Effect of Ephemeral Inundation On Soil Properties of Southern New England Vernal Pools.

Vernal pools in Western Massachusetts (DVP and PVP) and Connecticut (CVP) were evaluated over 3 growing seasons to determine how select soil properties are affected by ephemeral high water/inundation. Within each pool, transects were established with monitoring stations at the summit, rim, and basin. Each station was monitored using redox probes (15-, 30-, and 45-cm depths) and monitoring wells, and the soil profiles were evaluated for PSA and %OM.  Percent OM was significantly or highly significantly negatively correlated with depth within the profile for all pools, and was also highly significantly positively correlated to texture at the PVP and DVP pools.  In 2010, at CVP, reducing conditions existed longer at the 45-cm depth in the basin pool, despite the sl texture (3.1% OM) than at the rim station (sil with 2.3% OM). Free water level fell below the 45-cm depth in late May. These data suggest at CVP, the %OM has a greater effect on reducing conditions than soil texture. At DVP, the basin (silt, 2.8%OM) remained reducing throughout the season, despite the lack of free water in the upper 50cm after July. The rim station was reducing at 45 cm (sil with 5.9% OM) until late July, yet free water was gone by June 18. At PVP, the basin station (l, 34.9% OM) was more reducing throughout the season than the rim and summit stations (both sl with 5.9 and 7.2%OM, respectively), suggesting that texture may have been the influencing factor on duration of reducing conditions at these pools.