“SEASONAL WATER TABLE AND TEMPERATURE RELA- TIONSHIPS IN CALCAREOUS TILL AND RESIDUAL SOILS OF CENTRAL MAINE”

D. E. Turcotte, USDA-NRCSC.C. Dorion, C.C. Dorion Geol. Svcs.

Some-what

Exces-sively

DrainedWell

DrainedWell

Drained

Mode-rately Well

Drained

Some-what

Poorly Drained

Poorly Drained

Very Poorly

Drained

Corinna

LithicDystrudept

Penobscot

Typic Dystrudept

Sebas- ticook **

Dystric Eutrudept

Wassoo-keag

Oxyaquic Eutrudept

Kendus-keag *

Aquic Dystric

Eutrudept

Monarda

Aeric Endoa-quept

Burnham

Histic Humaquept

Shallow (25-49

cm)

Mod. Deep (50-101

cm)

Deep (102-151

cm)

Deep (102-151

cm)

Very Deep

(152+ cm)

Very Deep (152+ cm)

Very Deep

(152+ cm)

Coarse-Loamy Sebasticook Catena (introduced in 2008)

* Series yet to be established (typical pedon yet to be decided on)

Series in bold are the basis of water table study in Central Maine

** Comparable to well drained, very deep Lombard series out of NH

Typical Characteristics of Sebasticook Catena soils

→ Strongly acid to neutral till and/or moderately acid to slightly alkaline residuum of Waterville (and presumably Sangerville) Formation lime- interbedded phyllite, calcareous metasiltstone and pelitic limestone

→ Mapped thus far in towns of Exeter, Corinth, Corinna, Stetson, Newport, Garland and Bradford in Southern Penobscot County

→ Parachanners or decayed rock fragments in till, or paralithic materials or saprolite as residuum

→ Negligible podzolization (even in late successional to climax forest)

→ Minimal O horizon in deciduous or northern white cedar forests

→ Blocky structure and more friable consistence in substratums and/or deeper sola

1985 Bedrock Geologic Map of Maine

Maine Geological Survey

Objectives of Central Maine Water Table Study

1o : testing for moisture regime, pedon classification, and apparent versus perched water tables

2o: a) define each soil’s drainage class; b) evaluate soil temperature early and late in the growing season in the Ap horizons of Wassookeag soils; c) compare the start and end of the growing season based on -2.2 o C or 0 o C frost-free season thresholds, soil temperature @ 10 cm, water temperature in wells, and soil temperature @ 50 cm; and d) compare daytime air temperatures between spring and fall seasons and between field and forest settings

Experimental Design of Central Maine Water Study

> 3 forested somewhat poorly drained Kenduskeag soils on 2-4% slope 3 cropped moderately well drained Wassookeag soils on 1-3% slope

> 2/3rds of sites in the town of Corinth & 1/3rd in the town of Exeter

> pedons described and sampled (for NSSL analyses) in 2002 and sites monitored during spring & fall 2002 - 2005 (two lost in 2004)

> PVC well with perforations @ 15 to 100 cm and PVC piezometer with perforations @ 85 to 100 cm installed at each site

> sites monitored weekly for water tables in wells and piezometers, soil temperature @ 10 cm and 50 cm, water temperature in well, air temperature, and precipitation (via rain guages)

> wet soil at Kenduskeag sites tested with a, a-dipyridyl in 2003

Co-author C.C. Dorion assisting in the description and sampling of Wassookeag pedon on till plain at monitoring site by Countryside Restaurant off Rt. 15 in Corinth

Wells and Piezometers(courtesy of Dr. Jay Bell, Univ. of Minn.)

Well

Water EntersEntire Length

Piezometers

Water EntersEnd Only

PiezometerInstallation

Piezometer

SoilBackfill

BentoniteClay Seal

Sand

Mound

(courtesy of Dr. Jay Bell, Univ. of Minn.)

Bentonite being poured around upper portion of well or piezometer (installed per Sprecher, S.W. 2000. Installing monitoring wells / piezometers in wetlands. U.S. Tech. Note ERDC TN-WRAP-00-02, Army Corps of Eng)

KGEL. Other Eutrudepts that in normal years are saturatedwith water in one or more layers within 100 cm of the mineralsoil surface for either or both:1. 20 or more consecutive days; or2. 30 or more cumulative days.Oxyaquic Eutrudepts

KGEJ. Other Eutrudepts that meet both of the following:1. In one or more horizons within 60 cm of the mineral soil surface, have redox depletions with chroma of 2 or less and also aquic conditions for some time in normal years (or artificial drainage); and2. Do not have free carbonates throughout any horizonwithin 100 cm of the mineral soil surface.Aquic Dystric Eutrudepts

Page 179 of the 11th edition of the Keys to Soil Taxonomy

2002 1,112 Yes + none dry August wet November

2003 1,240 Yes + dry January wet February dry July

wet Septemberwet October

2004 951 Yes - wet December dry January dry March dry June

wet August dry October

2002-2004 MEAN

1,101

2005 1,574 No + wet April wet May

very wet October (362 millimeters)

1971-2000 MEAN, S.D.

1,088 + / - 159(929 to 1,247)

Corinna Daily NOAA Climatic Station ANNUAL 1 ABNORMALLY 3 ABNORMALLY 3

PRECIPI- WET OR DRY WET OR DRY TATION NORMAL MONTHS MONTHSYEAR (millimeters) YEAR? 2 (DEC. – JULY) (AUG. – NOV.)__________________________________________________________________________________

1 based on sum of December – November monthly totals2 Soil Survey Staff, 20103 Outside of the standard deviation of the 30 year mean for that month

Spring 2002 Fall 2002 Spring 2003 Fall 2004

Route 15, Corinth 2% slope(2% faint deple-tions @ 66cm +)

* 7-13 days May 1 to 7-13(to 89 cm)

none (to 100 cm)

** 7-9 daysMay 3 to 9-11(to 94 cm)

*** none (to 96 cm)

upper Beans Mill Road, Corinth1% slopes(2% prominent concetnrations @ 89cm +)

* 7-13 days May 1 to 7-13 (to 99 cm)

none (to 98 cm)

** none (to 100 cm)

*** 17-19 daysSept. 19 to Oct. 5-7(to 89 cm)

Route 43, Exeter, 3% slopeno redox above saprolite (in @ 61 cm)

* 29-35 days Apr. 24 to May 22-28(to 91 cm)

*** none (to 100 cm)

* 16 days May 4 to May 19(to 91 cm)

pipes abolished by machinery

Water tables in monitoring wells above 100 cm during normal precipitation seasons at Wassookeag sites during growing season based on soil temperatures above biological zero (5o C) @ 50 cm

* water table was present within 100 cm when growing season commenced** water table was present within 100 cm before growing season commenced*** water table was present within 100 cm at least 13-15 days after growing season concluded

Wassookeag pedon at Exeter cropland site off of Route 43 (described and sampled on May 21, 2002)

2C1 saprolite: 61-73 cm

2C2 saprolite: 73-119 cm(increase in < 2 chroma lithochromic in nature)

Spring 2002 Fall 2002 Spring 2003 * Fall 2004

lower Beans MillRoad, Corinth, 4% slope

66 days May 6 – July 10

5 daysNov. 15-19

54 days May 2 – June 24

11 and 51 daysSept 20-30Oct. 14 – Dec. 3

upper Beans Mill Road, Corinth, 2% slope

38 and 4 daysMay 8 – June 14June 27-30

2 daysNov. 20-21

49 daysMay 5 – June 22

19 daysNov. 25 – Dec. 13

by French Stream, Exeter, 2% slope

14 daysMay 8 -21

2 daysNov. 22-23

10 and 20 daysMay 9-18May 29 – June 17

14 daysNov. 26 – Dec. 9

Water tables in monitoring wells at the Kenduskeag sites that rose above 40 cm depth during normal precipitation seasons when well water was > 5o C

* Out of 48 applications in this season and in the following (abnor- (mally wet) fall, on only one occasion was there a positive reaction to alpha,alpha-dipyridyl (as a test for an aquic moisture regime)

Redoximorphic features in clod from Kenduskeag pedon >>>

Decayed fragments in clod from Kenduskeag pedon >>>

Perched Water Table (courtesy of Dr. Jay Bell, Univ. of Minn.)

Soil

Saturated

Aquitard

Substratum

? (Unsaturated)

(Unsaturated)

* In one instance (5% frequency) there was water in the well (at 92 cm) below the top of the substratum while there was no water in the piezometer.

Growing Season Basis 2002 2003 2004 2005 Mean / LengthFrost-Free> 0o C

May 23 to October 3

May 18 to October 5

May 9 to October 5

May 15 to October 20 ****

May 16 to October 8(146 days)

Frost-Free > -2.2o C

April 29 to October 8

May 5 to October 19

April 30 to October 5

April 23 to October 21

April 29 to October 13 (168 days)

Wassookeag * sites’ soil temperature > 7.2o

C @ 10 cm **

May 2 to October 20(178 days)

Wassookeag * sites’ soil temperature > 5o C @ 50 cm

April 29 to November 4

April 30 to November 13

April 30 to November 12

April 24-25 to November 21

April 28 to November 12(199 days)

Kenduskeag * sites’ soil temperature > 5o C @ 50 cm

May 3 to November 19

May 8 to December 4

April 30 to November 26

data incomplete May 4 to November 26(207 days)

Kenduskeag * sites’ water temperature > 5o C ***

May 7 to November 21

May 5 to November 27

April 30 to December 8

April 24 to December 2-3

May 2 to November 30(213 days)

Growing season comparisons based on Corinna air temperature lows (and soil or water temperatures from averaged Kenduskeag or Wassookeag sites)

* Exeter sites not monitored in Fall 2004 and 2005 (Wassookeag) or just 2005 (Kenduskeag)

CONCLUSIONS1) water table and soil temperature data support moderate well to well drainage and the oxyaquic subgroup for the Wassookeag series

2) water table and soil temperature data and negative a, a-dipyridyl reactions support somewhat poor drainage and the aquic dystric subgroup for the Kenduskeag series

3) though the upper site was flatter, heavier textured and close to a hydric map unit, the lower landscape position Kenduskeag site in Corinth was consistently wetter

4) water table observations in the wells and piezometers at the Corinth Kenduskeag sites suggest that water tables are apparent

5) growing seasons based on air temperature or plow layer temperature were comparable to those based on soil temperature @ 50 cm or well water temperature in the spring, but not so in the fall when they ended much sooner

6) afternoon air temperatures were significantly cooler in the fall seasons than in the spring seasons, but forested sites were not cooler than field sites

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and TDD).

To file a complaint of discrimination write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call 202-720-5964 (voice or TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.