Spatial Variability of Soils and Nutrients within a West Tennessee Wetland Restoration Site.

Abstract: Knowledge of soil components, including nutrients, is important to understanding how to effectively utilize and care for land. The purpose of this research was to determine the spatial variability of soil components, including nutrients, in a wetland site scheduled for restoration in the Jackson, TN, area of the Forked Deer floodplain. The site was previously farmed but is planned to be converted back into a wetland site over the next five years by the West Tennessee River Basin Authority. Tests were taken from samples to determine saturation and possible depletion of nutrients in the soil by fertilizers and other methods of treatment used on the land during the time that it was farmed. Samples were collected from an approximately 700-acre area based on a 2.5-acre grid, guided by GPS. Samples have so far been tested for texture, pH, P, K, NO3, and NH4 content. Geospatial techniques will be used to evaluate the distribution of the parameters to make predictions regarding nutrient movement within the soil.