SOIL SAMPLE ANALYSIS FROM BARNEGAT BAY MARSH IN NEW JERSEY AS AN EARLY UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH PROJECT

As part of the Honors Option in the Earth Science course at Delaware County Community College, students can do a research project.

Barnegat Bay is a body of water surrounded by marshland in southeastern New Jersey. The western side of the bay is a diverse ecosystem consisting of many creeks, tidal pools, ponds, and lagoons. It was hypothesized that there would be high concentrations of organic matter and calcium carbonate due to the nature of the environment. Bay mud is typically an anaerobic mixture of decomposing plants and animals, sand, silt, and clay. Since the soil sample was collected from the bottom of pond, there was a significant amount of water content in the sample.

When this mud is near the bank of a marsh and has protection from currents, it typically has even more organic components from nearby plant and animal life. In areas with a stronger current, the material may be dispersed over a wider area.

The findings of this study provided a preliminary analysis of the Barnegat Bay sediments. Further study is planned to analyze intertidal and marsh sediment.