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Title: Nitrogen cycling, soil properties and infiltration rates along a topographic gradient in lawns in Baltimore County, Maryland
The aim of this research was to examine how topography and homeowner fertilizer practices affected soil and hydrologic properties of residential lawns to determine if there are locations within lawns that have the potential to act as hotspots of nitrogen transport during rain events. This data set contains measurements of saturated infiltration rates, sorptivity, soil moisture, soil organic matter, pH, soil nitrate, soil ammonium, denitrification potentials and limiting factors, and nitrogen mineralization rates from fertilized and unfertilized residential and institutional lawns. Study lawns were located at homes of people who agreed to volunteer their lawn for the study from a door knocking campaign. Four sampling houses were located in an exurban neighborhood in Baisman Run. Five sampling houses were located in a suburban neighborhood in Dead Run. Two sampling locations on institutional lawns were located at University of Maryland Baltimore County. At the exurban study houses and institutional lawns sites,we identified one hillslope to conduct sampling on. At the Dead Run houses we identified one hillslope on the front yard and one in the backyard as there were distinct locations that were not present in the exurban neighborhood. In total we sampled on 16 hillslopes. At each hillslope, we identified the top, toe and swale locations. At each hillslope location, we selected three sampling locations along a transect (maximum 10 meters in length; total of 144 sampling locations). At each sampling location we ran a Cornell Sprinkle Infiltrometer to measure sorptivity and saturated infiltration rates. Volumetric water content was measured before and after infiltrometer runs with a Field Scout TDR 300 with 7.5 cm rods. In addition, at each sampling location we took two soil cores to 10 cm depth, and combined and homogenized the two cores for that sampling location for a total of 144 soil samples. Soil cores were stored on ice in the field, and then stored at 4°C in the lab until processed for variables mentioned above. Sampling for soil cores was conducted in September 2017 with one house collected on 11/1/2017 due to changes in homeowner volunteers. Cornell Sprinkle Infiltrometer measurements were taken in October 2017 with one exception for house DR3. The front yard was conducted on 1/30/2018 and the back yard was completed on 2/27/2018 due to scheduling conflicts and weather interference during October and proceeding months.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1855277
PAR ID:
10474641
Author(s) / Creator(s):
;
Publisher / Repository:
Environmental Data Initiative
Date Published:
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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