Note: Program subject to change without notice

Monday, November 5, 2007
19-2

Soil Organic Matter at Different Elevations in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Brian Lester1, Anthony Khiel2, and Doug Thomas2. (1) University of Tennessee Plant, Soil & Env. Club, 3722 Knoxville Hwy, Wartburg, TN 37887, (2) USDA-NRCS, USDA-NRCS Smokey Mtn. Soil Sv, 517 E. Bruce St., Sevierville, TN 37862

Located in East Tennessee and Western North Carolina, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) contains elevations varying from 275 m to 2042 m. Two soil temperature regimes are present within the park: Mesic on the lower mountain slopes and valleys and Frigid on the upper slopes and peaks. The mesic-frigid boundary ranging between 1,280 m on northern aspects and 1,402 m on southern aspects. The objective of this study is to observe if organic matter increases with increasing elevation. Since the temperature regime field classification of a pedon is determined by the elevation of the site and mean annual soil temperature, two mesic soils and two frigid soils were used to represent a range of elevations. The total carbon data for each pedon was retrieved from the NRCS Soil Survey Laboratory. Total carbon was plotted to observe both total carbon as a function of profile depth and average total carbon of each pedon as a function of elevation. From the pedon data, the mean profile total carbon of each site is: Ditney (mesic) 0.73% at 394 m, Brasstown (mesic) 0.96% at 604 m, Breakneck (frigid) 3.15 at 1,454 m, and Pullback (frigid) 5.36% at 1926 m. Free carbonates are not present in any of the soil profiles. Total carbon increases with increasing elevation in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.