Subaqueous soil

The National Cooperative Soil Survey (NCSS) is a nationwide partnership of Federal, regional, State, and local agencies and institutions.

Subaqueous soils formed under a continuous water column (such as in an estuary), although their sediments may have originated from an upland area such as a dune.

Further study revealed that these submersed sediments underwent other soil forming (pedogenic) processes including additions, losses, and transformations of energy and matter.

A major limitation to science-based management of shallow water habitats has been a lack of definitive information on the properties and spatial distribution of subaqueous soils.

Within NRCS, each state is responsible for determining the priority given to subaqueous soil mapping, based on their importance in local conservation concerns.

Shovels are replaced by augers with extendable shafts, and special tools such as peat corers and the vibracore to obtain soil samples.