RELATIONSHIP OF ORGANIC CARBON AND MINERAL CONTENT TO BULK DENSITY IN LOUISIANA MARSH SOILS

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Abstract
We examined the relationships between soil bulk density values and organic and mineral contents for two large data sets collected in a wide range of sediment and marsh types in Louisiana. Bulk densities ranged from 0.05 to 0.60 g/ml, and organic carbon contents varied between < 4 and 43%. Bulk density was directly related to mineral content, but was independent of organic content. Mean organic carbon density was remarkably constant at 26 mg/ml soil. A mathematical expression, bulk density = 100 K/organic carbon, describes the curvilinear relation between organic carbon content and bulk density. For flooded wetlands, K is equal to the mean organic carbon density of the soil.