Assessing New Developments in IRIS Technology.

Reducing soil conditions may impact many soil characteristics, including more static properties like soil morphology, as well as more dynamic soil chemical properties and the microbial ecology. Identifying reducing conditions is especially important when evaluating wetland soil systems. Indicator of Reduction in Soils (IRIS) tubes have been in use for over a decade and have been approved by the National Technical Committee for Hydric Soils (NTCHS) as a method to identify reducing soil conditions. Recent developments in IRIS technology include a system to deliver oxide-coated plastic films into the soil. This new film-based system eliminates a number of difficulties associated with more traditional IRIS tubes. A mesocosm study was designed using A horizons from two different soils and both traditional and new IRIS devices that were coated with Fe oxides or Mn oxides. The mescocosms were saturated and monitored over a 4 week period with periodic assessment of the IRIS devices. This poster will compare the new IRIS technology with traditional IRIS tubes in their ability to effectively assess reducing conditions in soils.