Within the area of freshwater science, researching small-scale retention ponds is useful to determine how successful they are at trapping excess sediment, carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P), which can all have negative environmental effects (such as contributing to global climate change or harmful algal blooms) if left unchecked. The goal of my research is to quantify sediment, C, N, and P burial rates in order to answer the questions: \u201chow effective are small-scale retention ponds, and how are burial rates changing with shifting agricultural practices?\u201d In the summer of 2019, three ponds were sampled to obtain 30 sediment depth readings and 9 sediment cores. The cores were taken to the lab and cut into 2-4 centimeter sections, then each section was analyzed to determine C, N, and P content. This data was compared to data collected in 2006 to examine how trends are changing, and it was found that, generally, burial rates for sediment, C, N, and P calculated in 2006 were higher than in 2019. This suggests that a transition to conservation tillage (which occurred slightly after the ponds were built) was effective at lowering sediment erosion. Future research includes calculating the percentage of C, N, and P within the watershed being trapped by each pond, along with using the construction costs of the ponds to determine if they are economically viable ways of trapping excess sediment, C, N, and P. This research has prepared me well for my future career both because I hope to conduct environmental chemistry research as an undergraduate professor but also because I have been able to work on this project as the leader from start to finish. I will also be publishing this research as first author, which will help develop a strong foundation of research starting at an undergraduate level.<\/p>\n
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