soft masses Reaction to dyes (e.g., α, α -dipyridyl)

10 Redoximorphic features (mottles) NRCS, 2010 Typic Cryaquept, Pinedale BLM, Wyoming Army Corps of Engineers

11 Redox Potential (Eh, mv) Eh-pH Diagram for Reducing Reactions Soil ph (modified from Vepraskas and Faulkner, 2001)

12 Redox Potential (Eh, mv) Reducing reactions and Eh (hypothetical, ph=6.5) Features Formed Examples 600 Saturation O 2 Organic C- based Oe, Oa, some A horizons MnO 4 Mn 2+ H 2 O Fe 3+ Fe 2+ SO 2-4 H 2 S Mn-based Fe-based S-based Mn masses & some depletions (black & gray mottles) Fe masses & depletions (yellow, red and gray mottles) Odor of rotten eggs Time Modified from Vepraskas, 2001

13 Lentic Soils: Outline II. Biological features and processes A. Peat/muck formation B. Limnic materials Essentially, all life depends upon the soil... There can be no life without soil and no soil without life; they have evolved together. - Charles E. Kellogg, 1938

14 Organic materials Peat (Oi) Fibric horizon Mucky peat Muck (Oe) Hemic horizon Muck (Oa) Sapric horizon Oi Oa Winema NF, Oregon Rate of O.M. Production >> Rate of O.M. Decomposition

15 Limnic materials Marl Coprogenous earth Gyttja Muck Peat Marl Marbut Memorial Slide Series, SSSA, 1968 Limnic Medisaprist, southern Michigan

16 Limnic materials Diatomaceous earth Ag1 Ag2 Scanning electron microscopy, Princeton University ABg Cumulic Cryaquoll, Winema NF, Oregon

17 Lentic Soils: Outline III. Management concerns/impacts A. Livestock grazing/wildlife B. Transportation/recreation C. Artificial drainage D. Channel incision/gully formation The nation that destroys its soil, destroys itself. -Franklin Delano Roosevelt

18 Management Concerns/Impacts Livestock/Wildlife Allotment 6A, Grand River National Grassland, Perkins County, South Dakota

19 Hummocks: Cryogenic or Bovinogenic? (Meiman, Smith, and Brummer papers, 2011)

20 Mngmt. Concerns: Livestock/Wildlife Pinedale BLM, Wyoming Source, NRST file photo Sheyenne National Grassland, North Dakota

21 Management Concerns/Impacts Transportation/Recreation Crane Prairie, photos courtesy of Deschutes NF, Oregon

22 Management Concerns Artificial drainage Image courtesy of Prairie Agri Photo Ltd. Image from Ducks Unlimited

23 Management Concerns Artificial drainage Cow Meadow/Crane Prairie Reservoir. Photos courtesy of James Lowrie, Deschutes NF, Oregon

24 Management Concerns/Impacts Channel incision/gullying Headcuts Winema NF, Oregon. Image from Google Earth/US Fish & Wildlife Service

25 Management Concerns/Impacts Channel incision/gullying Photos courtesy of Jim David, Ochoco NF, Oregon

26 Lentic Soils Outline IV. Management strategies/restoration toolbox A. Restore hydrologic processes B. Manage activities/disturbances So direct, is the relationship between soil erosion, the productivity of the land, and the prosperity of people, that the history of mankind, to a considerable degree at least, may be interpreted in terms of the soil and what has happened to it as the result of human use. HH Bennett and WC Lowdermilk, circa 1930s

27 Management Strategies/Restoration Restore hydrology Ditch plugging Berms, dams, dikes, weirs, levees Disabling drain tiles Reintroduce beavers Ocean City, MD, photo from River Mud blogger Photo courtesy of USFWS Photo by Al Rizzo, USFWS

28 Management Strategies/Restoration Restore hydrology Fish passages over knickpoints/headcuts Photos courtesy of Jim David, Ochoco NF, Oregon

29 Management Strategies/Restoration Photos courtesy of Jim David, Ochoco NF, Oregon

30 Management Strategies/Restoration Photos by Jim David, Ochoco NF, OR Longitudinal profile

31 Management Strategies/Restoration Structural improvements Fencing Off-site water developments Exclosure fence Corner brace Spring collection boxes Tank Corner brace Buried pipeline Indian Creek, Little Missouri National Grassland, North Dakota

32 Relocating animal attractants Supplements Supplements Little Missouri National Grassland, McKenzie County, North Dakota

33 Structural improvements: electric fence Williams Lake, Little Missouri National Grassland, Slope County, North Dakota

34 Hardened Crossing & Water Access Points Jefferson County, MT; photo by G. Kramer, NRCS Photo by NRCS

35 Summary Uncommon soil conditions create uncommon soil features Physical/chemical processes & features Redoximorphic features Gleying Depletion Hydrogen sulfide

36 Summary Lentic soils are the pathologic labs and cemeteries of past life Biological processes and features Organic materials Peats / mucky peats / mucks Limnic materials Marl Coprogenous and diatomaceous earth

37 Summary Management implications Sustainability of soils = sustainability of people and communities Perform triage: focus attention where risks are great; values are high Act promptly: little problems easier to address than big ones

38 Glaze Meadow, Sisters RD, Deschutes NF, Oregon, courtesy Maret Pajutee

39 Recommended Readings Richardson, JL, and Vepraskas, MJ, Wetland soils: genesis, hydrology, landscapes, and classification. Lewis Publishers, Boca Raton, 417 pp. USDA-NRCS, Keys to Soil Taxonomy, tenth edition. 332 pp. USDA-NRCS Field indicators of hydric soils in the United States: a guide for identifying and delineating hydric soils, v LM Vasilas, GW Hurt, and CV Noble (eds.). USDA-NRCS in cooperation with the National Technical Committee for Hydric Soils, 44 pp. Vepraskas, MJ, Redoximorphic features for identifying aquic conditions. Technical Bulletin 301, North Carolina Agricultural Research Service, NC State University, Raleigh, NC