Source: PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY submitted to
HYDROPEDOLOGY OF VERNAL POOL SYSTEMS
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
TERMINATED
Funding Source
HATCH
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1004449
Grant No.
(N/A)
Project No.
PEN04573
Proposal No.
(N/A)
Multistate No.
NE-1438
Program Code
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Jan 20, 2015
Project End Date
Sep 30, 2019
Grant Year
(N/A)
Project Director
Drohan, PA.
Recipient Organization
PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY
208 MUELLER LABORATORY
UNIVERSITY PARK,PA 16802
Performing Department
Ecosystem Science & Management
Non Technical Summary
Vernal pools, which are also known as seasonal or temporary ponds, are depressional wetlands that typically contain surface water during the dormant season (late fall or winter through spring) and for part of the growing season before drying during summer. Vernal pools are found in many geomorphic forms. In the northeastern US they are typically found as oxbow scars, kettle holes, and Delmarva and Carolina Bays. While it is clear that different geomorphic processes govern the range and distribution of vernal pools in the region, we have no idea how hydroperiod varies among the pools on the different geomorphic surfaces and landforms. The current NE-1038 project has established a framework for the systematic study of hydromorphic, hydric, and subaqueous soils across the northeastern US. Results from the proposed new NE multistate project will help us to develop an understanding of how vernal pool ecosystems differ across the region in distribution, hydrology, periods of inundation (hydroperiod), redox chemistry, and carbon storage, flux, and accounting. We will use our data to develop empirical and spatial quantitative models to predict and represent the landscape distribution of vernal pools, and how climatic change may affect these wetland ecosystems. Our objectives are to improve our understanding at a regional scale of how vernal pool ecosystems differ in distribution, hydrology, hydroperiod, redox chemistry, and carbon storage and flux. Along with this we will develop a better understanding of the effects of hydrology and temperature on carbon pools and sequestration in wetlands along a temperature gradient. We willi dentify the need for additional hydric soil indicators for northeast vernal pools. As such, if needed we will monitor the saturation and reducing conditions in the identified soils and develop new hydric soil indicators for inclusion as part of the National Indicators of Hydric Soils for the Northeast Supplement. We will develop morphometric indices of the hydroperiod within vernal pools. We will estimate the current density of vernal pools within each of our subregions and develop predictions of the numbers that have been lost because of disturbance.
Animal Health Component
0%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
70%
Applied
20%
Developmental
10%
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
10203302061100%
Knowledge Area
102 - Soil, Plant, Water, Nutrient Relationships;

Subject Of Investigation
0330 - Wetland and riparian systems;

Field Of Science
2061 - Pedology;
Goals / Objectives
Improve our understanding at a regional scale of how vernal pool ecosystems differ in distribution, hydrology, hydroperiod, redox chemistry, and carbon storage and flux. Along with this we will develop a better understanding of the effects of hydrology and temperature on carbon pools and sequestration in wetlands along a temperature gradient. Identify the need for additional hydric soil indicators for northeast vernal pools. As such, if needed we will monitor the saturation and reducing conditions in the identified soils and develop new hydric soil indicators for inclusion as part of the National Indicators of Hydric Soils for the Northeast Supplement. Develop morphometric indices of the hydroperiod within vernal pools. Estimate the current density of vernal pools within each of our subregions and develop predictions of the numbers that have been lost because of disturbance.
Project Methods
Seven sites will be selected across the NE region in proximity to locations of the PIs. Recognizing that there is substantial variation in the nature of vernal pools as a function of physiography and geomorphology, it is anticipated that these seven sites will be distributed among three groups. All sites will include vernal pool wetlands having clearly-identifiable hydrological zones (ponded, saturated, and unsaturated) with gradual boundaries between the zones.Spatial Distribution and AnalysisUsing GIS technology and available imagery estimates will be made of the size, shape, and density of vernal pools across landscapes of the region. Where possible, these data will also be used to evaluate the extent to which vernal pools may have been altered (drained or filled).Plot Layout and Experimental DesignIn the wetland at each study site, 3 hydrological zones will be identified, corresponding to the predominant soil, plant, and water characteristics at each location.Within each site, nine research plots will be laid out along three transects as illustrated in Figure 2. Each of the transects will extend radially outwards from the center of the vernal pool (zone 1) through zone 2 and into the upland. Along each transect, a single plot will be centrally located within each of the hydrological zones. Location of the transects will be randomized based upon compass orientation. Elevation will be determined along each transect using appropriate tools such as a level or total station.Hydrological MeasurementsThe depth of ponded water or the depth to the water table (below the surface) will be recorded at each site. Depth of ponded water will be measured using a staff gauge. Monitoring ports consisting of a well screen installed to a depth of 100 cm will be placed at each plot and water tables will be measured periodically (Figure 3). Along a single transect at each site, water table recording devices will be installed and programmed to record water table levels twice each day. The detailed (daily) data set from the recording devices will be extended to the other transects based on the periodic observations in the monitoring ports. Also along a single transect, nests of piezometers will be installed to help with interpretation of hydrological flow patterns.Soil Morphological DescriptionsIn the vicinity of each plot, a soil profile description will be made to a depth of 1 to 2 m according to standard protocols (Schoeneberger et al., 2012). Soil will be examined using a bucket augur. Horizons we be delineated and soil properties (texture, color, and presence of redoximorphic features) will be described in the field. Samples collected from each horizon will be stored for laboratory analysis. Morphological descriptions will be compared with approved field indicators of hydric soils to determine whether there is any need for additional hydric soil indicators for use in vernal pool ecosystems (USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, 2010).Vegetation AnalysisPlant communities in each of the three zones will be assessed by methods outlined in the 1987 USACOE Wetland Delineation Manual (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Environmental Laboratory, 1987) and the appropriate regional supplement (USACE, 2010, USACE, 2012, USACE, 2012).Climate DataIn order to generalize and extend hydrological observations from the years of this study to the broader context, weather data will be obtained from the nearest weather station that maintains a long term (30+ years) record of daily precipitation and air temperatures.Quantifying Carbon and Nitrogen StocksCarbon and nitrogen stocks will be determined at plots along each transect (Vasilas et al., 2013). Within each plot, a section of aluminum tubing (sharpened on the leading edge) (60 cm long and 5 cm diameter) will be driven 50 cm into the soil. The tube will then be excavated and capped. Upon return to the lab, cores will be frozen to assist in extrusion. The extruded cores will be divided into vertical sections based on observed soil horizons, and the thickness of each horizon will be carefully measured. All soil material from each horizon will then be homogenized and weighed. The bulk density of each horizon will be then be calculated as the weight of the horizon divided by the horizon volume (calculated from the thickness of horizon multiplied by the cross-sectional area of the tube).Soil Nitrate Soil nitrate will be measured on samples collected from each plot in the middle to end of the aerobic phase (August - September). A single composite sample will be aggregated and homogenized from four to six replicate cores collected using a 30 cm push probe. Samples will be analyzed using the HACH 8171 method, similar to that used by Spokas et al. (2010).Soil Redox AssessmentIRIS (indication of reduction in soil) tubes will be used to assess the reducing soil conditions within each plot (Rabenhorst, 2008; Rabenhorst and Burch, 2006; Rabenhorst et al., 2008; Vasilas et al., 2013). Five replicate IRIS tubes will be inserted at each plot to a depth of 50 cm. IRIS Tubes will be installed for a one month period in the Spring when water tables are expected to be high. The installation date at each site will be within one week of the beginning of the growing season as determined by US Army Corps of Engineers guidance (USACE, 2010; USACE, 2012; USACE, 2012). The extent of reduction on IRIS tubes will be determined by assessment using a mylar overlay (Rabenhorst, 2012).Organic Matter DecompositionThe relative rates of organic matter decomposition will be evaluated by inserting wooden sticks into the soil and then extracting them at fixed intervals and measuring mass loss over time. Other studies have shown that wooden sticks can be used to indicate organic matter decomposition rates in several different types of settings (Baker, Lockaby, et al., 2001, Gulis, Rosemond, et al., 2004, Ostertag, Marín-Spiotta, et al., 2008). We will use northern white birch (Betula papyrifera) garden stakes that are approximately 300 x 16 x 3 mm in size. The stakes will be pre-dried (60C for 3 days to achieve constant weight) and weighed before being inserted vertically into a pilot hole in the soil, and then extracted at pre-determined intervals. The rate of decomposition will be estimated from differences in the starting and ending weights. Five replicate sticks will constitute a set. Five sets of pre-weighed sticks will be installed at each plot during the late Fall (November - December). One set of sticks will be removed each quarter (3 months intervals). When removed, the sticks will be gently washed to remove any attached soil material and then re-dried before being weighed. Overall weight loss will be determined by comparison of initial and final weights.Data Collection via Proximal SensingProximal sensing at selected sites will be conducted using two approaches. A ground-penetrating radar (GPR) unit with a 400 mHz antennae (Parsekian et al., 2012; Loisel et al., 2013) will be used to collect data in transects across the vernal pool wetlands. The high resolution of the 400 mHz antennae is expected to provide detailed information regarding the vertical and horizontal extent of soils and SOC stocks. GPR plots will be compared to soil profile descriptions made at each site enabling us to correlate GPR data with dominant groups of SOC bearing horizons, as illustrated in Figure 4. These data will be used to model SOC stocks and potential disturbance patterns (2D/3D)(GSSI, 2013; Saey et al., 2013; Vitharana et al., 2008). Selected wetlands will also be transected using electromagnetic induction (EMI) techniques (James et al., 2003; Robinson et al., 2008). We anticipate the EMI mapping will provide a more general assessment of wetland properties, while the GPR may provide more useful and detailed data due to the high resolution antennae.

Progress 01/20/15 to 09/30/19

Outputs
Target Audience:Dr. Drohan co-taught a Spring 2019 Penn State course on "watershed management policy approaches" in the European Union and United States (some policies target vernal pools). Eight students participated in the course. Jan 5-9, Dr. Drohan participated in the Soil Science Society of America meeting and presented on his vernal pool research. The meeting was attended by a wide variety of field soil scientists, federal employees, academics and non-governmental organizations. Jan 19-22, Dr. Drohan met with Finnish collaborator Antti Iho, Natural Resources Institute Finland, while Iho was visiting Penn State as part of a US tour. Iho was a collaborator of Drohan's on a project-related paper published in 2019. This meeting was intended to further build collaborations between both researchers. March 14, Dr. Drohan spoke about his vernal pool related research to an audience of 45 at the Penn State Philadelphia Extension Center. This audience was largely a mixed, minority audience. May 17-25, Dr. Drohan gave 5 invited talks (on his vernal pool and related research) in China at Beijing Agricultural University and Shanxii University (Linfen City). Those attending consisted of researchers, students, and the general public. June 9-13, Dr. Drohan participated in the National Cooperative Soil Survey Meeting in Kingston, Rhode Island. He discussed this multistate project, its outcomes, and gave a 15-minute presentation on this research. The meeting was attended by a wide variety of field soil scientists, federal employees, academics and non-governmental organizations. Aug 21-24, Dr. Drohan participated in a Colombian Fulbright workshop (Monteria, Colombia) tied to his digital soil mapping work in support of vernal pool related research in Colombia South America. The meeting was attended by a wide variety of scientists, federal employees, academics and non-governmental organizations. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The Northeast region pedologists led a graduate student pedology field tour June 2019 in Massachusetts, which highlighted project soils and ecosystems. Dr. Drohan has been mentoring several PhD students that directly and indirectly support this project. Ms. Shauna Kay Rainford (PhD student, minority) graduated in 2019 and conducted research on several vernal pool sites in the Central Appalachians. Vernal pools play an important role as breeding grounds for many rare plant and animal species, and due to their nature to only accumulate water, and typically not discharge water, they act as an important record of atmospheric pollution. Rainford's analysis involves examining how carbon dynamics are driven by bryophytes through time. Data was collected on carbon fractions in different vernal pool plant communities, sediment cores were been taken for pollen analysis, and charcoal dating performed to constrain time spans of species flux during the Holocene. Rainford is in Switzerland conducting a Post-Doc and is now preparing multiple manuscripts for submission. Dr. Drohan's second doctoral student, Lauren Vitko (2018), had also been conducting research on wet soils in Central Pennsylvania, specifically at the USDA-ARS research watershed WE-38. Vitko developed high resolution (1:1000) landscape models of surface runoff in support of the development of a runoff prediction tool to be used by farmers and regulators: The Fertilizer Forecaster. Vitko is preparing four manuscripts to submit in Spring 2020. Dr. Drohan's third doctoral student, Fei Jiang, is conducting research on agricultural buffers and land use rearrangement to minimize nutrient export to wet-soil systems. Jiang is conducting research on two Pennsylvania watersheds (Spring Creek and Conewago Creek) and on a paired watershed in Northern Ireland, The Upper Bann; one of Jiang's papers on this research is noted in this year's report. Jiang is preparing three other manuscripts for submittal Spring 2020. Dr. Drohan has a new PhD student, Daniel Guarin, who has been conducting digital soil mapping in Colombia, South America. Guarin has been mapping areas for cacao suitability, but his research has also identified wetland environments where vernal pools may occur. Dr. Drohan received a USDAMcIntire-Stennis award in 2019 that examines relict charcoal hearth production from the iron furnace era and the legacy effect from hearth construction on forest ecosystems in the northcentral Appalachians; it is common to find vernal pools in former hearths. This research will continue Rainford's palynology and climate reconstruction in these systems, helping clarify long-term climate change trends since the Pleistocene. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Dr. Drohan regularly updates regional MLRA soil scientists, State Soil Scientist for Pennsylvania (Yuri Plowden) and Soil Survey Region 6 leader David Kingsbury on project activities. These individuals also particpated in aspects of the graduate student pedology field tour. Dr. Drohan has also presented his research nationally and internationally for several of these entities. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The majority of our research focused on goal 1. Knowledge of the quantity and distribution of soil organic carbon (SOC) fractions in wetland ecosystems enhances basic understanding of SOC dynamics and can aid wetland sustainable use and management decisions and restoration planning. The acid hydrolysis chemical fractionation procedure (AHCF) method is one of several operationally defined methods for quantifying labile (LOC) versus recalcitrant (ROC) SOC fractions. SOC fractions are an important metric for carbon accounting and tracking the dynamic nature of SOC. We evaluated the mineral-associated SOC fraction in soils with high organic carbon contents using AHCF. Our results indicate that ROC values for samples processed using standard AHCF techniques for high SOC samples, typical of wetlands, produces reliable results that greatly extends the technique's suitability. Bryophytes are important contributors to carbon (C) sequestration in wetland environments and play an important role in regulating the effect of global climate change on C and nitrogen (N) cycles. As such, it is important to understand patterns in bryophyte community composition and their dependent nutrient availability in wetlands. Here, bryophyte biomass, species richness, and several soil nutrient indices (i.e., total organic carbon (TOC), N, phosphorus (P), mineral-associated organic C (SOC), pH, cation exchange capacity (CEC), and Mehlich-3 cation concentrations of Mg, Ca, and K) are compared in six vernal pools across areas of the U.S. Appalachian Plateau and the Ridge and Valley physiographic provinces. These provinces differ in topography and parent material and thus provide an important contrast of the effect of soil forming factors on bryophyte C dynamics. We used a four-level nested ANOVA to compare bryophyte and soil nutrient attributes at four depths (0 - 5 cm, 5 - 10 cm, 10 - 15 cm and 15 - 20 cm) between the two provinces. Results show that the number of bryophyte species and amount of bryophyte biomass are significantly higher in the Ridge and Valley than the Appalachian Plateau province. TOC and N are significantly higher in the Ridge and Valley province at depths of 0 - 5 cm, 5 - 10 cm, and 10 - 15 cm, but no significant differences are found at the 15 - 20 cm depth. Soil C:N is not significantly different between the provinces at any of the depths, while the mineral-associated SOC, as indicated by the recalcitrant index for C (RIC), is only significantly different at the second depth (5 - 10 cm). When RIC is averaged for each province, mineral-associated SOC is constant with depth in all vernal pools, however RIC and TOC vary with depth in all vernal pools. Extractable P at all depths was significantly higher in the Ridge and Valley than in the Appalachian Plateau province suggesting inherent differences between the two provinces due to parent material. Our results show that wetland soils of the two physiographic provinces exhibit differences in bryophyte species richness, biomass, and TOC and N availability due to climate and parent material. Mineral-associated SOC retention capacity results suggest property differences have a limited effect on shallow C sequestration. Variations in C input due to differing bryophyte species richness and biomass may lead to vernal pools in the two contrasting provinces having different TOC retention capacities, but similar potential for long-term C sequestration. The successional pathways of wetland and upland ecosystems are likely derived from local and regional factors, such as endogenous changes in soil and vegetation dynamics and climate. For example, analyses of vegetation communities through time has revealed that common trends underlie all pathways, as communities undergo the same series of stages. However, development of the underlying soil sediment is often overlooked in literature as it is regarded as a constant and unchanging variable. Here, paleoecological observations of fossil pollen and charcoal content were combined with pedological methodologies to determine changes in vegetation assemblages, natural disturbance, and pedogenic processes throughout the Holocene in Northern Appalachia. We reconstructed the paleoecological records of vernal pools located in the Ridge and Valley and Appalachian Plateau, two physiographic regions of central Pennsylvania that differ in topography and parent material. The reconstructed vegetation history in the Ridge and Valley (RV) Province was captured from ~10,000 cal. yr. BP and followed a transition from an evergreen-oak forest to a mixed deciduous-conifer forest. In the Appalachian Plateau (AP) Province, the paleoecological record spans ~4,800 cal. yr. BP and followed the transition from an open, oak dominated forest to a closed, mixed deciduous forest filled with numerous herbaceous taxa tolerant of acidic soils. Sedimentological and geochemical analyses indicated that the soil histories in each region are marked by similar pedogenic processes such as chemical weathering and ferrolysis, but these processes occurred at different periods. Comparison of vegetation and soil records reveals similar associations between the timing of changes at both sites and changes in the paleoclimate reported in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. A strong disturbance vegetation signature (increase in weed pollen Ambrosia weed pollen and Quercus tree species) is seen at 3,000 - 4,000 cal. yr. BP, which coincides with the encroachment of Native Americans populating the region. While differences in local factors such as parent material and climate are inherent drivers of substrate and environmental differences, the arrival of humans appears to have severely disrupted disrupted vegetation communities.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Drohan, P.J., Bechmann, M., Buda, A., Djodjic, F., Doody, D., Duncan, J.M., Iho, A., Jordan, P., Kleinman, P.J., McDowell, R. and Mellander, P.E., 2019. A global perspective on phosphorus management decision support in agriculture: Lessons learned and future directions. Journal of environmental quality, 48(5), pp.1218-1233.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Karen L Vaughan, Patrick J Drohan, John M Galbraith, Martin C Rabenhorst, Lesley Spokas, Mark Stolt, James A Thompson, Bruce L Vasilas. 2019. Redoximorphic Feature Expression in Seasonally Inundated Soils Reveals Belowground Climatic Influence on Development. SSSA International Soils Meeting, 2019, San Diego, CA.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Martin C Rabenhorst, Patrick J Drohan, John M Galbraith, Lesley Spokas, Mark Stolt, James A Thompson, Bruce L Vasilas, Karen L Vaughan. 2019. Biogeochemistry of Vernal Pools Assessed Using IRIS Film Technology. SSSA International Soils Meeting, 2019, San Diego, CA.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: F Jiang, HE Gall, TL Veith, R Cibin, PJ Drohan. 2019. Assessment of riparian buffers effectiveness in controlling nutrient and sediment loads as a function of buffer design, site characteristics and upland loadings. ASABE Annual International Meeting, 1.
  • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: S Levy, PJ Drohan. 2019. Backyard portals: A solutions-oriented approach to understanding and valuing soil. Field to Palette: Dialogues on Soil and Art in the Anthropocene, 317-328
  • Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Rainford, S. 2019. An integrative assessment of soil organic carbon dynamics in wetland environments. PhD Thesis. The Pennsylvania State University.


Progress 10/01/17 to 09/30/18

Outputs
Target Audience:Nothing to report from Dr. Lin. Target aduiences reached during this reporting period by Dr. Drohan includeland managers from public and private enterprises (gas and agricultural companies and farmers), and international collaborators. 1. Pennsylvania (PA) Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), Bureau of Forestry Gas Task Force October workshop where Dr. Drohan presented on a land reclamtion project tied toforest disturbance. Several PA agencies were present along with gas company representatives. 2. International colleagues: Wageningan University, Uppsala University, Teagasc Catchments Program, Wexford Ireland.Dr. Drohan participated in running two workshops. Co-evolution of land and people, Wexford Ireland, SOILS 497 course with collaborations amongst colleagues at Teagasc Catchments Program. Drohanwas the organizer. (May 2018.) "Envisioning the Susquehanna river basin under a European Union directive," Penn State's Institute for Energy and the Environment Seed Grant program and Wageningen University. Wageningen, the Netherlands. Drohan was a co-organizer. (June 2018) "Managing agricultural nutrients across Baltic nations and Northern Ireland," USDA-ARS, Penn State, Swedish Agricultural University (SLU), Uppsala, Sweden. Uppsala, Helsinki, Sweden. (August 2018). Drohan was a collaborator and participant. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Shauna Kay Rainford successfully defended her PhD thesis Fall 2018 (An integrative assessment of soil organic carbon dynamics in wetland environments) and is presently preparing 4 manuscripts for submission. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Drohan was a co-author and participated in a 2017 project poster presentation by Rabenhorst at the Soil Science Society of America Meetings. Dr. Drohan's landscape disturbance reearch was highlighted by National Public Radio's State Impact radio program and a promotional video was created highlighting this research. See:https://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2018/09/07/bringing-the-forest-back-after-shale-gas/ andhttps://vimeo.com/288418339 Dr. Drohan regulary updates regional MLRA soil scientists, State Soil Scientist for Pennsylvania (Yuri Plowden) and Soil Survey Region 6 leader David Kingsbury on project activities. These individuals also particpatein aspects of the graduate student pedology field tour scheduled June 2019 in Massachussetts. Our group is currently planning that outreach effort. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Our Multistate project is contunuing. Per our most upcoming meeting in San Diego (Jan 2019) at theSSSA meeting, we will be completing carbon decomposition measurements, carbon stock measures, likely conducting another Mn and Fe IRIS tube trial, and continuuing water table measurements.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? ?A PhD student working in Dr. Drohan's laboratory, Shauna Kay Rainford, used the Pennsylvania vernal pool that was monitored in this project for one of her thesis sites. Rainford's thesis 1) improved the use of the acid hydrolysis chemical fractionation procedure in highly organic soils, (2) examined the impact of bryophyte biomass and species richness on the quantity of total C and mineral-associated SOC, (3) investigated the genesis of soil and vegetation dynamics throughout the Holocene, and (4) developed predictive equations for total C and mineral-associated SOC on two landscape scales using mid-infrared spectroscopy (MIR) and partial least square (PLS) regression analysis. Rainford's dissertation results are important for improving two commonly used techniques for measuring soil organic carbon and for identifying carbon dynamics through time (6,000-9,000 years) in the project study site. The integrated research approach used in Rainford's dissertation has also improved understanding of the relationship between soil and vegetation, and the analytical approaches used to determine the quantity and distribution of the mineral-associated SOC fractions. Products produced from the dissertation, such as the improvement to the acid hydrolysis chemical fractionation procedure and spectral data collected during mid-infrared spectroscopy model development, can be used by others within the scientific community to develop more efficient tools that facilitates further investigations of soil C and the underlying mechanisms that control this important ecosystem property. Geophysics data collected by Drohan's Honor's student Nancy Bao are being used to assess regional geomorphic models of vernal pool development for each of the project study sites. Rainford's use of the Pennsylvania study site for her thesis was the first regional geomorphic model of vernal pool development. Regional hydrogeomorphic models of water table dynamics have been generated at most project sites using pressure transducers. A potential new hydric soil indicator has been identified from our manganese IRIS tape research. The manganese IRIS tape results suggest that early season documentation of redoximorphic conditions could be better identified using manganese versus iron. This result is being explored more via laboratory analysis.

Publications

  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Rainford, S. K., & Drohan, P. J. (Supervised Student Author). (2018). "Patterns in bryophyte diversity and soil nutrient availability of vernal pools located in Central, PA.," Annual Meeting, Society of Wetland Scientists, Denver, CO, 80 in attendance, peer-reviewed/refereed, Accepted. International.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Drohan, P. J. (Presenter & Author). (2017). "Re-evaluating US land ownership and management in order to effectively combat soil degradation," Annual Meeting, European Geosciences Union, Vienna, Austria, 70 in attendance, Accepted. International.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Drohan, P. J. (Primary Author, 100%) (2017). "Dynamic forests, dynamic soils." Pennsylvania Forestry Magazine., 108, (pp. 22-23).
  • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Drohan, P.J. (Primary Author, 100%) (2017). Soils of the United States. In The International Encyclopedia of Geography: People, the Earth, Environment and Technology. (pp. 1-19). John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Rabenhorst, M., Drohan, P. J. (Author Only), Galbraith, J., Needelman, B., Spokas, L., Stolt, M. S., Thompson, J. A., Vasilas, B., & Vaughn, K. L. (2017). "Comparing performance of Mn-coated and Fe-coated IRIS devices," American Society of Agronomy-Crop Science Society of America-Soil Science Society of America, Tampa, FL, 140 in attendance, peer-reviewed/refereed, Accepted. International.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Vitko, L., Drohan, P. J. (Supervised Student Author), Buda, A., Kleinman, P., & Kleinman, P. (2017). "Evaluating the potential of ground penetrating RADAR to model soil restrictive layers," Annual Meeting, European Geosciences Union, Vienna, Austria, 140 in attendance, peer-reviewed/refereed, published in proceedings, Accepted. International.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Drohan, P. J. (Primary Author, 100%) (2017). "Improving forest management by knowing your soils." Pennsylvania Forestry Magazine., 108, (pp. 20-22).
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Drohan, P. J. (Primary Author, 100%) (2017). "Reclaiming forest soils following shale-gas development and similar disturbances." Pennsylvania Forestry Magazine., 108, (pp. 24-25).


Progress 10/01/16 to 09/30/17

Outputs
Target Audience: Nothing Reported Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The Northeast region pedologists led a graduate student pedology field tour June 2017 in Delaware, Maryland and Pennsylvannia, which highlighted project soils and ecosystems. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Dr. Drohan regualry updates regional MLRA soil scientists, State Soil Scientistfor Pennsylvania (Joe Kraft) and Soil Survey Region 6 leader David Kingsbury on project activities. These individuals also particpated in aspects of thegraduate student pedology field tour June 2017 in Delaware, Maryland and Pennsylvannia. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Our Multistate project is contunuing. Per our most recent meeting in Tampa at the ASA, CSA, SSSA meeting, we will be completing carbon decompposition measurements, carbon stock measures, likely conducting another Mn and Fe IRIS tube trial, and continuuing water table measurements.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Dr. Drohan has been mentoring three PhD students that directly and indirectly support this project. Ms. Shauna Kay Rainford (PhD student, minority) has been conducting research on several vernal pool sites in the Central Appalachians. Vernal pools play an important role as breeding grounds from many rare plant and animal species, and due to their nature to only accumulate water, and typically not discharge water, they act as an important record of atmospheric pollution. Shauna Kay passed her comprehensive exam this year and is conducting a final analysis of her research sites. This analysis involves examining how carbon dynamics are driven by bryophytes through time. Data has been collected on carbon fractions in different vernal pool plant communities, sediment cores have been taken for pollen analysis, and charcoal dating performed to constrain time spans of species flux during the Holocene. Shauna Kay is now preparing multiple manuscripts for submission in 2018. Shauna Kay is presently working on a digital soil mapping related to her thesis work via a Fellowship in Colombia, SA with the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT). Dr. Drohan's second doctoral student, Lauren Vitko, has also been conducting research on wet soils in the Central Pennsylvania, specifically at the USDA-ARS research watershed WE-38. Ms. Vitko is developing high resolution (1:1000) landscape models of surface runoff in support of the development of a runoff prediction tool to be used by farmers and regulators: The Fertilizer Forecaster. Ms. Vitko recently defended her thesis, will be graduating with a PhD in Soil Science Spring 2018, and is preparing four manuscripts to submit in Spring 2018. Late in 2017, PhD student Fei Jiang began studying with Dr. Drohan. Ms. Jiang's research is also tied to this project via her analysis of agricultural buffer and land use rearrangement to minimize nutrient export to wet-soil systems. She is conducting this research on two Pennsylvania watersheds (Spring Creek and Conewago Creek) and on a paired watershed in Northern Ireland, The Upper Bann. Dr. Drohan and the multistate project tied to his report presented their research at the 2017 Soil Science Society of America meeting and presented a poster on this year's analysis of hydrology and Indicator of Reduction in Soils tubes (IRIS) to spatially document soil redox processes driven by Fe and Mn. Research is also being completed on the related USDA funded wet soils Ecological Sites project. This work is developing Ecological Sites and State and Transition models for three regional vernal pool supporting soils (Cavode, Brinkerton, and Armagh series), All plant population estimates at research sites are finished and soils are analyzed. A poster on this research was presented at the 2017 Soil Science Society of America meeting. An in-field faculty and graduate student field tour for this project was held in Delaware in June 2017 and seven students from Penn State attended (~60 overall faculty and students). Eight manuscripts were published related to this project, an International talk and poster was given in Vienna Austria, and three posters were presented at the 2017 Soil Science Society of America meeting. An external grant was secured from the USDA Soil Sciences Division (PI Dr. Mark Stolt, Univ. Rhode Island, $121,000), which project members were all awarded funds on.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Barlow, Kathryn M., David A. Mortensen, Patrick J. Drohan, and Kristine M. Averill. Unconventional gas development facilitates plant invasions. Journal of Environmental Management 202 (2017): 208-216.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Hasenmueller, E. A., Gu, X., Weitzman, J. N., Adams, T. S., Stinchcomb, G. E., Eissenstat, D. M., ... & Kaye, J. P. (2017). Weathering of rock to regolith: The activity of deep roots in bedrock fractures. Geoderma, 300, 11-31.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Burgos, W. D., Castillo-Meza, L., Tasker, T. L., Geeza, T. J., Drohan, P. J., Liu, X., ... & Warner, N. R. (2017). Watershed-Scale Impacts from Surface Water Disposal of Oil and Gas Wastewater in Western Pennsylvania. Environmental Science & Technology, 51(15), 8851-8860.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Easton, Z. M., Kleinman, P. J., Buda, A. R., Goering, D., Emberston, N., Reed, S., ... & Sommerlot, A. R. (2017). Short-term Forecasting Tools for Agricultural Nutrient Management. Journal of Environmental Quality.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Duncan, E. W., Kleinman, P. J., Folmar, G. J., Saporito, L. S., Feyereisen, G. W., Buda, A. R., ... & Bryant, R. B. (2017). Development of Field-Scale Lysimeters to Assess Management Impacts on Runoff. Transactions of the ASABE, 60(2), 419-429.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Langlois, L. A., Drohan, P. J., & Brittingham, M. C. (2017). Linear infrastructure drives habitat conversion and forest fragmentation associated with Marcellus shale gas development in a forested landscape. Journal of Environmental Management, 197, 167-176.
  • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Drohan, P. J. (2017). Future Challenges for Soil Science Research, Education, and Soil Survey in the USA. In The Soils of the USA (pp. 373-384). Springer International Publishing.
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Rabenhorst, M.C., Drohan, P.J., Galbraith, J., Needelman, B.A., Spokas, L., Stolt, M. Thompson, J. Vasilas, B., Vaughan, K., (October 2017) Comparing Performance of Mn-Coated and Fe-Coated IRIS Devices. In ASA, CSSA, SSSA Annual Meeting Abstracts # 95-1. Tampa, Fl. Abstracts #347-8 Tampa, Fl. Poster.
  • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Drohan, P. J. Soils of the United States. The International Encyclopedia of Geography.
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Drohan, P., Buda, A., Kleinman, P., Miller, D., Lin, H., Beegle, D., and Knight, P. (2017, April). USA Nutrient management forecasting via the "Fertilizer Forecaster": linking surface runnoff, nutrient application and ecohydrology. In EGU General Assembly Conference Abstracts (Vol. 19, p. 10536). Poster.
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Drohan, P. (2017, April). Revaluating US Land Ownership and Management in Order to Effectively Combat Soil Degradation. In EGU General Assembly Conference Abstracts (Vol. 19, p. 10326). Talk.
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Drohan, PJ., Plowden, Y., Kraft, J., Kingsbury, D. (2017 October). Northern Appalachian Wetland Ecological Sites and Their States of Disturbance for Select Benchmark Soils. In ASA, CSSA, SSSA Annual Meeting Abstracts # 95-1. Tampa, Fl. Talk.
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Vitko, L., Drohan, P.J., Buda, A., Kleinman, P. (2017, October) Evaluating the Potential of Ground Penetrating RADAR to Model Soil Restrictive Layers. In ASA, CSSA, SSSA Annual Meeting Abstracts # 95-1. Tampa, Fl. Abstracts #108965 Tampa, Fl. Poster.


Progress 10/01/15 to 09/30/16

Outputs
Target Audience:Our target audience includes academics in related science fields, federal and state land managers (or their scientists) who use soil's data, non-governmental organizations, and consultants in related science fields. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?5 undergraduates and 1 graduate student have worked on the project. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Yes via multistate meetings given the project just began. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Objectives: Determine the quantity and distribution of the labile and recalcitrant soil organic carbon fractions in the top 45cm of the soil profile. Examine patterns of bryophyte species richness and biomass to determine whether they correlate with the quantity of soil organic fractions in the A horizon. Examine relationships among nutrient availability, bryophyte species richness,and biomass of bryophytes.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Drohan and students haveinstrumented several vernal pools on the Appalachian Plateau and Ridge and Valley Province with piezometers and sampled soil and vegetation communites. Species are being examined.

Publications

  • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Drohan, P. J., Lindbo, D. L., & Richardson, J. L. (2016). Hydric Soils and Wetlands in Riverine Systems. Wetland Soils: Genesis, Hydrology, Landscapes, and Classification, 325.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Accepted Year Published: 2016 Citation: Drohan, Patrick, and Alex Ireland. "Provisional, Forested Ecological Sites in the Northern Appalachians and Their State-and-Transition Models." Rangelands (2016).


Progress 01/20/15 to 09/30/15

Outputs
Target Audience:This period involved establishment of research sites given the project is in its first year. The target audience was the project team. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?On July 20th, we held our Multistate Project Meeting in Elkins, WV. Following this meeting West Virginia University project member Jim Thompson hosted a 3 day field tour of sites in the region of Elkins. Drohan attened this meeting. About 30 graduate students, NRCS staff, and professors attened this tour. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The primary dissemination mechanism during this period was the field tour following our annual project meeting. On July 20th, we held our Multistate Project Meeting in Elkins, WV. Following this meeting West Virginia University project member Jim Thompson hosted a 3 day field tour of sites in the region of Elkins. Drohan attened this meeting. About 30 graduate students, NRCS staff, and professors attened this tour. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We will continue to monitor our vernal pools. We will be working towards completing the remaining project goals. We will be running our soil analyses on samples collected in the summer and fall of 2015.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? On July 20th, we held our Multistate Project Meeting in Elkins, WV. Following this meeting West Virginia University project member Jim Thompson hosted a 3 day field tour of sites in the region of Elkins. Drohan attened this meeting. Drohan has installed wells and decomposition sickes at three vernal pools in Rothrock State Forest, outside State College Pennsylvania. Soils have been sampled and described per project specifications. Plant populations have also been sampled. Drohan has conducted Ground Penetrating Radar analysis of his field sites. THis is being used to estimate pool depth and sediment/organic accumulation.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Britson, A., Wardrop, D., Drohan, P.J. In Press. Plant Community Composition as a Driver of Decomposition Dynamics in Riparian Wetlands. In press, Wetlands Ecology and Management.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Lin, H., Drohan, P.J., and T.R. Green. 2015. Hydropedology: The Last Decade and the Next Decade. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 79:357-361.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2015 Citation: Fink, C. and P.J. Drohan. High resolution hydric soil mapping using LiDAR digital terrain modeling. In Review, Soil Science Society of America Journal.