Methods for soil phosphorus characterization and analysis of wetland soils

Characterizing P species in wetland soils is quite complex and more challenging than measuring this element in upland terrestrial ecosystems due to the alternating oxidized and reduced conditions found in wetland soils, which greatly alter P valence states and in turn P availability to organisms, P sorption capacity, and P release to downstream ecosystems. It should be recognized that the methods used to characterize P in soils are operationally defined and, as such, are only representative of the chemical procedure used. This chapter provides a brief overview of P chemistry in wetlands, which may help explain why certain methods were developed for analysis or modified to accommodate wetland soils. Details of the most common analytical methods used for characterization of P species in wetland soils for research and monitoring are provided along with supporting references. Modifications of the standard procedures for wetland soils are often needed and these are highlighted where appropriate. The chapter includes methods for determining total and extractable P, as well as inorganic P fractionations.

Duke Scholars

Author Curtis J. Richardson Environmental Sciences and Policy