We found a match
Your institution may have access to this item. Find your institution then sign in to continue.
- Title
Use of archived data to derive soil health and water quality indicators for monitoring shifts in natural resources.
- Authors
Fortuna, Ann‐Marie; Starks, Patrick J.; Moriasi, Daniel N.; Steiner, Jean L.
- Abstract
Current gaps impeding researchers from developing a soil and watershed health nexus include design of long‐term field‐scale experiments and statistical methodologies that link soil health indicators (SHI) with water quality indicators (WQI). Land cover is often used to predict WQI but may not reflect the effects of previous management such as legacy fertilizer applications, disturbance, and shifts in plant populations) and soil texture. Our research objectives were to use nonparametric Spearman rank‐order correlations to identify SHI and WQI that were related across the Fort Cobb Reservoir experimental watershed (FCREW); use the resulting rho (r) and p values (P) to explore potential drivers of SHI‐WQI relationships, specifically land use, management, and inherent properties (soil texture, aspect, elevation, slope); and interpret findings to make recommendations regarding assessment of the sustainability of land use and management. The SHI values used in the correlation matrix were weighted by soil texture and land management. The SHI that were significantly correlated with one or more WQI were available water capacity (AWC), Mehlich III soil P, and the sand to clay ratio (S:C). Mehlich III soil P was highly correlated with three WQI: total dissolved solids (TDS) (0.80; P < 0.01), electrical conductivity of water (EC‐H2O) (0.79; P < 0.01), and water nitrates (NO3‐H2O) (0.76; P < 0.01). The correlations verified that soil texture and management jointly influence water quality (WQ), but the size of the soils dataset prohibited determination of the specific processes. Adoption of conservation tillage and grasslands within the FCREW improved WQ such that water samples met the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) drinking water standards. Future research should integrate current WQI sampling sites into an edge‐of‐field design representing all management by soil series combinations within the FCREW. Core Ideas: Historic Fort Cobb Reservoir experimental watershed (FCREW) soil and water data were reevaluated to create an edge‐of‐field experiment outlined in USDA NRCS code 201.Nonparametric Spearman rank‐order correlation relates soil health and water quality indicators to land use, management, and inherent properties.Indicators can be used to develop a protocol to monitor water quality within FCREW.These approaches could be applied to datasets at other CEAP and LTAR networks sites.
- Subjects
WATER quality monitoring; UNITED States. Dept. of Agriculture; UNITED States. Environmental Protection Agency; NATURAL resources; SOIL moisture; DRINKING water standards; LAND management; SOIL sampling
- Publication
Journal of Environmental Quality, 2023, Vol 52, Issue 3, p523
- ISSN
0047-2425
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1002/jeq2.20476