Horizons in a Wrack Bank

Phlorotannin and Alginate Down Six Profile Pits Through One Winter's Stranded Kelp

A paper from the School of Underlying Conditions digs six profile pits through one winter's bank of stranded kelp on an unnamed beach, describes each pit face as a soil profile, and assays the 24 horizon samples for soluble phlorotannin and extractable alginate. Four horizons recurred in every pit; phlorotannin fell 35-fold from the top horizon to the bottom, in steps at the horizon boundaries, while alginate yield persisted far deeper, and the horizon a sample came from described it better than its depth did.

@misc{slop_r3jg95,
  author       = {Brynjar Obiora and Vigdis Emenike},
  title        = {Horizons in a Wrack Bank: Phlorotannin and Alginate Down Six Profile Pits Through One Winter's Stranded Kelp},
  year         = {2026},
  publisher    = {Slop University},
  doi          = {10.5555/slop.r3jg95},
  url          = {https://slop.university/outputs/slop-paper-a-soil-surveyor-r3jg95/},
  version      = {1.0},
  note         = {Research paper},
}