Acidity of open and intercepted precipitation in forests and effects on forest soils in Alberta,Canada

Emissions of SO₂ appear to have an acidifying effect on grossfall (open rainfall), throughfall, stemflow and soil solution at sites near major sources. Resulting effects on soil chemistry include elevated extractable acidity and aluminum and depressed exchangeable bases, especially Ca and Mg. These changes are mostly in the incipient phases in the study area.     

The effect of sulphur dioxide on extractable manganese in soils

Abstract

The treatment of soil with SO₂ caused rapid increases in concentrations of water soluble plus exchangeable (extractable) Mn. The extractable Mn increased with increasing pressure of SO₂ and time of exposure, and increased with increasing water contents up to field capacity but decreased beyond this point. The addition of peat to a sandy loam increased the effect of SO₂ on extractable Mn while the addition of lime decreased the effect. Reactive Mn oxides in soils may contribute significantly to SO₂ sorption by soils.     

Effect of moisture content,temperature and nitrogen fertilization on carbon dioxide evolution from field soils

The evolution of CO₂ from field plots was measured for 3 yr, on two soil types, with and without N fertilization and relationships with average air temperature, average soil water content and an interaction term were derived. Multiple correlation coefficients ranged between 0.64 and 0.85 and average air temperature accounted for most of the variance in the relationships. Negative correlation coefficients with average soil water content predominated particularly in the fall when rainfall was high and evaporation was low. Regression equations relating the three factors were homogeneous within but not between soils.N consistently reduced the CO₂ evolved from the soils despite the effect of the year, soil type or rate of application. The reduced microbial activity due to N fertilization observed in the field was confirmed with laboratory incubations using Warburg techniques. Laboratory experiments showed that the lowering of soil pH by N addition was largely, but not entirely responsible for the decreased activity.     

Evaluation of elemental depletion weathering rate estimation methods on acid-sensitive soils of north-eastern Alberta, Canada

Immobile element-based weathering estimation methods assume that Zr (or Ti) is an immobile element, and that weathering rates of other elements can be estimated according to the enrichment of Zr in weathered horizons relative to an unweathered parent material. This approach was used to estimate base cation weathering rates for 33 soil profiles on acid-sensitive terrain in north-eastern Alberta. Zirconium generally showed enrichment within the rooting zone, but the deepest (subsoil) samples were not always associated with the lowest Zr concentrations. Weathering rates estimated with the Zr depletion and Pedological Mass Balance (PMB) methods were generally low (ranges: 0-51 and 0-58 mmol_c m^− 2 yr^− 1, respectively); however, low base cation oxide concentrations and heterogeneity within soil profiles complicated weathering rate calculations and net base cation gains were calculated for several (six) sites. Evaluation of the Zr depletion and PMB weathering estimates against those calculated with the process-oriented PROFILE model at a subset (n = 9) of the sites indicated the estimates were poorly related, with PROFILE rates typically being higher. The effects-based emissions management strategy for acid precursors in this region requires spatial coverage of soil properties (including weathering rates) across a large area, but the apparent limitations associated with the immobile element based methods in this region: identifying representative parent soils and deriving weathering rate estimates comparable to more robust methods are arguments against their candidacy for future use.     

Effects of soil pH and salt on N2O production in adjacent forest and grassland soils in central Alberta, Canada

Purpose

The effects of soil pH manipulation and KCl addition on N₂O production in adjacent forest and grassland soils in central Alberta were studied in a 16-day laboratory incubation experiment.

Materials and methods

The soils were subjected to four pH and two salt treatments: CK (control)—no addition of acid or alkali solution (pH 4.50 and 4.48 for the forest and grassland soils, respectively; same below); HCl—addition of HCl solution to lower soil pH (3.95 and 3.75); L-KOH and H-KOH—addition of 6 mL of 0.2 (5.36 and 5.57) and 0.4 (6.41 and 6.72)?mol?L^?1 KOH solution, respectively, to increase soil pH to two different levels. In order to differentiate between the effect of a change in pH and of changed salt concentrations on N₂O production, 6 mL of 0.2 (L-KCl) (4.56 and 4.41) or 0.4 mol?L^?1 (H-KCl) (4.59 and 4.42) KCl solutions were also applied as treatments to create two levels of salt application rates.

Results and discussion

Increasing pH promoted gross nitrification and cumulative N₂O production in both soils, particularly in the forest soil. However, cumulative N₂O production decreased in the forest soil but increased in the grassland soil when pH decreased. Cumulative N₂O production in the grassland soil was 36 times higher in the L-KCl treatment (1,442 μg?N?kg^?1) than in the CK (40 μg?N?kg^?1), whereas the H-KCl treatment reduced cumulative N₂O production. In contrast, in the forest soil, both KCl treatments reduced cumulative N₂O production.

Conclusions

(1) The most important factor to increase N₂O production in this study was increasing soil pH, suggesting that careful soil pH management could be used as a tool to control soil N₂O production; (2) salt effect was also involved in affecting N₂O production.     

Effects of acidity in precipitation on terrestrial vegetation

Over the last several decades rain in the Northeastern United States has become more acidic presumably as a result of anthropogenic inputs of SO_x and NO_x to the atmosphere and their conversion to H₂SO₄ and HNO₃. Present experimental results suggest that acidic precipitation would initially affect organisms on leaf surfaces and epidermal cells of leaves of higher plants. More internal cell layers would be affected with increasing duration or frequency of exposure. Differences in responses of plant foliage among plant species to acidic precipitation appear to be due to the degree of leaf wetting and differences in responses of leaf cells to low pH rain. Moreover, within the same plant, particular structures or cell types may be more sensitive than others. If the United States is to utilize coal reserves for electric power generation that might increase rainfall acidity in the future, an assessment of the impact that acidic rain might have on terrestrial vegetation is necessary. In one experiment, field-grown soybeans were exposed to short duration rainfalls of either pH 4.0, 3.1, 2.7, or 2.3 to provide inputs of 50, 397, 998, or 2506 μeq of H⁺, respectively, above ambient levels throughout the growing season. Control plots received only ambient rainfalls. These additional H⁺ decreased seed yield, 2.6, 6.5, 11.4, and 9.5%, respectively. A treatment response function determined between H⁺ treatments and seed yield wasy=21.06?1.01 logx had a correlation coefficient of ?0.90. Researchers must design additional experiments with adequate experimental controls to assess the impact that acidic rain, at the present pH levels of 3.0 to 4.0 or at anticipated worst-case levels, that could occur if the acidity of rain should increase. Only a holistic view of the impacts that acid precipitation may have on vegetation will enable optimal energy and environmental policy decisions to be made.     

Mined-land reclamation studies on bighorn sheep range in Alberta,Canada

Several ecological factors combine to make the amount and quality of winter range of great importance for the maintenance of Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis) herds in the Province of Alberta, Canada. Increased resource development activities, particularly surface mining, have posed new problems of land-use and reclamation in the sub-alpine forest zone. Solutions to these problems are being sought in reclamation studies at Luscar, Alberta, with emphasis upon winter sheep-range as an important land-use objective. Hydro-seeding trials have facilitated the selection of promising plant species and varieties for revegetation of mined-land.     

Effect of ammonium sulfate, ammonium chloride and root-zone acidity on inorganic ion content of tobacco

Tobacco plants (Nicotiana tabacum L. cv NC82) were supplied with (NH4)2SO4 or NH4Cl at root-zone pH of 6.0 and 4.5 in hydroponic culture for 28 days. Dry matter accumulation, total N and C content, and leaf area and number were not affected by the NH4+ source or root-zone pH. Plants supplied with NH4Cl accumulated up to 1.2 mM Cl g DW-1, but accumulated 37% less inorganic H2PO4- and 47% less SO4(2-) than plants supplied with (NH4)2SO4. The large Cl- accumulation resulted in NH4Cl- supplied plants having a 31% higher inorganic anion (NO3-, H2, PO4-, SO4(2-), and Cl-) charge. This higher inorganic anion charge in the NH4Cl-supplied plants was balanced by a similar increase in K+ charge. Plants supplied with NH4Cl accumulated greater concentrations of Cl- in leaves (up to 5.1% of DW) than plants supplied with (NH4)2SO4 (less than -% DW). Despite the high Cl- concentration of leaves in NH4Cl supplied plants, these plants showed no symptoms of Cl- toxicity. This demonstrates that toxicity symptoms are not due solely to an interaction between high Cl- concentration in tissue and NH4+ nutrition. The increase in root-zone acidity to pH 4.5 from 6.0 did not induce toxicity symptoms.     

Wolf population fluctuations in Jasper National Park,Alberta, Canada

Wolves are important components in the northern and western Canadian National Parks. Within Jasper National Park their numbers have undergone wide fluctuations. One cause of these fluctuations can be traced to the predator control programmes in areas adjacent to the National Parks. An examination of the historical records indicates that Wolves were widely persecuted also within the Parks in the past. Such activities have now largely ceased; however, increased human visitation has placed new pressures on these large carnivores. There is a need for public education to gain an acceptance of Wolf predation on ungulates in the Parks, although ungulates are traditionally one of the favoured attractions to North American National Parks.     

二氧化钛纳米颗粒对铜在土壤中运移的影响

采用柱淋溶实验方法研究了二氧化钛纳米颗粒对铜在不同土壤中运移的影响。结果表明,在有机质含量较低的灰褐土和潮土中,二氧化钛纳米颗粒的存在使铜在这两种土壤中迁移能力分别增强了8 432倍和32倍,二氧化钛纳米颗粒结合态铜是铜在土壤中运移的主要形态。然而这一现象在具有较高有机质含量的褐土和黑土中变得不明显。在褐土中只有1.35%的铜以二氧化钛纳米颗粒结合态运移;而在黑土中,几乎没有二氧化钛纳米颗粒结合态运移的铜,二氧化钛纳米颗粒不作为铜离子运移的载体。在运移过程中,铜能部分或完全地从二氧化钛纳米颗粒上解吸下来。土壤有机质是引起二氧化钛纳米颗粒吸附态铜解吸的重要因素,铜从二氧化钛纳米颗粒上解吸比率随着土壤有机质含量的增加而增加。土壤有机质对铜离子具有强烈的络合作用,土壤有机质越高,越容易从二氧化钛纳米颗粒上竞争吸附铜离子,从而增加铜的解吸比率。     

Effect of simulated acid precipitation on nitrogen mineralization and nitrification in forest soils

After exposure of samples of three forest soils (pH 3.4 to 3.9) from the Adirondacks region of New York to 60, 230, or 400 cm of simulated rain of pH 3.5 or 5.6 in 4, 14, or 24 weeks, respectively, the soil samples were separated into the 0 to 2 and 2 to 5 cm organic layers and further incubated. The rates of N mineralization in Woods soil exposed to the simulated precipitation were less for rain at pH 3.5 than at pH 5.6, but the inhibition decreased with increasing exposure of the 0 to 2 cm layer. In Panther soil, the rates of mineralization were usually not affected by the acidity of the simulated rain. In the upper layer of Sagamore soil, mineralization was not influenced by pH of the simulated rain, but the transformation was faster in the bottom layer of soil after prolonged exposure to simulated rain at pH 3.5 than at pH 5.6. The rate of nitrate formation in Panther and Woods soil amended with ammonium was inhibited by the more acid rain. Studies with ¹⁵NH₄ indicated that ammonium was oxidized to nitrate even though ammonium levels did not decline or declined only slightly after prolonged exposure of Panther or Woods soil to rain at pH 3.5. The growth of orchardgrass in Panther and Woods soil was inhibited by the more acid simulated rain.     

Grassland soil organic carbon and the effects of irrigated cropping in Alberta,Canada

High heterogeneity in the spatial distribution of soil organic carbon (SOC) in grasslands causes uncertainty in estimating its content and storage. In this study, we investigated the spatial distribution of SOC content and storage in the prairies of southern Alberta, Canada, and how it is affected by land use such as irrigated cropping and other environmental conditions such as cattle grazing, slope landscape position and dominant plant species. The mean SOC content was determined to be 11.5 g kg^–1 (range: 8.9 to 22.4 g kg^–1) in the 0–10 cm layer and 6.8 g kg^–1 (range: 4.0 to 13.3 g kg^–1) in the 10–30 cm layer; mean SOC storage was 1.59 kg C m^–2 (range: 1.23 to 2.78 kg C m^–2) in the 0–10 cm layer and 2.07 kg C m^–2 (range: 1.21 to 3.62 kg C m^–2) in the 10–30 cm layer. The SOC content was significantly affected by slope position in both the 0–10 and 10–30 cm layers, in the following order: bottom >middle > top position. Moreover, SOC storage was higher in sites dominated by shrubs than graminoid/forb communities. Thus, SOC content and storage had distinctly clustered spatial patterns throughout the study area and were significant differences between the 0–10 and 10–30 cm soil layers. Prior land-use change from arid grassland to irrigated cropland increased SOC content and storage in bulk soils.     

Deposition of sulphur gases from multiple scattered sources in Alberta

Various measurements utilizing soils, plants, precipitation and free water surfaces indicate that approximately 7 to 9 kg ha^?1 of sulphate S was deposited annually within an area of 4600 km². This area contained or had adjacent to its boundaries 10 S emission sources for which the provincial government had established a combined allowable daily emission of approximately 330 tonne S. At distances of 40 or more km from the emission sources the annual deposition rate had declined to4 to 6 kg ha^?1.     

Modelling sulphur dioxide levels in the Sarnia area

For environmental planning and policy-making purposes, this study was undertaken to apply the Ontario Ministry of the Environment Air Quality Model for SO₂ to an urban-industrial region, namely, the Sarnia and St. Clair River area. Predicted and measured SO₂ levels showed good agreement. A comparison of daily model predictions with 118 observations from 11 monitoring stations for 12 days in 1973 gave an overall correlation coefficient of 0.88.     

Effects of acidic precipitation and acidity on soil microbial processes

Effects of soil acidity on microbial decomposition of organic matter and transformation of N in an acid forest soil were investigated. In the oak-leaf-amended pH-adjusted acid soils, CO₂ production in 14-and 150-day preincubated samples decreased by about 6 and 37%, respectively. In the control (unamended) acidified soils, reductions in CO₂ production of 14% in 14-day preincubated samples and of 52% in 150-day samples were observed. Ammonia formation in the pH-adjusted acid soil was about 50% less than in the naturally acid soil. Increased rates of ammonification and nitrification were observed in the pH-adjusted neutral soil. Little autotrophic and heterotrophic nitrifying activity was detected in naturally acid and acidified forest soils. The rate of denitrification was rather slow in acid soils, and at greater acidities N₂O was the predominant end product. The abundance of N-fixing free-living bacteria was very low in acidic and acidified forest soils, and N gains by asymbiotic bacterial fixation in an acid forest ecosystem may be insignificant. These results suggest that further acidification of acid forest soils by addition of H₂SO₄ or by acid precipitation may lead to significant reductions in the leaf litter decomposition, ammonification, nitrification, and denitrification and thus reduce nutrient recycling in the forest ecosystem.     

Modeling of hydrophobic cohesive sediment transport in the Ells River Alberta,Canada

Purpose

In this paper, a novel modeling approach is applied to assess the unique transport characteristics of hydrophobic (bitumen containing) cohesive sediment for the Ells River, AB, Canada. The modeling offers a new way of treating the transport and fate of fine sediment in rivers and points to the importance of including a sediment entrapment process in the modeling of the Ells River sediment dynamics.

Materials and methods

The modeling approach involves combining two existing models (RIVFLOC and MOBED). Using fine sediment transport parameters derived from laboratory flume experiments (e.g., settling velocity of sediment as a function of floc size and the critical shear stresses for deposition) and the calculated flow field from the MOBED model (using field survey data such as, cross-sectional geometry, river slope, grain size of bed material, and discharge), the RIVFLOC model is used to predict the transport characteristics (including entrapment) of the hydrophobic Ells River sediment.

Results and discussion

The application of the connected RIVFLOC and MOBED models, demonstrated the unique hydrophobic sediment dynamics of the Ells River. The model showed no deposition (in the classical sense) of the hydrophobic sediment as the bed shear stresses, even at base flow, are well above the critical bed shear for deposition (flocculation is shown to occur, but its impact on settling is negligible given the high shear stresses). However, the model showed the possibility of fine sediment ingression into the river bed (interstitial voids) due to the entrapment process which is known to occur at bed shear stresses well above the critical shear stress for deposition.

Conclusions

The salient features of RIVFLOC and MOBED models and their applications for understanding the transport and fate of unique hydrophobic fine sediments are presented. The models are shown to be useful for the understanding and projection of flow characteristics and sediment dynamics (including entrapment), and will be of benefit for the adaptive management of riverine monitoring programs given various flow scenarios including extreme events and climate change.

     

Effect of pH,organic matter content and nitrate on the evolution of ethylene from soils

The evolution of C₂H₄ from soils was stimulated by air-drying, and still more by oven-drying at 105°C. The quantities evolved were closely correlated with organic matter content, with no significant difference in this relationship between grassland and arable soils, or between topsoil and subsoil. In arable soils only, the quantities of C₂H₄ also increased significantly with decreasing pH. No significant relationship could be found between NO₃^? concentrations in fresh soils and the quantities of C₂H₄ evolved, but for air-dried soils (arable only) there was a significant decrease with increasing NO₃^?. Artificial addition of NO₃^? only partially inhibited the evolution of C₂H₄, even at concentrations an order of magnitude higher than those found in the field. At normal soil concentrations the only effect of NO₃^? seems likely to be a short delay in the achievement of the maximum C₂H₄ concentrations.     

Effect of crop residue biochar on soil acidity amelioration in strongly acidic tea garden soils

Strongly acidic soil (e.g. pH < 5.0) is detrimental to tea productivity and quality. Wheat, rice and peanut biochar produced at low temperature (max 300 °C) and differing in alkalinity content were incorporated into Xuan‐cheng (Ultisol; initial pH_{soil/water = 1/2.5} 4.12) and Ying‐tan soil (Ultisol; initial pH _{soil/water = 1/2.5} 4.75) at 10 and 20 g/kg (w/w) to quantify their liming effect and evaluate their effectiveness for acidity amelioration of tea garden soils. After a 65‐day incubation at 25 °C, biochar application significantly (P < 0.05) increased soil pH and exchangeable cations and reduced Al saturation of both tea soils. Association of H⁺ ions with biochar and decarboxylation processes was likely to be the main factor neutralizing soil acidity. Further, biochar application reduced acidity production from the N cycle. Significant (P < 0.05) increases in exchangeable cations and reductions in exchangeable acidity and Al saturation were observed as the rate of biochar increased, but there were no further effects on soil pH. The lack of change in soil pH at the higher biochar rate may be due to the displacement of exchangeable acidity and the high buffering capacity of biochar, thereby retarding a further liming effect. Hence, a significant linear correlation between reduced exchangeable acidity and alkalinity balance was found in biochar‐amended soils (P < 0.05). Low‐temperature biochar of crop residues is suggested as a potential amendment to ameliorate acidic tea garden soils.     

Sulphur and nitrogen nutrition and misting effects on the response of bluegrass to ozone,sulphur dioxide,nitrogen dioxide or their mixture

Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.) plants, cultivars Cheri, Merion and Touchdown were grown at complete nutrition or with low S or low N. Plants were exposed to 10 ppm (v/v) O₃ for 6 h d^?i, 15 pphm SO₂ continuously, 15 pphm NO₂ continuously, or their mixture at these concentrations for 10 days. The severity of injury was much increased by misting with deionized water for 5 min twice daily, especially with SO₂ and NO₂ single gas exposures. The misting did not have consistent effects on total S, total N, leaf area or fresh weight. Exposure to O₃ decreased leaf area without affecting S or N content, while SO₂ usually increased total S and, in some cases, increased total N. Exposure to NO₂ increased total N without affecting total S, and the mixture increased both total S and total N. Low S or low N usually enhanced the effect of SO₂ or NO₂, respectively. Leaf area and fresh weight were not as responsive to the treatments as total S and total N. Rainfall outdoors may be a major meteorological factor affecting plant injury response to gaseous pollutants.     

黑龙江省主要类型稻田土壤硫现状及硫肥效果的研究

不同品种硫肥在水稻土上应用结果表明:硫对水稻的生长发育有促进作用.提高水稻产量,增产效果较好的是硫铵和Sulfer95,增产8.8%～13.4%.另外,施含硫肥料能缓解土壤硫素的消耗,对保持土壤中硫的平衡有很大作用.