Soil response to S and N treatments in a northern New England low-elevation coniferous forest
A field experiment was designed to evaluate the effects of differing forms of acidifying S and N compounds on the chemistry of soils and soil solutions in a low elevation coniferous forest in northern New England. Treatments consisted of O, 1500, 3000, and 6000 eq of SO4(-2) or NO3(-)/ha for the 1987 growing season applied biweekly as H2SO4 or HNO3, or in a single application as dry (NH4)2SO4. Acidifying treatments resulted in a significant increase in soil solution SO4(-2) (1.2 to 2.6) or NO3(-) (12 to 80) in the upper B horizon. Excess strong acid anion leaching was associated with an accelerated loss of base cations, particularly Mg(2-). As solutions passed through the upper 25 cm of the soil profile, mean SO4(-2) concentrations decreased by 5 to 50% of the initial values, indicating that much of the applied SO4(-2) was immobilized in the upper portion of the pedon. Elevated concentrations of adsorbed and water-soluble SO4(-2) indicate that abiotic adsorption of SO4(-2) by soils is the dominant mechanism for the initial attenuation of SO4(-2) concentrations in these solutions. Other soil properties showed only small or no change due to treatments over the single growing season of the study. The results indicate that H2SO4, HNO3, and (NH4)2SO4 can all effectively increase strong acid anion concentrations in the soil-soil solution system. (Copyright (c) 1990 Kluwer Academic Publishers.)
- Research Organization:
- Maine Univ., Orono, ME (United States). Dept. of Plant, Soil and Environmental Sciences
- OSTI ID:
- 5316568
- Report Number(s):
- PB-92-150556/XAB
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540220* -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
ACIDIFICATION
CHEMICAL PROPERTIES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHEMISTRY
CONIFERS
DEPOSITION
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
FIELD TESTS
FORESTS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INORGANIC ACIDS
ION EXCHANGE
LAND POLLUTION
MASS TRANSFER
NITRATES
NITRIC ACID
NITRIFICATION
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PINOPHYTA
PLANTS
POLLUTION
PRODUCTIVITY
SOIL CHEMISTRY
SOILS
SULFATES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
SULFURIC ACID
TESTING