Jillian Phillips 2010 STEP

Soil Science Student Intern

USDA-NRCS

About me

Junior at URI – College of Natural Resources.

Home State Connecticut 1st Place winner of

National Soil Judging Competition in 2010, Texas

Summer Activities

Major work on RI Soil Survey Program – assisting organizing the National Subaqueous workshop, collecting soil data (fresh/salt).

Geo-register / Archive Historic soils data (topos, soil survey, geology maps, thesis studies).

Collect point data – 21 full pedon descriptions all entered into NASIS.

Assist with Rapid Carbon Assessment – learned how to collect and analyze the data.

Soil Lab work – collect EC measurements, SOC, particle size, etc. Worked out of the RI NRCS sub-office at URI.

Complete NRCS required training (computer, EEO. Etc.). Work with planners, engineers, and other NRCS staff.

Vibracoring

Pontoon vibracore set-up for salt water

Salt Pond, Pt. Judith

Sampled different landscape units within Salt Pond

Vibracore Setup

Metal vibrating apparatus is bolted to the aluminum core

The core is then lowered through the moon pool, into the water

Holding tube while it is vibrating into the soil

Capping and duct tapping the core

Core Descriptions

After vibracoring the cores are refrigerated until cut

Each core is cut and described

Bulk density Incubation pH

Raft Building

A small raft that was built specifically for vibracoring Has opening on one side for core Two halves are attached together Anchors used to stabilize while coring

Smaller setup, including “backpack” vibracore and ladder

Raft and Vibracore

Bathymetry

Ground penetrating radar is used to collect bathy information

Depth to peat, muck, mineral layers and other information can be determined

Collecting GPR data at Belleville Pond

Bathy Data Collection

Manual bathy rod Ground truths GPR Tin boat Canoe GPS

All points are marked on GPS

Waypoints then uploaded to GIS

Tin is made from points and bathy map is created

Geo-registering

Maps from 1800s to early 1900s

Geo-referenced on GIS to compare landscape units and development

Eg. Galilee and dredge materials

Digital Archiving

Effort in RI to convert old soil documents to electronic format. All soil surveys online and

maps registered. Publications on Benchmark

Soils (Paxton, etc.). Pedon descriptions from

1981 survey. Thesis studies – enter data,

geo-tag in Google Earth, make data available.

http://nesoil.com/historic.htm

Mapping Marshes/Descriptions

Using rod to determine peat depth

Narrow river Galilee bird

sanctuary Westerly

21 pit descriptions in Chepatchet

Near Bowdish reservoir

Full profile descriptions

Over 600 point observations made.

McCauly Peat Sampler

Full pit profile descriptions

Pit Descriptions

National Subaqueous Soils Workshop – assisted with setup, field tours, gopher, making copies of course book.