Releve Virginia Division of Natural Heritage, see http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/natural_heritage/documents/nh_plotform_instructions.pdf
Overall Taxon Cover Values are Automatically Calculated?
no
Plot Quality Fields:
Plot Validation Level
(2) classification plot: sufficient for inclusion in a classification revision
Overall Plot Vegetation Fields:
--no data--
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
Plot location: ca. 0.4 miles SW of Pungo Ferry Bridge over North Landing River and 0.1 miles W of the river channel. Plot center marked with a 1" white PVC pipe.
A very fine and low graminoid marsh community. Spartina patens, which is quite uncommon and local in the North Landing marshes, is an abundant associate of Eleocharis fallax here, suggesting a more brackish hydrology although salinometer readings indicate no difference between this habitat and numerous others lacking Spartina. Soils at this plot are also unusual, in having a silt and sand mineral layer under a thin peat mantle.
Water is 2-3cm deep.
Refractometer measurements: (9/11/95) 5ppt, (10/18/95) 4.5ppt.
0-25cm - Gray peat (H5) with mineral component
40-50cm - highly mineral (soil?), silt and very fine sand
50-70cm - gray silt; methane
70-90cm - peat (H2/H3), rich brown, very firm, many rhizomes
90+cm - liquid soup.
Disturbance Data:
Disturbance Type
Disturbance Intensity
Disturbance Comment
unknown
Young trees in marsh nearby dead and dying. Huge Phragmites clone adjacent.