Analysis of Long‐Term Water Table Depth Records from a Hydrosequence of Soils in Central Ohio

Abstract

AbstractWater table depths and precipitation were measured over a 10‐yr period on four adjacent forested soils in central Ohio. The soils included a hydrosequence of well, moderately well, poorly, and very poorly drained fine‐textured soils. Graphs describing the probability of observing water tables during consecutive 2‐week (semi‐monthly) intervals, by soil depth class, were compared with estimates reported on USDA‐Soil Conservation Service forms SOIL‐SOI‐5 and a method proposed in the Soil Survey Manual. All soils had a probability of an observed water table within 50 cm of the soil surface. Water tables were observed in all soils, with the exception of the well drained soil, within 25 cm of the surface, 10% of the time or more, over a 12‐ or 14‐week period in the late winter and spring.