Floodplain soil carbon and nutrient retention along a chronosequence of urban stream restorations in Northern Virginia (2022)

Floodplain surficial soil samples (10 cm depth) were collected from 12 streams in the urbanized Piedmont region of northern Virginia, representing a chronosequence of time (1-10 yrs) since stream restoration. In addition, 3 unrestored urban streams and 3 low impervious surface cover reference streams were measured. The samples were analyzed for total carbon (TC), total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) storage, whereas carbon mineralization potential and equilibrium phosphorus concentration (EPC0) were measured as metrics of nutrient and carbon loss. Samples also were analyzed for soil moisture, pH, particle size, organic matter content, and degree of phosphorus saturation.