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This mitigation and maintenance plan was required to offset an expansion of the existing landfill into an area which presently provides suitable grassland bird habitat. In addition to the creation of grassland bird habitat, the Permit Modification also required the implementation of periodic grassland bird surveys to document the development of the grassland and to ensure that suitable grassland habitat has been created which supports breeding grassland bird species. Princeton Hydro assessed the existing ecological communities within a portion of the undeveloped land within the GCSWC, which was being targeted for the creation of grassland bird habitat and a hibernacula mitigation and maintenance plan. This effort identified the existing ecological communities, documented plant species, provided recommendations for grassland habitat enhancement within the existing ecological communities where warranted, provided guidelines for hibernaculum creation, and provided seed mix recommendations to create quality grassland bird habitat. This report, the “Grassland Habitat Ecological Communities Analysis”, served as the basis for the habitat creation efforts on-Site. Concomitant to the implementation of the recommended restoration measures outlined in the Grassland Habitat Ecological Communities Analysis document, Princeton Hydro developed a systematic monitoring plan for the avian species on-Site, titled “The Grassland Bird Species and Hibernacula Monitoring Plan”. In 2023, the recommended management measures were implemented, including the application of the recommended upland and wet meadow seed mixes installed within a 70-acre portion of the Site. The seed mixes were selected to include native, desirable grassland flora which are preferred by grassland nesting avifauna. In addition to the creation of grassland bird habitat, approximately 1.34-acres of wildlife hibernacula, designed by Princeton Hydro, were installed. Subsequent to habitat implementation measures, it was determined in early 2024 that the grassland seed mix had germinated successfully, and in response, the grassland bird species monitoring was initiated for the 2024 breeding season. Results of the first monitoring of the grassland indicate that it has developed quality habitat in its initial growing season. Additionally, the created habitat was supporting a number of grassland obligate and grassland edge breeding bird species. Point count and incidental avian surveys of the Site documented the presence of grassland and grassland edge breeding birds throughout the breeding season. These species included New Jersey State Threatened Breeding Species Grasshopper Sparrow, Horned Lark, and American Kestrel, and Special Concern Breeding Species Field Sparrow, Bank Swallow, and Brown Thrasher. In addition to these species which possess a New Jersey State listing designation, a number of additional grassland obligate, open country, and grassland edge species were documented, including a rare New Jersey breeding species in Dickcissel, along with Blue Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting, Song Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, Orchard Oriole, and Eastern Kingbird. Confirmations of successful breeding (i.e. nests, fledged young, feeding young, etc.) were observed in many of these species, indicating that the Site is already productive for the targeted grassland avifauna. [post_title] => Development of Grassland Bird Species and Hibernacula Monitoring Plan/Grassland Bird Surveys [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => development-of-grassland-bird-species-and-hibernacula-monitoring-plan-grassland-bird-surveys [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2025-08-05 17:22:43 [post_modified_gmt] => 2025-08-05 17:22:43 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://princetonhydro.com/?post_type=project&p=18036 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => project [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [1] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 18033 [post_author] => 1 [post_date] => 2025-08-05 16:02:32 [post_date_gmt] => 2025-08-05 16:02:32 [post_content] => The N.J. Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) received a grant for this project from the National Fish and Wildlife Federation. Grantees were charged with providing increased resilience to natural infrastructure that will in turn increase the resiliency of coastal communities in the face of future storms like Hurricane Sandy. Due to the need to maintain navigation channels and assist in the adaptation of tidal marshes to sea level rise and subsidence, the project was completed to investigate and assess the use of dredged material disposal placement, and the effectiveness of this method in maintaining marshes at an elevation that supports native marsh vegetation to reinforce the subsoils and protect the local community. One of the metrics analyzed was the impact, if any, of the placement of dredged material on the community composition, abundance, and distribution of avian species within the two dredged material placement sites, one proximal to the Atlantic Ocean in Avalon, New Jersey and the other proximal to Delaware Bay Fortescue, New Jersey. [gallery link="none" size="large" columns="2" ids="18032,18028"] Princeton Hydro, in conjunction with the Fish and Wildlife Service, Wetlands Institute, and The Nature Conservancy, developed a monitoring plan that utilized the BACI (before, after, control, impact) study design and the protocols from the “Standardized North American Marsh Bird Monitoring Protocols” developed by Courtney Conway in 2012 for both the Fortescue and Avalon sites. Surveys were implemented over a period of four years, 2014-2017, occurring during the spring, summer, and fall periods to capture the avian community composition changes both seasonally and year over year at both sites with seven survey areas at Fortescue and nine at Avalon. Post thin layer placement surveys indicated that (1) avian species richness increased at Avalon, but was negligible at Fortescue; (2) species guild assemblage experienced a shift, with an increase in shorebirds coinciding with a decrease in waders and passerines at Avalon, while there was an increase in gulls and waders and a decrease in passerines at Fortescue; (3) loafing by shorebirds and gulls increased at Avalon, while Fortescue had negligible changes in loafing. Over time, loafing activities at both sites decreased with an increase in foraging observed and the communities of both sites shifted from gull/shorebird dominated to passerine/wader dominated as the marsh vegetation developed. [post_title] => Avian Monitoring of Coastal Salt Marshes [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => avian-monitoring-of-coastal-salt-marshes [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2025-08-05 16:03:34 [post_modified_gmt] => 2025-08-05 16:03:34 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://princetonhydro.com/?post_type=project&p=18033 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => project [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [2] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 17621 [post_author] => 1 [post_date] => 2025-06-03 11:31:15 [post_date_gmt] => 2025-06-03 11:31:15 [post_content] => Over 40 years ago, Mercer County purchased 279 acres of flood-prone land along Miry Run as part of a restoration and flood mitigation initiative. In 2018, Mercer County Park Commission (MCPC) contracted Princeton Hydro and Simone Collins Landscape Architecture to develop the Miry Run Ponds Master Plan with three primary goals: (1) Provide passive recreation to complement other County activities; (2) Preserve and enhance the habitat, water quality, and natural systems that currently exist onsite; and (3) Provide linkage to adjacent trails and parks. [caption id="attachment_7488" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Miry Run Ponds Master Plan won the 2021 Landscape Architectural Chapter Award from the American Society of Landscape Architects New Jersey Chapter.[/caption] The team assessed the land area and proposed a concept plan to enhance the area and create recreational lake activities. Applying expertise in science-based assessment and evaluations, we performed:
The Gloucester County Solid Waste Complex (GCSWC) was required to implement a grassland bird habitat and hibernacula mitigation and maintenance plan, totaling 71.34-acres, within an undeveloped southern portion of GCSWC land (Site). This mitigation and maintenance plan was required to offset an expansion of the existing landfill into an area which presently provides suitable grassland bird habitat. In addition to the creation of grassland bird habitat, the Permit Modification also required the implementation of periodic grassland bird surveys to document the development of the grassland and to ensure that suitable grassland habitat has been created which supports breeding grassland bird species.
Princeton Hydro assessed the existing ecological communities within a portion of the undeveloped land within the GCSWC, which was being targeted for the creation of grassland bird habitat and a hibernacula mitigation and maintenance plan. This effort identified the existing ecological communities, documented plant species, provided recommendations for grassland habitat enhancement within the existing ecological communities where warranted, provided guidelines for hibernaculum creation, and provided seed mix recommendations to create quality grassland bird habitat. This report, the “Grassland Habitat Ecological Communities Analysis”, served as the basis for the habitat creation efforts on-Site.
Concomitant to the implementation of the recommended restoration measures outlined in the Grassland Habitat Ecological Communities Analysis document, Princeton Hydro developed a systematic monitoring plan for the avian species on-Site, titled “The Grassland Bird Species and Hibernacula Monitoring Plan”. In 2023, the recommended management measures were implemented, including the application of the recommended upland and wet meadow seed mixes installed within a 70-acre portion of the Site. The seed mixes were selected to include native, desirable grassland flora which are preferred by grassland nesting avifauna. In addition to the creation of grassland bird habitat, approximately 1.34-acres of wildlife hibernacula, designed by Princeton Hydro, were installed. Subsequent to habitat implementation measures, it was determined in early 2024 that the grassland seed mix had germinated successfully, and in response, the grassland bird species monitoring was initiated for the 2024 breeding season.
Results of the first monitoring of the grassland indicate that it has developed quality habitat in its initial growing season. Additionally, the created habitat was supporting a number of grassland obligate and grassland edge breeding bird species. Point count and incidental avian surveys of the Site documented the presence of grassland and grassland edge breeding birds throughout the breeding season. These species included New Jersey State Threatened Breeding Species Grasshopper Sparrow, Horned Lark, and American Kestrel, and Special Concern Breeding Species Field Sparrow, Bank Swallow, and Brown Thrasher. In addition to these species which possess a New Jersey State listing designation, a number of additional grassland obligate, open country, and grassland edge species were documented, including a rare New Jersey breeding species in Dickcissel, along with Blue Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting, Song Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, Orchard Oriole, and Eastern Kingbird. Confirmations of successful breeding (i.e. nests, fledged young, feeding young, etc.) were observed in many of these species, indicating that the Site is already productive for the targeted grassland avifauna.
The N.J. Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) received a grant for this project from the National Fish and Wildlife Federation. Grantees were charged with providing increased resilience to natural infrastructure that will in turn increase the resiliency of coastal communities in the face of future storms like Hurricane Sandy. Due to the need to maintain navigation channels and assist in the adaptation of tidal marshes to sea level rise and subsidence, the project was completed to investigate and assess the use of dredged material disposal placement, and the effectiveness of this method in maintaining marshes at an elevation that supports native marsh vegetation to reinforce the subsoils and protect the local community.
One of the metrics analyzed was the impact, if any, of the placement of dredged material on the community composition, abundance, and distribution of avian species within the two dredged material placement sites, one proximal to the Atlantic Ocean in Avalon, New Jersey and the other proximal to Delaware Bay Fortescue, New Jersey.
Princeton Hydro, in conjunction with the Fish and Wildlife Service, Wetlands Institute, and The Nature Conservancy, developed a monitoring plan that utilized the BACI (before, after, control, impact) study design and the protocols from the “Standardized North American Marsh Bird Monitoring Protocols” developed by Courtney Conway in 2012 for both the Fortescue and Avalon sites.
Surveys were implemented over a period of four years, 2014-2017, occurring during the spring, summer, and fall periods to capture the avian community composition changes both seasonally and year over year at both sites with seven survey areas at Fortescue and nine at Avalon. Post thin layer placement surveys indicated that (1) avian species richness increased at Avalon, but was negligible at Fortescue; (2) species guild assemblage experienced a shift, with an increase in shorebirds coinciding with a decrease in waders and passerines at Avalon, while there was an increase in gulls and waders and a decrease in passerines at Fortescue; (3) loafing by shorebirds and gulls increased at Avalon, while Fortescue had negligible changes in loafing. Over time, loafing activities at both sites decreased with an increase in foraging observed and the communities of both sites shifted from gull/shorebird dominated to passerine/wader dominated as the marsh vegetation developed.
Over 40 years ago, Mercer County purchased 279 acres of flood-prone land along Miry Run as part of a restoration and flood mitigation initiative. In 2018, Mercer County Park Commission (MCPC) contracted Princeton Hydro and Simone Collins Landscape Architecture to develop the Miry Run Ponds Master Plan with three primary goals: (1) Provide passive recreation to complement other County activities; (2) Preserve and enhance the habitat, water quality, and natural systems that currently exist onsite; and (3) Provide linkage to adjacent trails and parks.
The team assessed the land area and proposed a concept plan to enhance the area and create recreational lake activities. Applying expertise in science-based assessment and evaluations, we performed:
Our project team facilitated focus groups with local municipalities, residents, interest groups, and County stakeholders to seek their input and report on site evaluation findings. In partnership with the County, we held public meetings to gather feedback on the conceptual site designs. This helped to inform the park planning process and determine how best to manage the site to meet the needs of the community and future generations.
The final Miry Run Pond Master Plan goes above and beyond the original vision, proposing considerable improvements to the area prioritizing valuable natural features, including 34 acres of reforestation, 64 acres of new meadows, 19 acres of vernal pools, and 7.9 miles of walking trails. It serves as a long-term vision and will be implemented over multiple phases. Dredging of the lake began in 2023.
In 2012, Hurricane Sandy left numerous NJ communities with storm damage to homes and infrastructure including Naval Weapons Station (NWS) Earle, which incurred approximately $50M in installation damages that not only impacted mission readiness, but also impacted neighboring communities, where the majority of the installations’ military and civilian employee population resides. It is expected that NWS Earle and its surrounding communities may experience increased frequent flooding from tidal waters and storm surge, adversely affecting ecosystems and presenting challenges to installation resilience and readiness. In response to these past occurrences and the threat of future related coastal hazards, Monmouth County, in cooperation with NWS Earle and the 13 municipalities that surround it, published a Joint Land Use Study in 2017, which defined several goals related to adapting to sea level rise and improving resiliency from future storm events. In 2019, the cooperative published the Raritan/Sandy Hook Bay Coastal Resilience Planning Study (Bayshore Study) which identified potential coastal resilience projects within the region that could improve sustainability and resiliency from current and future coastal hazards and sea level rise.
In 2021, Monmouth County commissioned Princeton Hydro to advance the goals of the Bayshore Study through the Bayshore Coastal Resilience Design Study. The goal of this study is to develop conceptual coastal resilience designs for two of the Bayshore Study projects located on coastal wetlands along Whale Creek in Aberdeen Township and Flat Creek in Union Beach Borough. We conducted site assessments that included desktop investigation, bio-benchmarks, and hydrologic monitoring; completed hydrodynamic modeling to assess the impacts of storms and sea level rise; and developed conceptual restoration designs for both sites. Restoration strategies included removal of invasive species, planting of native species, enhancement of hydrology, and fostering marsh migration. Conceptual designs were presented to a Technical Advisory Committee to solicit feedback for further project development.
This project provided an opportunity to work closely with Monmouth County on an effort to address the threat of future coastal hazards through marsh restoration. The project resulted in the development of conceptual designs for restoration of the tidal marsh ecosystems at Whale Creek and Flat Creek as well as a detailed study report to support those designs.
The Turkey Foot project is approximately 7.5 acres within the greater 1,200-acre John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) at Tinicum. The NWR is located within the City of Philadelphia and neighboring Tinicum Township in Philadelphia and Delaware Counties.
The refuge protects approximately 200 acres of the last remaining freshwater tidal marsh in Pennsylvania and represents an important migratory stopover along the Atlantic Flyway. It also provides protected breeding habitat for State-listed threatened and endangered species, as well as many neotropical migrants, such as the American Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus), Least Bittern (Ixobrychus exilis), Black-crowned Night-heron (Nycticorax nycticorax), King Rail (Rallus elegans), Great Egret (Ardea alba), Yellow-crowned Night-heron (Nyctanassa violacea), and Sedge Wren (Cistothorus stellaris).
The Turkey Foot project area is an example of one of the historically impacted ecosystems at the Refuge and lends itself to ecological restoration. The approach for this restoration project focused on the creation of approximately four acres of contiguous wetland habitat bordered by a functional riparian buffer.
The proposed design produced by Princeton Hydro resulted in the creation of three habitat zones: 1) intertidal marsh, 2) high marsh, and 3) upland grassland. The integration of high marsh into the proposed design satisfies the refuge’s request to establish foraging, breeding, and nesting habitat for black rail (Laterallus jamaicensis), a proposed threatened species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Our approach also included a robust invasive species management plan and adaptive management monitoring program that guided the development of the restored site towards the ultimate goal of establishing a diverse and productive coastal ecosystem within the Turkey Foot project area.
Princeton Hydro conducted wetland delineation, biological benchmarks, and reporting, including a Wetland Delineation Report prepared in compliance with the USACE Nationwide Permit #27 requirements. Additionally, Princeton Hydro’s role included developing engineering plans for the restoration and enhancement of the Turkey Foot project area, mapping topographic and bathymetric existing conditions, assisting with permitting and regulatory approvals, and overseeing construction implementation.
As one of only a few areas of open space left in Point Pleasant, the 13-acre Slade Dale Sanctuary is an important part of the local ecosystem, and is home to a number of unique animals and plants. This waterfront preserve along the North Branch Beaver Dam Creek is predominantly tidal marsh, which provides habitat for various birds, including osprey, as well as passive recreation opportunities for the community.
Unfortunately, the Slade Dale Sanctuary is disappearing. Since 1930, the shoreline of Slade Dale Sanctuary has retreated approximately 300 feet, equal to the length of a football field, and the channels into the marsh have increased in number and size, according to aerial imagery that Princeton Hydro assessed on behalf of American Littoral Society.
In order to stabilize the shoreline, restore the marsh, and enhance the ecological function and integrity of the preserve, American Littoral Society contracted Princeton Hydro to develop a conceptual and engineering design using living shoreline features to enhance ecological value and reduce erosion. To develop a final design, Princeton Hydro mapped historic wetland extents, performed a bathymetric survey, as well as an ecological and engineering assessment of the waterfront.
The final concept utilized a novel, low-cost technique that had never been done in New Jersey - upcycling donated Christmas trees into a living shoreline. The design used a combination of breakwater fence and tree vane structures to attenuate wave action, foster sediment accretion, and reduce erosion along the shoreline. The tree vane structures are located behind the 1977 Tidelands Line to comply with state regulations. Both types of structures mimic naturally occurring debris structures in tidal systems and enhance habitat opportunity and shelter for aquatic life.
To implement this design the trees were transported by volunteers from their staged locations on the marsh to the breakwater sections that were previously installed in the water. The trees were stuffed between the pilings, securely tied down, and staked directly into the creek bottom.
Princeton Hydro was contracted by Ocean County Department of Planning to develop a Conservation Management Plan for the Former New Jersey Pulverizing Tract. In 2016, the County purchased the 782-acre sand and gravel quarry using funds from the Natural Lands Trust. The County’s restoration objectives incorporate ecological improvements, extension of public trails access to and through the site, and establishment of a long-term landscape design lending itself to sustainable, cost-effective stewardship as a key Natural Lands Trust preserve.
To understand the site, Princeton Hydro assessed the exisiting conditions and found that most of the site was degraded landscape from nine decades of continuous sand and gravel extraction. We conducted a water quality assessment, hydrologic monitoring, fishery survey, soil sampling, and wetland delineation. With the exception of a forest perimeter buffer, nearly all land within the site was mined and lowered substantially in base elevation. The result is a bowl-like landscape of exposed and compacted soils, forest, and wetland areas, a sterile 42-acre lake, mining roads, ATV tracks, steep slopes, ruts, and soil piles.
Princeton Hydro prepared the Conservation Management Plan, which responds to Ocean County’s directive by presenting a composite view for land restoration as a mosaic of open water, wetland, emergent meadow, grassland, and forest linked by miles of new recreational trails. The site’s proposed public access system combines 8.1 miles of planned pedestrian paths and multi-use bicycle trails. All trails will connect with Ocean County’s Barnegat Branch Trail, an existing 15.6-mile regional facility that runs for 1.4 miles through the site’s eastern reach. The plan also contains a unique 3.0-mile water trail that connects existing dead-end mining channels through a series of excavated shallow cuts.
The water trail will unlock a range of paddling routes that offer kayakers and canoeists unequaled access to restored and protected ponds, wetlands, fishing and picnicking coves, and terrestrial zones including birding meadows and oak-pine forests. Habitat creation areas include fishery development, connecting waterways, emergent and seasonal wetlands, bogs, grassland, and an improved stream connection between the main lake and the Barnegat Bay. The plan also proposes to preserve mixed pine-oak forest, mature pine forest, and specified wetlands and open waters.
The Turtle Creek Mitigation site is one of several sites identified to offset impacts to freshwater wetlands, coastal wetlands, and threatened and endangered species habitat resulting from the widening of the Garden State Parkway Milepost 30-80.
The 259-acre Turtle Creek Mitigation Site was identified to offset impacts to threatened and endangered species including Northern Pine Snake (Pituophis melanoleucus), Pine Barrens Treefrog (Hyla andersonii), Barred Owl (Strix varia), Timber Rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus), and Red-headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus), among others. Princeton Hydro was contracted to conduct a two-phase survey to first identify, map, and assess the habitat on the site and second to conduct directed surveys in the field to verify the species’ presence.
The identification, mapping, and screening-level assessment of on-site habitats used aerial photographs and ESRI ArcMap®. Once habitats were mapped, they were ground-verified as well as evaluated for the potential for each habitat to support the target listed species.
The second phase of the project involved conducting directed surveys to determine the presence of target species. The surveys were conducted from spring through autumn of 2007. Surveys were scheduled and conducted on the site during the time of year that the species would be most readily observed, such as during breeding, nesting, or flowering times. Additionally, survey methods were specific to each species such as conspecific vocalization playback for amphibian and bird species, time constrained searches in habitat identified as suitable for that species during their most active time, and random incidental encounter using transect searches through their suitable habitat. These methods are accepted survey techniques and increase the likelihood of detecting the target species.
The surveys and subsequent report summarized the results and facilitated the approval of the site as an offset to suitable habitat impact that will result from the Garden State Parkway Widening project.
Princeton Hydro developed a Coastal Vulnerability Assessment and Risk Analysis protocol that examines current and future flooding conditions given projected sea level rise and coastal storm risk. The protocol evaluates these conditions on the assessed value of the community to provide compelling evidence that would speak directly to the concerns of local officials and residents.
The parcel-based mapping analysis predicts depths of inundation throughout a community under various future climate change scenarios, then models resulting structural damage and calculates both the property owners’ financial exposure and the towns’ related potential tax revenue losses. This vulnerability assessment and risk analysis protocol was applied to six communities in New Jersey participating in a local recovery planning effort led by BRS and New Jersey Future after Hurricane Sandy. NJDEP has since recommended the protocol for other communities within New Jersey who wish to understand their future risk associated with sea level rise and coastal storms.
Following development of the vulnerability assessment and risk analysis, in an independent project funded by an USEPA grant, Princeton Hydro developed a Shoreline Inventory and Shoreline Strategic Plan for two of the communities that participated in the local recovery planning effort, Little Egg Harbor and Tuckerton. The Shoreline Inventory and Strategic Plan built upon the risk analysis framework to inform strategies to stabilize and restore vital defenses against short-, medium-, and long-term risks to the 294-mile shoreline of Tuckerton and Little Egg Harbor.
This shoreline assessment used GIS data, as well as data collected through field visits to detail the existing shoreline types and conditions along the tidal waters within both municipalities. The assessment analyzed the vulnerability of the shoreline to coastal erosion, as well as rising seas and coastal storms. The Plan provided several general recommendations and strategies to help minimize future risk to natural and community resources within the study area.
Princeton Hydro was hired by the Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration in 2011 to design and implement a feasibility study for the restoration of a Century Bog in Massachusetts. Century Bog is a 100+ year-old, 60-acre operating cranberry farm that spans the headwaters reach of Red Brook. As part of the study, Princeton Hydro undertook an ecological risk assessment to determine whether decades of pesticide use had created unacceptable risks for wildlife under existing or proposed conditions.
Three broad project objectives were defined for the project as follows:
Princeton Hydro evaluated soil and sediment tests performed by others and concluded that historic pesticide residues, especially dieldrin and DDT, disproportionately occurred in a sand cap layer applied across the plantation surface to facilitate cranberry production. Then, the project team designed and implemented a series of subsequent investigations to determine the aqueous mobility of historic pesticides, to assess whether base-level food chain taxa showed evidence of pesticide in their tissue, and to calculate dietary exposure to wildlife that are known to forage this site.
Following completion of the assessment, Princeton Hydro was subsequently retained for engineering design of the restoration project. The ecological risk assessment findings were integrated into our restoration design to reduce the mass of historic pesticide residue available in near-surface soils.
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