The Effects Of Rainfall On Nutrient Levels In A Bottomland Coastal Plain Soil

Abstract

The major objective of this study was to determine what effect, if any, rainfall had on the concentrations of certain ions and other chemical species present in soil pore water. A transect was established in the Upper Three Runs Creek watershed on the U.S. W Department of Energy's Savannah River Site in Aiken, South Carolina. Water was collected as rain, throughfall, soil pore water, and stream water. Over three months, collections were made during five storm periods and five nonstorm periods. Samples were analyzed for anions and cations including Ca+2, Na+, and SO4'2 and for dissolved organic carbon (DOC). The effect of storms on the composition of soil pore water was evaluated using soil pore water samples taken from sites in the bottomland regime (which included the floodplain and riparian zone) during storm and nonstorm periods. No significant differences were found between storm and nonstorm concentrations of Ca+2, Na+, SO4'2, or DOC. Sampling with zero tension lysimeters is suggested to intercept macropore flow so that the chemistry of water flowing quickly through the profile immediately after a rain can be determined.