Soil evolution along a forest-salt marsh transect under a regime of slowly rising sea level, southeastern United States L.R. Gardner, B.R. Smith and W.K. Michener Geoderma, 55 (1992)

Question Addressed: How does Sea Level Rise influence Soil Evolution?

North Inlet, South Carolina Transect across Goat Island Area of Interest: Transition zone from Marsh-> Forest

METHODS: Leon Series Spodosol Soil Cores Objective: “Present a description of the evolution of forested spodosols into salt-marsh soils under a regime of slowly rising sea level.” Soil cores cm length Chemical Analysis (C, N, S, Al, Fe and K) Clay and silt vs sand fraction Salinity Vegetation

Soil Components Forest Profile Leon sand Series: Sandy, Siliceous, Thermic Aeric Haplaquods A- very dark grey E- grey Bh- black-dark brown, cm depth Quartz Transition Marsh Profile Sulfaquentic Haplaquods A and E- medium grey Increase in clay and silt content More sandy with depth Bh- relict, little change, cm depth Quartz

Pedogenic Processes Evolution of forest spodosols into marsh soils involves textural, morphological and chemical changes in the A and E horizons – Salinization – Deposition of marine mud and mixing into original forest sand by fiddler crab burrowing – Growth of thick Spartina root mat – Accumulation of reduced sulfur  Bh horizon relatively unaffected- Relict spodic horizon  Not yet buried under a distinct layer of marsh mud so must be classified as a spodosol despite the fact that the diagnostic spodic horizon is not currently forming: Sulfaquentic Haplaquods

Soil Components Forest Profile Leon sand Series: Sandy, Siliceous, Thermic Aeric Haplaquods A- very dark grey E- grey Bh- black-dark brown, cm depth Quartz Transition Marsh Profile Sulfaquentic Haplaquods A and E- medium grey Increase in clay and silt content More sandy with depth Bh- relict, little change, cm depth Quartz