Geo‐Pedogenese mariner Rohmarschen Spiekeroogs

Geo‐pedogenesis of Salic Fluvisols on the North Sea island of Spiekeroog Although the mainland's Salic Fluvisols of the southern North Sea coast are rich in carbonate, those of the adjacent island Spiekeroog are not. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the Salic Fluvisols of Spiekeroog in comparison to those of the mainland and to find out the reasons for the lack of carbonate, which was supposed to be an interaction between sedimentation and sulfur dynamics. The vegetation, many physical and chemical properties (e.g. pH, C_org, salinity, Fe_od, exchangeable cations, CEC) of the Spiekeroog Fluvisols are similar to those of the mainland. However, the Spiekeroog soil profiles extended over the marsh sediments, and the sand sediments below and they contained more silt and less clay and carbonate (0.3 – 34.5 g kg^–1) than the soils of the mainland. A survey proved carbonate‐free areas. The relatively moderate S dynamics showed a spatial and temporal stabile SO₄‐S‐fraction (0.3 – 0.6 mg g^–1), a fairly stabile HNO₃‐HCl‐S fraction (1.5 – 2.9 mg g^–1), but a variable HCl‐S fraction. The vertical Cs‐137 distribution showed peaks at 3 – 4 and 7 – 8 cm soil depth, indicating sedimentation rates of 0.2 – 0.5 cm a^–1. The results showed that moderate S dynamics lead to carbonate losses which are not compensated because of low sedimentation rates. Consequently, the Spiekeroog Salic Fluvisols will enter the terrestrial phase of soil development without carbonate. Thus, besides the usual pedogenesis of Eutric Fluvisols via Salic and Calcaric Fluvisols, the investigation proved a direct development from Salic to Eutric Fluvisols.