323-2Dog-Park Soils: Concentration and Distribution of Urine-Borne Constituents.

See more from this Division: S11 Soils & Environmental Quality
See more from this Session: S11 General Soils & Environmental Quality: Biological and Combustion Wastes Products in Soil
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Duke Energy Convention Center, Exhibit Hall AB, Level 1

Breanna Paradeis1, Sarah Lovas2, Andrew Aipperspach3, Angela Kazmierczak3, Mikayla Boche1, Yangbo He2, Patrick Corrigan1, Katrin Chambers1, Yang Gao3, Jack Norland1 and Thomas DeSutter2, (1)School of Natural Resource Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND
(2)Soil Science, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND
(3)Plant Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND
Off-leash dog parks are very popular locations that allow pets to freely exercise and eliminate wastes in a controlled environment. Although dog park rules require that solid waste be removed by the pet’s owner, urine-borne constituents in dog-park soils has received little attention. This study focused on the soils within two small-dog, off-leash dog parks in Fargo, North Dakota (USA) with the objective to better understand the concentration and distribution of extractable ammonium-N, nitrate-N, P, soluble salts, and pH values in surface soils (0-10 cm) within these two dog parks. Concentrations of soil variables varied widely within each park and were distributed as both gradient and ‘hot-spots.’ The geospatial model types for each soil parameter were more dependent on park than on the constituents themselves. Flow accumulation as determined from a LIDAR derived Digital Elevation Model was correlated with nitrate-N but was not helpful in describing most of the soil constituents. The results from this project indicate that location of parks, daily/annual use of parks, flow accumulation, and location of park entries may all influence the concentration and distribution of urine-borne constituents.
See more from this Division: S11 Soils & Environmental Quality
See more from this Session: S11 General Soils & Environmental Quality: Biological and Combustion Wastes Products in Soil