DOI: 10.6073/pasta/53785e848e919b335f0cfbffc6a8d069
title: Soil moisture in long-term study plots

description: Baltimore Ecosystem Study Long-Term Study Plot Soil Metadata
      
      
          Participants
      
          Peter Groffman, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies
      
      
          Richard V. Pouyat, U.S. Forest Service
      
      
      
      
          Introduction
      
      
      
          The Baltimore Ecosystem Study (BES) has established a network of long-term permanent biogeochemical study plots. These plots will provide long-term data on vegetation, soil and hydrologic processes in the key ecosystem types within the urban ecosystem. The current network of study plots includes eight forest plots, chosen to represent the range of forest conditions in the area, and four grass plots. These plots are complemented by a network of 200 less intensive study plots located across the Baltimore metropolitan area. See Baltimore's Vegetation Structure And Its Ability To Remove Air Pollutants And Sequester Carbon Dioxide, online: http://beslter.org/frame4-page_3b_02.html .
      
      
          Plots are currently instrumented with lysimeters (drainage and tension) to sample soil solution chemistry, time domain reflectometry probes to measure soil moisture, dataloggers to measure and record soil temperature and trace gas flux chambers to measure the flux of carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane from soil to the atmosphere. Measurements of in situ nitrogen mineralization, nitrification and denitrification were made at approximately monthly intervals from Fall 1998 - Fall 2000. Detailed vegetation characterization (all layers) was done in summer 1998.
      
      
          Link to BES vegetation reserarch and data: http://beslter.org/frame4-page_3b.html
      
      
          Data from these plots has been published in Groffman et al. (2006, 2009) and Groffman and Pouyat (2009).
      
      
      
      
          Plot Locations and Characterizations
      
      
          In November of 1998 four rural, forested plots were established at Oregon Ridge Park in Baltimore County northeast of the Gwynns Falls Watershed. Oregon Ridge Park contains Pond Branch, the forested reference watershed for BES. Two of these four plots are located on the top of a slope; the other two are located midway up the slope.
      
      
          In June of 2010 measurements at the mid-slope sites on Pond Branch were discontinued.  Monuments and equipment remain at the two plots.  These plots were replaced with two lowland riparian plots; Oregon upper riparian and Oregon lower riparian.  Each riparian sites has four 5 cm by 1-2.5 meter depth slotted wells laid perpendicular to the stream, four tension lysimeters at 10 cm depth, five time domain reflectometry probes, and four trace gas flux chambers in the two dominant microtopographic features of the riparian zones --- high spots (hummocks) and low spots (hollows).  
      
      
          Four urban, forested plots were established in November 1998, two at Leakin Park and two adjacent to Hillsdale Park in west Baltimore City in the Gwynns Falls. One of the plots in Hillsdale Park was abandoned in 2004 due to continued vandalism.
      
      
          In May 1999 two grass, lawn plots were established at McDonogh School in Baltimore County west of the city in the Gwynns Falls. One of these plots is an extremely low intensity management area (mowed once or twice a year) and one is in a low intensity management area (frequent mowing, no fertilizer or herbicide use). In 2009, the McDonogh plots were abandoned due to management changes at the school.
      
      
          Two grass lawn plots were established on the campus of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) in fall 2000. One of these plots is in a medium intensity management area (frequent mowing, moderate applications of fertilizer and herbicides) and one is in a high intensity management area (frequent mowing, high applications of fertilizer and herbicides).
      
      
      
      
          Plot locations:
      
      
          Hillsdale 1: 39 deg 19 min 28.14 sec N, 76 deg 42 min 16.49 sec W
      
          Hillsdale 2: 39 deg 19 min 31.24 sec N, 76 deg 42 min 28.62 sec W
      
      
          Leakin 1: 39 deg 18 min 1.32 sec N, 76 deg 41 min 37.08 sec W
      
          Leakin 2: 39 deg 18 min 5.42 sec N, 76 deg 41 min 34.15 sec W
      
      
          McDonogh 1: 39 deg 23 min 44.31 sec N, 76 deg 46 min 19.26 sec W
      
          McDonogh 2: 39 deg 23 min 52.26 sec N, 76 deg 46 min 23.52 sec W
      
      
          Oregon top-slope - 1: 39 deg 28 min 51.11 sec N, 76 deg 41 min 22.50 sec W
      
          Oregon mid-slope - 1: 39 deg 28 min 51.32 sec N, 76deg 41 min 18.24 sec W
      
          Oregon top-slope - 2: 39 deg 29 min 12.74 sec N, 76deg 41 min 22.88 sec W
      
          Oregon mid-slope - 2: 39 deg 29 min 12.68 sec N, 76deg 41 min 18.62 sec W
      
      
          McDonogh 1: 39 deg 23 min 44.31 sec N, 76deg 46 min 19.26 sec W
      
          McDonogh 2: 39 deg 23 min 52.26 sec  N, 76deg 46 min 23.52 sec W
      
      
          UMBC 1: 39 deg 15 min 8.82 sec N, 76deg 42 min 10.43 sec W
      
          UMBC 2: 39 deg 14 min 6.50 sec N, 76deg 42 min 48.71 sec W
      
      
      
          Soil Moisture
      
      
          Soil moisture is measured once every four to six weeks at each plot. In each of the forested plots, five (six at Leakin plot #2) time domain reflectometry waveguide probes from SoilMoisture Equipment Corporation were installed vertically into the soil at random locations throughout the plot. The waveguide probes are 20 cm long, so those vertically installed span a depth of 0 to 20 cm below ground. Each forested plot also has one (two at Leakin plot #2) set of four waveguide probes installed horizontally into the soil in one location at four depths: 10, 20, 30, and 50 cm below ground. The McDonogh plots each have two sets of horizontal and no vertical waveguide probes.
      
      
          Attached to each belowground waveguide is an aboveground cable with a BNC Male Coaxial Fitting on the end. This fitting connects with SoilMoisture's Trase System I (Model 6050X1, Version 2000 Software), which uses time domain reflectometry (TDR) to measure soil moisture. Every four to six weeks each individual vertical and horizontal waveguide in each plot is connected to the portable Trase TDR processor; soil moisture is measured instantaneously and stored in the processor. After all plots are completed, the stored data is downloaded onto a computer at the BES office at UMBC.
      
      
      
          Literature Cited
      
      
          Bowden R, Steudler P, Melillo J and  Aber J. 1990. Annual nitrous oxide fluxes from temperate forest soils in the northeastern United States. J. Geophys. Res. Atmos. 95, 13997 14005.
      
      
          Driscoll CT, Fuller RD and Simone DM (1988) Longitudinal variations in trace metal concentrations in a northern forested ecosystem. J. Environ. Qual. 17: 101-107 
      
      
          Goldman, M. B., P. M. Groffman, R. V. Pouyat, M. J. McDonnell, and S. T. A. Pickett. 1995. CH4 uptake and N availability in forest soils along an urban to rural gradient. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 27:281-286.
      
      
          Groffman PM, Holland E, Myrold DD, Robertson GP and Zou X (1999) Denitrification. In: Robertson GP, Bledsoe CS, Coleman DC and Sollins P (Eds) Standard Soil Methods for Long Term Ecological Research. (pp 272-290). Oxford University Press, New York 
      
      
          Groffman PM, Pouyat RV, Cadenasso ML, Zipperer WC, Szlavecz K, Yesilonis IC,. Band LE and Brush GS. 2006. Land use context and natural soil controls on plant community composition and soil nitrogen and carbon dynamics in urban and rural forests. Forest Ecology and Management 236:177-192.
      
      
          Groffman, P.M., C.O. Williams, R.V. Pouyat, L.E. Band and I.C. Yesilonis. 2009. Nitrate leaching and nitrous oxide flux in urban forests and grasslands.  Journal of Environmental Quality 38:1848-1860.
      
      
          Groffman, P.M. and R.V. Pouyat.  2009. Methane uptake in urban forests and lawns.  Environmental Science and Technology 43:5229-5235. DOI:  10.1021/es803720h.
      
          Holland EA, Boone R, Greenberg J, Groffman PM and Robertson GP (1999) Measurement of Soil CO2, N2O and CH4 exchange. In: Robertson GP, Bledsoe CS, Coleman DC and Sollins P (Eds) Standard Soil Methods for Long Term Ecological Research. (pp 258-271). Oxford University Press, New York 
      
      
          Robertson GP, Wedin D, Groffman PM, Blair JM, Holland EA, Nadelhoffer KJ and. Harris D. 1999. Soil carbon and nitrogen availability: Nitrogen mineralization, nitrification and carbon turnover. In:  Standard Soil Methods for Long Term Ecological Research (Robertson GP, Bledsoe CS, Coleman DC and Sollins P (Eds) Standard Soil Methods for Long Term Ecological Research. (pp 258-271). Oxford University Press, New York 
      
      
          Savva, Y., K. Szlavecz, R. V. Pouyat, P. M. Groffman, and G. Heisler. 2010. Effects of land use and vegetation cover on soil temperature in an urban ecosystem. Soil Science Society of America Journal 74:469-480.