Relationships Between Hydric Soil Indicators and Wetland Hydrology for Sandy Soils in Florida

Several alternative lists of hydric soil indicators have been proposed for use in delineating jurisdictional wetlands in the sandy landscapes of the southeast coastal plain. Because the issue is so recent, very little quantitative research has been conducted to test the validity of these alternative lists. Presence of various hydric soil indicators from four different hydric soil lists was compared with 3 to 5 years of shallow water well data along 14 wetland transects in peninsular Florida. Lists of indicators recently proposed by the USDA Soil Conservation Service were an improvement to the list of hydric soil indicators currently mandated in the Corps of Engineers 1987 and 1989 Wetlands Delineation Manuals. Wetland hydrology and morphological indicators of sandy hydric soils were compared at 58 sites along 14 transects in Florida. The best correspondence between hydrology and soil morphology was found for accumulation of muck on the soil surface and sulfur smell. Poorest correspondence was found for subsoil mineral horizon features such as organic accretions, thick dark A horizon, wet spodosol, and vertical streaking.