Vernal Pools in New England – Parent Material, Hydrology, and Landscape Position.

For those unfamiliar with wetland ecology (farmers, foresters, loggers, and some homeowners), vernal pools in New England are thought to be merely puddles in the woods in the springtime, i.e. ponded or perched snow melt. To conservationists, environmental professionals, scientists, and ecologically-aware homeowners these ephemeral pools are understood to be essential breeding areas for a wide array of amphibians and insects including many threatened and endangered species. A vital part to this unique breeding habitat is the prolonged inundation of pools for a sufficient period (typically a minimum of two months for certain species).  The onset of inundation generally occurs prior to the start of the growing season and has been associated with snowmelt and spring rains.  Therefore, soil scientists were unsure that the duration of wetness in these pools would foster the formation of hydric soils. In the early spring of 2009 a limited study was undertaken to answer the original question pertaining to hydric soils. This initial study was expanded, the following year to include replicate pools within parent materials and landscape positions to help to determine the relative importance of various physical (geologic/soil), topographical, and climatological factors. Replicate data that include various extremes in precipitation and drought from 2 sites in the Connecticut River Valley in Massachusetts supports that hydrologic regime, rather than landscape position, is the determining factor in pool hydrology (duration of free water) and hydric soil formation.