Forest soil response to acid and salt additions of sulfate. II. Aluminum and base cations

Journal Article · Fri Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1991 · Soil Science; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1097/00010694-199103000-00003· OSTI ID:5625144

David, M B; Fasth, W J ^[1]; Vance, G F ^[2]

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1. Univ. of Illinois, Urbana (United States)
2. Univ. of Wyoming, Laramie (United States)

Reconstructed Spodosol and intact Alfisol soil columns were used to examine the effects of 52 weeks of additions of various simulated throughfall solutions on base cation, Al, acid neutralizing capacity, and pH levels in soil leachates. The authors purpose was to determine the effects of acid and salt additions of SO{sub 4}{sup 2{minus}} on cation leaching in two forest soils as well as to investigate the influence of episodic events of seasalt and pCO{sub 2}. For leachates collected from the forest floor after H{sub 2}SO{sub 4} additions, H{sup +} exchange for Ca{sup 2+} provided the major buffering mechanism of acid inputs. Salt inputs (Na{sub 2}SO{sub 4}) increased leachate pH in Spodosol columns with mineral soil due to specific adsorption of added SO{sub 4}{sup 2{minus}} and release of OH{sup minus} (e.g., Forest floor +40 cm B column leachates had pH values of 5.15 and 4.70 at week 52 in salt and control treatments, respectively). Increases in leachate SO{sub 4}{sup 2{minus}} and other anion concentrations from all H{sub 2}SO{sub 4} columns were generally balanced by increased Ca{sup 2+} and Mg{sup 2+} concentrations (e.g., FF +40 cm B column leachates had 154 and 85 {mu}eq Ca{sup 2+}L{sup {minus}1} at week 52 in acid and control treatments, respectively), whereas Na{sub 2}SO{sub 4} leachate anions were balanced by Na{sup +}. Large additions (1,000 {mu}eq {center dot} L{sup {minus}1}) of salt (NaCl) decreased soil pH and acid neutralizing capacity in short-term experiments (1 day) and interacted with pCO{sub 2} levels to control closed and degassed pH as well as acid neutralizing capacity. Their work illustrates the importance of soil cation exchange (especially in the forest floor), anion concentrations, and pCO{sub 2} levels in controlling the leachate chemistry in response to acidic and seasalt deposition events.

• OSTI ID: 5625144
• Journal Information: Soil Science; (United States), Journal Name: Soil Science; (United States) Vol. 151:3; ISSN SOSCA; ISSN 0038-075X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540120 -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
540220* -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
ACID NEUTRALIZING CAPACITY
ACID RAIN
ACIDIFICATION
ALKALI METAL COMPOUNDS
ALKALINE EARTH METAL COMPOUNDS
ALUMINIUM
ANIONS
ATMOSPHERIC PRECIPITATIONS
CALCIUM COMPOUNDS
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON DIOXIDE
CARBON OXIDES
CATIONS
CHALCOGENIDES
CHARGED PARTICLES
CHEMISTRY
CHLORIDES
CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
DISSOLUTION
ELEMENTS
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
FORESTS
HALIDES
HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROGEN IONS
HYDROGEN IONS 1 PLUS
ION EXCHANGE
IONS
LEACHING
MAGNESIUM COMPOUNDS
METALS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PARTIAL PRESSURE
PH VALUE
RAIN
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SIMULATION
SODIUM CHLORIDES
SODIUM COMPOUNDS
SODIUM SULFATES
SOIL CHEMISTRY
SOILS
SULFATES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
THROUGHFALL
WATER CHEMISTRY