Abstract Title: | Alteration of Mercury Cycling in Forested Wetland Watersheds by Common Forest Management Prescriptions |
Presenter Name: | Yener Ulus |
Company/Institution: | Clemson University |
Session: | Mercury in Freshwater Ecosystems |
Co-Authors: | Yener Ulus,Peyton Labonte,James S. Coleman,Martin Tsui,Alex Tat-Shing Chow,Carl C. Trettin |
Abstract Information :
It is well known that silvicultural practices such as clear-cutting and thinning would alter productivity and hydrology of forest watersheds, which may also mediate a mercury (Hg) cycling response involving methylmercury (MeHg) production. In this study, we are conducting a field study with three transects covering the upland, midland riparian, and wetlands within thinned, clearcut and uncut control areas within a first-order watershed in the lower Atlantic coastal plain on the Santee Experimental Forest in South Carolina, USA. Each transect is instrumented to monitor soil moisture, temperature, redox, water table depth, and insolation. Commencing July 2021, we collected monthly composite soil samples (0-10 cm) at each site. From the initial data in July and August 2021, we found that the soil organic matter content increased significantly from upland (7.46 %) and midland (9.37 %) to lowland (18.55 %) (p