ABSTRACT
Wetland hydrology involves the spatial and temporal distribution, circulation, and physicochemical characteristics of surface and subsurface water in the wetland and its catchment over time and space. Soils record the long-term spatial and temporal distribution and circulation of water because actions of water on soil parent material result in the formation of distinctive soil morphological characteristics. Soil morphology, as used here, is the field observable characteristics possessed by a soil such as soil texture, soil color, and soil structure, and the types of soil horizons present. These soil morphological characteristics, a subset of which is known as “hydric soil indicators” (Hurt et al. 1996), are directly related to a specific set of hydrologic parameters. Soil horizons, for instance, are layer-like soil morphological features that often develop in response to water movement. The study of wetland soils is, therefore, intimately linked to the study of hydrology because hydrology influences soil genesis and morphology.
