Abstract: | Sulfur fractions in forest soils of the SO2-polluted Fichtelgebirge The sulfur status of a soil sequence (two Dystric Cambisols, Haplic Podzol, Eutric Cambisol) in SO2-polluted coniferous and hardwood forests of the Fichtelgebirge (North-East Bavaria) is investigated. In the mineral soil layers St fluctuates between 37 to 943 ppm; 11–84% of St is Sp. Layers rich in clay contain up to 79%-SE, whereas in sandy to silty substrates organic bound C?S-S dominates. The organic surface layers show 1.0–2.9‰ St, maximum in the Oh. 69–90% of St are C?S-S. Sp is low with a maximum in the L-horizons (9–19% of St). SE is vice versa, because values increase from L (0–8% of St) to Oh (7–22% of St). The characterization of the sulfur status in a forest ecosystem by investigation of organic layers presumably is more reliable than the results of needle and mineral soil analyses. |