Natural acidity of waters in podzolized soils and potential impacts from acid precipitation
Nutrient movements through sites in southeast Alaska and Washington were documented to determine net changes in chemical composition of precipitation water as it passed through a forest soil and became stream flow. These sites were not subject to acid precipitation (rainfall pH 5.8 to 7.2), yet soil water was acidified to 4.2 by natural organic acid forming processes in the podzol soils. Organic acids precipitated in the subsoils, allowing a pH increase. Stream water pH ranged from 6.5 to 7.2 indicating a natural buffering capacity that may exceed any additional acid input from acid rain. Precipitation composition was dominated by magnesium, sodium, and chloride due to the proximity of the ocean at the southeast Alaska site. Anionic constituents of the precipitation were dominated by bicarbonate at the Washington site. Soil podzolization processes concurrently increased solution color and iron concentrations in the litter and surface horizons leachates. The anion flux through the soil profile was dominated by chloride and sulfate at the southwast Alaska site, whereas at the Washington site anion flux appeared to be dominated by organic acids. Electroneutrality calculations indicated a cation deficit for the southeast Alaska site. 10 references, 2 tables.
- Research Organization:
- Colorado State Univ., Fort Collins (USA). Dept. of Earth Resources; Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC05-84OR21400
- OSTI ID:
- 5043846
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/OR/21400-T5; ON: DE84010749
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
Terrestrial-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
520200 -- Environment
Aquatic-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ACID CARBONATES
ACID RAIN
ACIDIFICATION
ALASKA
ATMOSPHERIC PRECIPITATIONS
BUFFERS
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
CHEMISTRY
CHLORIDES
CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
DATA
DISPERSIONS
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FEDERAL REGION X
FORESTS
HALIDES
HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
HUMIC ACIDS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INFORMATION
LEACHATES
MIXTURES
NORTH AMERICA
NUMERICAL DATA
ORGANIC ACIDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PH VALUE
RAIN
RAIN WATER
SOIL CHEMISTRY
SOILS
SOLUTIONS
STREAMS
SULFATES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
SURFACE WATERS
USA
WASHINGTON
WATER