Analysis of Hydric Soil Field Indicators in Barrier Island Landscapes.

Hydric soil field indicators are used in the identification of hydric soils and the delineation of jurisdictional wetlands, and are most often associated with either the accumulation of soil organic matter or the development of iron oxide-based redoximorphic features.  In Holocene-aged barrier island landscapes of the Mid-Atlantic region, soils are young and have quartz-rich parent materials, which together seem to limit the development of morphological features typically observed in hydric soils. In this study, water table levels and reducing conditions were monitored along ten topographic transects at Assateague Island National Seashore during the spring (wet) seasons of 2011 and 2012 to confirm the presence of hydric soils.  Reducing conditions were assessed using IRIS (Indicator of Reduction In Soils) tubes and redox potential (Eh) measurements.  Detailed soil descriptions were made along transects to evaluate the applicability of currently approved field indicators in these barrier island landscapes and to possibly identify alternate morphological features that are reflective of hydrology.