Effects of acid deposition on acidity and exchangeable cations in podzols of the Kola Peninsula

Response of soil and soil water of podzols in the Kola Peninsula to acid deposition was estimated under both field and laboratory conditions. A significant increasing trend of exchangeable acidity in organic (O) horizons and exchangeable Al in podzolic (E) horizons of podzols with distance from the nickel smelter was observed. The simulated rain at pH 4.5 did not alter chemical properties of soils and soil solutions. As much as 95–99% of the applied H⁺ ions were retained by soils and appeared in the percolates after a treatment period that depended on acid load and soil thickness. Ca and Mg in soil solutions were highly sensitive to acid loading. Simulated acid rain enhanced the leaching of exchangeable base cations out of root zone. Acid inputs resulted in decreased pH, amount of exchangeable base cations and base saturation, in elevated exchangeable acidity and it's Al fraction in soil solid phase. The most significant changes occurred in O and E horizons. Substantial amounts of both Ca and Mg can be lost from the root zone of podzols in the north-western Kola, subjected to acid deposition, thus leading to forest productivity damage.     

Effects of Atmospheric Sea-Salt Deposition on Soils and Freshwaters in Northeast Scotland

The majority of Scottish upland soils are particularly sensitive to acid deposition because of their low weathering rates. The compositions of the exchangeable base cations of such soils in the United Kingdom are dominated by sea salt inputs rather than by mineral weathering inputs of base cations. Catchments with low mineral weathering rates are also those particularly susceptible to freshwater acidification. Therefore, catchments exhibiting a high sea salt effect should also exhibit the most acid waters under base flow and storm flow conditions. A field evaluation study based on 61 catchments in NE Scotland has shown that this is indeed the case. River water pH under both base flow and high flow conditions is correlated stronhly with the relative contribution of Na+ to the sum of Ca2+, Mg2+ and Na+. From these results, an attempt is being made to produce a quantitative signature of weathering for the soils within the catchment upstream of the sampling point. Representative soil samples from the LFH, AE, B and C horizons and on 4 different parent materials have been obtained from the surrounding catchments to validate the above results for associated soil solutions. Sampling took place on upland moorland podzols under Calluna vulgaris. Tension lysimeters were used to sample the soil solutions so that their chemistry could be compared with that of the relevant river water.     

Classification schemes for the acidity,base saturation,and acidification status of forest soils in Switzerland

Soil chemical parameters related to soil acidity were determined for 1450 soil samples taken from individual mineral soil horizons in 257 forest soils in Switzerland, 196 developed from carbonate‐containing and 61 from carbonate‐free parent material. The distribution of pH values and exchangeable base cations in corresponding pH ranges were related to the capacity and rate of buffer reactions in the soil. Based on this, five acidity classes for individual soil samples were defined. To describe and classify the status of soil acidity and base saturation (BS) of an entire soil body, the pH and the BS of the total fine earth in the soil were calculated from the pH and BS, respectively, of the individual soil horizons and the estimated volumetric content of fine earth. The status of soil acidification of soil profiles was assessed primarily using the total amount of exchangeable acidic cations in percent of the CEC of the fine earth in the entire soil profile. As a second factor, the gradient between the acidity class of the most acidic soil horizon and the estimated acidity class at the beginning of soil formation was used. The application of these classification schemes to our collection of soil profiles revealed the great influence played by the type of parent material. The acidification status of most soils on carbonate‐containing parent material was classified as very weak to weak, whereas soils on carbonate‐free parent material were found to be strongly to very strongly acidified. In terms of parent rock material, microclimate, and natural vegetation, the results of this study and the proposed classification schemes can be considered appropriate for large parts of Europe.     

Forest soil chemical changes between 1949/50 and 1987

Soil profiles from the Alltcailleach Forest in north-east Scotland originally sampled in 1949/50 were resampled in 1987. Soil pH, exchangeable Ca, Mg, K and Na, extractable Al and cation exchange capacity were measured on the original stored and resampled soils. Chemical changes were characterized by decreases in pH, base cations, base saturation and cation exchange capacity. Extractable amounts of Al increased. Sequential leaching experiments showed a significant increase in the amount of extractable sulphate in mineral soil horizons. Changes in soil chemistry were interpreted to result from a combination of nutrient depletion caused by tree growth, natural pedogenic processes and atmospheric pollution effects.     

Tiefengradienten der Bodenversauerung

Depth gradients of soil acidification In dystric Cambisols, developed from diabas and clay schist/greywacke in the Sösemulde (Harz), the depth gradient of the acid/base status has been assessed by measuring pH and the composition of exchangeable cations. After the soil in the root zone has acidified to within the aluminum buffer range, a marked acidification front is formed below the rooting zone. Strong acids (protons, Mn, Al ions) are buffered completely above the acidification front. Long-term measurements of the input and output of acids and bases in nine forest ecosystems in NW-Germany show that the acid input due to acid deposition into soil horizons in the Al- or Al/Fe- buffer range appears almost quantitatively as output in the seepage water from these horizons. The kind of acid responsible for the soil acidification can be identified by the anion composition of the seepage water. The deep reaching acidification is traced back to acid deposition.     

Spatial and Temporal Variation in Calcium and Aluminum in Northern Hardwood Forest Floors

Acid rain results in losses of exchangeable base cations from soils, but the mechanism of base cation displacement from the forest floor is not clear, and has been hypothesized to involve mobilization of aluminum from the mineral soil. We attempted to test the hypothesis that losses of calcium from the forest floor were balanced by increases in Al in NewHampshire northern hardwoods. We measured exchangeable (six stands) and acid extractable (13 stands) Ca and Al in horizons of the forest floor over an interval of 15 years. Our sampling scheme was quite intensive, involving 50 or 60 blocks per stand, composited in groups of 10 for chemical analysis. Even at this level of effort, few stands exhibited changes large enough to be significant. Because of high spatial variability, differences would have had to be greater than about 50% to be statistically detectable. Differences in Ca and Al concentrations between Oi, Oe, Oa, and A horizons, however, were readily detected. Acid-extractable Al increased with depth, while Ca concentrations decreased; Ca-to-Al ratios decreased from 8.3 (charge basis) in the Oi to 0.2 in the A horizon. Therefore, a small change in sampling depth, or the inclusion of more or less A horizon material in the forest floor, could cause large differences in measured Ca and Al concentrations. To detect small changes in exchangeable cations over time would require sampling very intensively with careful control for comparability of horizons.     

Proton Budgets of Forest Ecosystems on Volcanogenous Regosols in Hokkaido,Northern Japan

The proton budgets of deciduous and coniferous forest ecosystems on volcanogenous regosols in Hokkaido, northern Japan, were studied by measuring the biogeochemical fluxes (atmospheric deposition, canopy leaching, vegetation uptake and leaching from soil) at each site during a three year period. The proton budgets were developed for individual compartments of the ecosystem: vegetation canopy, organic and mineral soil layers. At both sites, atmospheric S deposition was the dominant proton source in the vegetation canopy. In organic horizons, dissociation of weak acids (bicarbonate and/or organic acids) and vegetation uptake of base cations were the dominant proton sources, and the net mineralization of base cations was the dominant proton sink. Atmospheric acid deposition was almost neutralized in the forest canopy and organic horizon. At both sites, weathering and/or ion exchange of base cations and protonation of weak acids (mainly bicarbonate) were the dominant proton sinks in the mineral soil. In both organic and mineral soil, internal proton sources (mainly vegetation uptake of base cations and dissociation of weak acids) exceeded external proton sources, indicating that acid deposition was not the main driving force of soil acidification in the studied forest ecosystems.     

Alberta油砂地区在两种水文流域森林土壤酸化敏感性研究

Input of large amounts of N and S compounds into forest ecosystems through atmospheric deposition is a significant risk for soil acidification in the oil sands region of Alberta. We evaluated the sensitivity of forest soils to acidification in two watersheds （Lake 287 and Lake 185） with contrasting hydrological regimes as a part of a larger project assessing the role of N and S cycling in soil acidification in forest ecosystems. Fifty six forest soil samples were collected from the two watersheds by horizon from 10 monitoring plots dominated by either jack pine （Pinus banksiana） or aspen （Populus tremuloides）. Soils in the two watersheds were extremely to moderately acidic with pH （CaCl2） ranging from 2.83 to 4.91. Soil acid-base chemistry variables such as pH, base saturation, Al saturation, and acid-buffering capacity measured using the acetic acid equilibrium procedure indicated that soils in Lake 287 were more acidified than those in Lake 185. Acid-buffering capacity decreased in the order of forest floor 〉 subsurface mineral soil 〉 surface mineral soil. The most dramatic differences in percent Ca and Al saturations between the two watersheds were found in the surface mineral soil horizon. Percent Ca and Al saturation in the surface mineral soil in Lake 287 were 15% and 70%, respectively; the percent Ca saturation value fell within a critical range proposed in the literature that indicates soil acidification. Our results suggest that the soils in the two watersheds have low acid buffering capacity and would be sensitive to increased acidic deposition in the region.     

耕地土壤交换性钙镁比值的研究

对沈阳市郊区1994个耕地表土(0～20cm)样点和4个典型剖面中交换性Ca/Mg的比值进行了对比研究。结果表明:不同土属耕层土壤中Ca、Mg交换量有较大差别,交换性Ca/Mg的比值主要受母质等成土因素的影响;棕壤的各个土属的Ca/Mg在4左右,石灰性草甸土和草甸沼泽土的Ca/Mg则在8以上。棕壤和草甸土典型剖面不同层次中的Ca/Mg比值有着随深度加深而降低的趋势;由于Ca的植物返还率较Mg高,同一土壤类型中Ca/Mg比值的最大值出现在表土层,母质层中的Ca/Mg则相对稳定。对土壤Ca/Mg进行研究可以丰富土壤离子交换性能研究和土壤发生学特性研究的内容。     

Response of spodic B horizons to acid precipitation in northernmost Fennoscandia

In northernmost Fennoscandia there is concern about the possible environmental effects of the sulphur emissions from Russian nickel smelters on the Kola Peninsula. The purpose of this study was to investigate to what extent the soils of this region may delay the response to pH changes through sulphate adsorption, and whether there are evidence for strong soil acidification effects. To this end 26 spodic B horizons were collected along a transect from northernmost Sweden to north-easternmost Norway, only 10 km from the Pechenganikel smelter. As the pH(H₂O) was > 4.8 in all soils, and as the exchangeable Ca/Al ratio was high, there were no evidence for strong soil acidification effects. Water-extractable SO₄ was clearly affected by the S deposition and thus SO₄ was at least partly mobile in the soils; it is therefore possible that soil solutions close to the smelter may have been acidified. In spite of this, sulphate adsorption was found to be more important than cation exchange reactions as a delaying process against soil acidification, at least in the top 10 cm of the B horizon. For the top 20 cm of the B horizon it was estimated that S04 adsorption can neutralize, on average, 700 mmol_c, m^?2 of acid before the pH is decreased to 4.4. Thus if the S deposition remains unchanged, decades are required to severely acidify most soils in the affected parts of Norway and Finland.     

Significance of DOM in the translocation of cations and acidity in acid forest soils

We estimated the contribution of dissolved organic matter (DOM) to cation leaching and the translocation of acidity in three acid forest soils. The analysis was based on monitored (2 years) concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in the field, measured total acidities of DOM, and measured as well as predicted weighted mean dissociation constants of the organic acids. Although the forest floor solutions were strongly acidic (pH 3.47–4.10), a considerable proportion of the organic acids was dissociated and organic anions represented 22–40% of the total anions in the mineral soil input. The flux of DOM-associated exchangeable protons from the forest floor to the mineral soil ranged from 0.35 (Wülfersreuth) to 3.72 (Hohe Matzen) kmol ha^?1 yr^?1. In the subsoil, this organic acidity may be neutralized by microbial decomposition of the organic acids, but a part of the hydrogen ions may dissociate and contribute to acidification of the soil solution and to weathering processes. Due to the pronounced retention of DOM in the mineral subsoil horizons, the contribution of DOM to the output of cations and acidity from the soil is much lower than in the surface horizons but still significant.?     

酸沉降影响下近20年来衡山土壤酸化研究

对不同时期采自衡山东坡垂直带谱上6个典型土壤剖面Ah层和AB层的样品分析,土壤酸化指标研究结果表明,近2 0年来,由于酸沉降的影响,由花岗岩风化物发育的各类土壤,都有不同程度的酸化,表现在pH值下降,交换性酸,尤其是交换性Al3 增加,交换性盐基总量减少,盐基饱和度下降,特别是土壤酸缓冲性能和土壤酸害容量降低。相比之下,山顶的常湿淋溶土和山麓的湿润富铁土酸化更明显,而山体中部的常湿富铁土酸化进程较慢,山体上部的常湿雏形土酸化进程更慢,表明土壤酸化除了与土壤酸沉降量有关外,还与土壤类型有关     

Simulation of solution chemistry in an acidic forest soil

The computer simulation model SOILEQ was used to estimate soil solution chemistry over a 7 week period from October 3 to November 14, 1988 in the soils of a sugar maple forest located near St. Hippolyte, Quebec, Canada. Model parameters for pH-dependent CEC and exchangeable cations were calculated from laboratory measurements while soil solution chemistry, including Al solubility, at the start of the simulation was taken from values obtained from lysimeter samples. Model predictions were compared with values obtained from 12 sets of soil solution collectors over the same time period. Predicted values of Ca, Mg and K in the mineral soil horizons at 25-, 75- and 125-cm depths generally fall within the 95% confidence interval of the median for the measured values. Simulated values of pH and inorganic Al are not as close to the measured values. Some error due to drift is apparent, most notably for base cations in solutions leaving the organic surface horizons, and may be attributable to decomposition of organic matter, not included in the simulation model. The results indicate that other mechanisms that release H* (nitrification, for example) and base cations (mineral weathering or mineralization of organic matter) need to be considered.     

Rates and processes of mineral weathering in soils developed on greywackes and shales in the Southern Uplands of Scotland

Critical loads of acid deposition are exceeded in parts of the Southern Uplands of Scotland where base saturation in the topmost mineral horizons in many soils developed on greywackes and shales is <10%. Long-term weathering rates calculated by the elemental depletion method from nine soil profiles across a 200 km transect indicate losses of base cations in the range 4–31 meq m^?2a^?1. In every profile the most depleted base cation is Mg which is directly related to the weathering of chlorite which is often present at the 20–40% level in basal horizons but is often completely weathered out in E horizons. The second most depleted base cation is usually K, and this is clearly related to the weathering of mica to a vermiculitic mineral which, in the clay fractions, contains polymeric hydroxyaluminium in the interlamellar space if the soil pH is >4.3. The base cation least depleted is Ca and this is in sharp contrast to current weathering rates calculated from input-output budgets where Ca is the main base cation being exported. This discrepancy may be due to a contribution to the output from easily soluble Ca-bearing minerals (e.g. calcite) in narrow veins and fractures in the bedrock.     

Pattern of microbial indicators in forest soils along an European transect

Microbial biomass C and activity were determined in six forest soils along a gradient in physical and chemical climate in Europe. Both parameters were measured microcalorimetrically. The upper 22 cm of the soils were sampled in undisturbed columns (24 cm deep). Measurements were made in homogenized samples of the different surface organic horizons (Ol, Of, Oh) and the mineral horizons (Ah, Aeh, Bv) down to 22 cm.On a mass basis values for both the biomass and the activity showed an exponential decrease with depth in all soils. Expressed on a volume basis these relationships varied with soil pH. in the strongly acidified soils most of the microbial biomass and activity was located in the forest floor. In less acidified soils both parameters were highest in the mineral soil.Further relationships between biomass and activity and between soil chemical properties showed significant positive correlations with exchangeable Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Ca/Al and negative correlations with Al³⁺. There were no significant correlations with exchangeable cations in less acidified soils. It was calculated that the microbial biomass is more affected by soil chemistry than activity. The caloric quotient (qW) is a good parameter for determining the ecophysiological state of microorganisms in acidified soils.     

长期施用氮磷钾肥和石灰对红壤性水稻土酸性特征的影响

利用34年的长期定位施肥试验,研究不施肥(CK)、施氮磷钾肥(NPK)和氮磷钾化肥配施石灰(NPK+Ca O)对红壤性水稻土不同形态酸、土壤盐基离子及水稻植株阳离子吸收量的影响,探讨土壤交换性H+和Al3+占交换性酸的比例、土壤盐基离子、植株带出阳离子数量与土壤酸度的关系。结果表明,长期NPK处理早、晚稻土壤p H较CK处理分别降低0.2和0.3个单位,交换性酸提高2.3倍和4.2倍,水解性酸提高35.4%和40.0%;NPK+Ca O处理早、晚稻土壤p H较NPK处理分别提高0.5和0.7个单位,较CK处理分别提高0.3和0.4个单位,交换性酸、水解性酸均显著低于NPK和CK处理(p0.05)。土壤交换性H+、Al3+含量高低顺序均为NPK+Ca OCKNPK。土壤交换性盐基离子以交换性Ca2+所占比例最大(81.8%~89.3%),NPK+Ca O处理交换性Ca2+较CK和NPK处理分别提高40.1%和62.9%。交换性Ca2+、交换性盐基离子、盐基饱和度与土壤p H正相关,与交换性酸、水解性酸负相关,交换性Mg2+与交换性酸、水解性酸负相关,交换性Na+与水解性酸负相关。植株移出带走的钙、镁、钾、钠离子量及其总量对土壤p H、交换性酸和水解性酸有一定影响,但其相关性均不显著。研究表明长期施用化肥条件下通过配施石灰可有效缓解稻田土壤的酸化,促进酸性稻田土壤的生态修复与改良。     

Effect of Simulated N Deposition on Soil Exchangeable Cations in Three Forest Types of Subtropical China

The effects of simulated nitrogen (N) deposition on soil exchangeable cations were studied in three forest types of subtropical China.Four N treatments with three replications were designed for the monsoon evergreen broadleaf forest (mature forest):control (0 kg N ha-1 year-1),low N (50 kg N ha-1 year-1),medium N (100 kg N ha-1 year-1) and high N (150 kg N ha-1 ycar-1),and only three treatments (i.e.,control,low N,medium N) were established for the pine and mixed forests.Nitrogen had been applied continuously for 26 months before the measurement.The mature forest responded more rapidly and intensively to N additions than the pine and mixed forests,and exhibited some significant negative symptoms,e.g.,soil acidification,Al mobilization and leaching of base cations from soil.The pine and mixed forests responded slowly to N additions and exhibited no significant response of soil cations.Response of soil exchangeable cations to N deposition varied in the forests of subtropical China,depending on soil N status and land-nse history.     

Relationship between Norway Spruce Status and Soil Water Base Cations/Aluminum Ratios in the Czech Republic

There is a concern that soil acidification by acidic deposition, along with the resulting depletion of the labile pool of nutrient cations (e.g. Ca, Mg) and enhanced leaching of Al from soil may contribute to forest dieback. The molar ratios of Ca/Al or (Ca+Mg+K)/Al in the soil solution have been widely used as a criterion for risk of tree damage due to acidification. Intensity and quality of the crown and branch structure transformation due to formation of secondary shoots in successive series is a very sensitive indicator of long-term tree damage, and the subsequent regenerative processes. Soil water chemistry and crown structure transformation of Norway spruce were observed at 16 forest plots within the Czech Republic with the following results: parameters, expressing degradation processes in the crown (defoliation of primary structure), regeneration processes (percentage of secondary shoots) or synthetic stages of crown structure transformation showed high correlation with soil water (Ca+Mg+K)/Al ratio in organic horizons. No relationships were found for mineral horizons. The correlations between soil water and crown status parameters were considerably stronger when using the (Ca+Mg+K)/Al ratio rather than the Ca/Al ratio.     

南亚热带三种不同土地利用历史的森林生态系统土壤可交换阳离子对模拟氮沉降的响应

The effects of simulated nitrogen (N)deposition on soil exchangeable cations were studied in three forest types of subtropical China. Four N treatments with three replications were designed for the monsoon evergreen broadleaf forest (mature forest):control (0 kg N ha^-1 year^-1), low N (50 kg N ha^-1 year^-1), medium N (100 kg N ha^-1 year^-1)and high N (150 kg N ha^-1 year^-1), and only three treatments (i.e., control, low N, medium N)were established for the pine and mixed forests. Nitrogen had been applied continuously for 26 months before the measurement. The mature forest responded more rapidly and intensively to N additions than the pine and mixed forests, and exhibited some significant negative symptoms, e.g., soil acidification, Al mobilization and leaching of base cations from soil. The pine and mixed forests responded slowly to N additions and exhibited no significant response of soil cations. Response of soil exchangeable cations to N deposition varied in the forests of subtropical China, depending on soil N status and land-use history.