Soi Temperature Regime of Three Folists in Maine

摘要

The Ricker soil series, a Dysic Lithic Cryofolist, is currently used in several Maine soil surveys. Ricker soils have been classified as having a cryic soil temperature regime ever since a 1998 change in USDA soil taxonomy criteria. The Knob Lock series is a new soil series similar to Ricker, but with a frigid soil temperature regime. This investigation was conducted to determine if soils currently mapped as Ricker should be correlated to Knob Lock on the basis of their soil temperature regimes. Thesoil temperatures of three Ricker soils in Maine were recorded five times per day from May 2004 to May 2007. The data was analyzed both as 3 yr running from May through April and as the complete years of 2005 and 2006. Data showed that the difference between the mean summer and winter temperatures is much more than 6 deg C, indicating that the soil temperature regime for the three sites is frigid. Statistical analysis of the data shows that the cryic soil temperature regime for this type of soil withinMaine may be limited to high elevations and latitudes. On the basis of these results, these soils can be classified as Knob Lock rather than Ricker.