PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - E.O. Young
AU  - D.S. Ross
AU  - C. Alves
AU  - T. Villars
TI  - Soil and landscape influences on native riparian phosphorus availability in three Lake Champlain Basin stream corridors
AID  - 10.2489/jswc.67.1.1
DP  - 2012 Jan 01
TA  - Journal of Soil and Water Conservation
PG  - 1--7
VI  - 67
IP  - 1
4099  - http://www.jswconline.org/content/67/1/1.short
4100  - http://www.jswconline.org/content/67/1/1.full
AB  - The ability to rank riparian soils by native phosphorus (P) concentration could help prioritize riparian management practices aimed at reducing P loading from streambank erosion. The objective of this study was to explore the relationship between riparian soil variability and native P availability in three riparian corridors in northwestern Vermont. In the first study, two sites along tributaries of Lake Champlain were remapped at a high resolution (1:5000) by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service in 2006. After the remapping, multiple profile samples were taken from each series and were analyzed for total P (TP) and Modified Morgan extractable P. In a second study, 27 soil characterization pedons were sampled along three riparian corridors (Lewis Creek, Rugg Brook, and Rock River) to capture a broader range of parent material and P content. These samples were analyzed for particle size separates (sand, silt, and clay content), TP, and oxalate extractable P. Results showed a strong relationship between soil series variation (e.g., texture and drainage differences) and native P concentration. The first study revealed that both Modified Morgan extractable P and TP were lower in the coarser-textured, well drained soil series compared to the finer-textured soils. In the second study, native P concentrations (TP and oxalate extractable P) were also significantly greater in the finer-textured soils. The ratio of oxalate extractable P to TP decreased strongly with increasing sand content (r2 = 0.69), indicating that the finer-textured soils had a greater fraction of potentially desorbable P. Texture was a good indicator of native P concentrations across a wide range of soil properties, suggesting that accurate soil maps will be an important tool for indexing the native P status along riparian corridors in the Lake Champlain Basin region.