CCZO -- Soil Texture -- Argillic Horizon -- Calhoun CZO -- (2016-2017)

OVERVIEW

Description/Abstract

Historic agricultural practices throughout the Piedmont region of the southeastern United States from ~1820 to 1940 led to accelerated erosion. Practices, such as tilling, degraded soil quality altering hydrologic processes on the landscape by limiting infiltration and leading to overland flow and erosion. Erosion due to these practices has substantially redistributed sediment from upper to lower landscape positions, causing a change in the depth-to-argillic horizon along hillslopes. By mapping the depth to argillic horizon within watersheds that have a history of farming and watersheds with little evidence of agricultural disturbance, a better understanding of the effects of farming practices on erosion and sediment redistribution can be made. This study uses extensive soil sampling within historically farmed and unfarmed watersheds to map spatial variations in the depth to argillic horizon. In addition to sampling, Electro-magnetic Induction (EMI) is being tested and calibrated to clay content and other topographic characteristic (i.e. landscape position, aspect, percent slope) from which the depth to argillic horizon can be predicted. Current hillslope and watershed hydrologic models use characteristics from soil classification maps for parameterization, however, these soil maps may lack sufficient spatial detail and may not accurately represent landscapes that have been eroded from historical farming. The results from this study will improve understanding of previous erosion on sediment redistribution and will characterize the potential use of electromagnetic induction as an accurate and efficient means to predict the depth to the argillic horizon. This information will improve parameterization of hillslope and watershed hydrologic models.

Creator/Author

Ryland, Rachel C.

CZOs

Calhoun

Contact

Rachel Ryland, Department of Crop & Soil Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, rryland@uga.edu

SUBJECTS

Disciplines

Soil Science / Pedology

Topics

Soil Texture

Subtopic

Argillic Horizon

Keywords

Argyllic|Clay|Depth|Soil Texture|Slope|Aspect|Landscape Position|EMI

Variables

Slope(%)|Aspect(degree)|Tile Push Probe Depth(cm)|Depth to Bt|Landscape Position|Clay(%)|Sand(%)|Silt(%)|EMI

Variables ODM2

Aspect|Clay|Depth, soil|Electromagnetic induction geophysics, EMI|land classification|Sand|Silt|Slope

TEMPORAL

Date Start

2016-01-30

Date End

2017-03-15

SPATIAL

Field Areas

Calhoun CZO Research Area 2|Calhoun CZO Research Area 3|Calhoun CZO Research Area 4

Location

Calhoun CZO

North latitude

34.647929

South latitude

34.363355

West longitude

-81.962154

East longitude

-81.412756

REFERENCE

CZO ID

5982