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SOIL N AND C GEOGRAPHY OF THE SALMON RIVER WATERSHED AND THE OREGON COAST
Citation:
Kern, J. S., J E. Compton, AND M G. Johnson. SOIL N AND C GEOGRAPHY OF THE SALMON RIVER WATERSHED AND THE OREGON COAST. Presented at American Geophysical Union, San Francisco, CA, December 8-12, 2003.
Description:
To help establish restorative criteria of salmon runs in the Pacific Northwest, resource inventories on affected watersheds are a critical component of this process. Diverse soil and geology influence the rich terrestrial and aquatic biota of the Oregon Coast. We characterized the spatial patterns of soil organic C (SOC) and N by assembling county and forest soil surveys combined with new field work, and analyses from sampled soils. The headlands have maximum SOC and N where wind deposited volcanic soil is coupled with a cool, moist climate. The SOC and N decreases inland in similar soils that have a less marine climate influence. The underlying geology (basalt or sedimentary rock) had no affect in SOC and N. The remainder of the watershed has less SOC and N depending on rock content and soil depth which were affected by lithology as well as microclimate, and tree stand history. Extrapolating SOC and N trends to the region provides information for an area with no significant N deposition from air pollution.