Summer soil moisture content and the water table in a forested wetland peat

Abstract

Soil samples were collected from the peat of the Beverly Swamp, at weekly intervals, over three successive summers. The samples were analyzed to determine the distribution of soil moisture within the peat above the water table. A calculation scheme for the soil mositure deficit is defined and utilized to describe the behaviour of the soil moisture regime over time. Linear regressions of soil moisture deficit against water table level are found to be statistically strong, but the slopes of the regressions change significantly from one summer to the next. Therefore, it is concluded that the position of the water table is not necessarily a consistent indicator of storage capacity in wetlands.