Multi Dataset Demonstration, Education, and Research Project: Austin Cary Memorial Forest, Alachua County, Florida

Site Information: This is a south-north transect with four instrumented sites.

Figure 1: South (driest) to north (wettest) view of transect.

Figure 2: North (wettest) to south (driest) view of transect.

This location was selected because of its proximity to the University of Florida and because it is a representative landscape of the Gulf and Atlantic Coastal Lowlands and has each of the major landforms (flatwoods, flats, and depressions).

Figure 3: Gulf and Atlantic Coastal Lowlands make-up approximately 60% of Florida and flatwoods are the most extensive landform in these landscapes.

Figure 4: Site 1 (southern most) is a typical soil on a flatwoods landform with no hydric soil indicator. Average seasonal high saturation is expected to be at a depth of about 9 inches.

Figure 5: Site two is the wet edge of the flatwoods. It also has no hydric soil indicator but expresses wet morphology with average seasonal high saturation expected to be at a depth of about 4 inches.

Figure 6: Site three is on a flats landform. Based on the publication Field Indicators of Hydric Soils in the United States (Hurt, et al., 1998) http://www.statlab.iastate.edu/soils/hydric/),it has the Hydric Soil Indicator 2 cm Mucky Mineral (A7) and seasonal inundation is expected.

Figure 7: Site four (northern most) is within a depression. It has the Hydric Soil Indicator Muck (A8/A9) and seasonal inundation is expected.

Figure 8: The soils at the first three sites are Spodosols (Pomona Series).

Figure 9: The soil at the forth site is an Ultisol (Surrency Series).

Instrumentation: Instrumented February 2000, at each site instruments have been installed to collect reduction and saturation data according to the standards established by the NTCHS and Soil Taxonomy.

Figure 10: Two piezometers are installed at a depth of 25 cm; these are used to determine if the NTCHS standard for hydric soil saturation is met.

Two piezometers are installed at a depth of 100 cm; these are used to determine if the Soil Taxonomy standard for aquic suborders/subgroups is met.

Open wells, to 2 meters, are installed at each to site; there are to record regional hydrology patterns.

One thermocouple is installed at a depth of 50 cm to determine temperature regime (hyperthermic or thermic) according to the current Soil Taxonomy standard and one thermocouple is installed at a depth of 100 cm to determine temperature regime according to a proposed Soil Taxonomy standard.

Five platinum electrodes are installed at a depth of 12.5 cm to determine if the NTCHS standard for reduction for sandy soil material is met at each of the sites (the proper depth for loamy and clayey soil material is 25 cm).

Rain and air temperature recorders are installed to coordinate rainfall data with hydrology data and air temperature with soil temperature.

Figure 11: South to north view of the instrumented sites.
 
 

Data Collection: All instrumentation is connected by wires to the control panel and from there to the data logger.

Figure 12: The data logger uses a computer program to convert electrical impulses into meaningful data.

Figure 13: a twelve-volt battery that is charged by a solar panel powers the data logger. The rain gage (tipping bucket) is on the left.

Figure 14: The data logger contains a serial port, which is periodically connected to a laptop computer to download the data.

Additional Information: The Florida Association for Environmental Soil Scientists (FAESS) has provided funding for instrumentation and maintenance. Cooperators in this demonstration, education, and research project include FAESS, Austin Cary Memorial Forest Committee, University of Florida Soil and Water Science Department, Louisiana State University Department of Agronomy, and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Project Leader: Wade Hurt (phone: 352-392-1951 and email: Wade_Hurt@ifas.ufl.edu)