Forest floor leaching: contributions from mineral, organic, and carbonic acids in New Hampshire subalpine forests

Journal Article · Fri Apr 21 04:00:00 EST 1978 · Science; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1126/science.200.4339.309-a· OSTI ID:6642741

Cronan, C S ^[1]; Reiners, W A; Reynolds, Jr, R C; Lang, G E

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1. Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH

Analyses of soil water and groundwater samples from a high-elevation coniferous ecosystem in New England indicate that sulfate anions supply 76 percent of the electrical charge balance in the leaching solution. This result implies that atmospheric inputs of sulfuric acid provide the dominant source of both H/sup +/ for cation replacement and mobile anions for cation transport in subalpine soils of the northeastern region affected by acid precipitation. In soils of relatively unpolluted regions, carbonic and organic acids dominate the leaching processes.

• OSTI ID: 6642741
• Journal Information: Science; (United States), Journal Name: Science; (United States) Vol. 200:4339; ISSN SCIEA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

510200* -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS
CARBONIC ACID
CHEMISTRY
DISSOLUTION
ECOSYSTEMS
FOREST LITTER
FORESTS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INORGANIC ACIDS
ION EXCHANGE MATERIALS
LEACHING
ORGANIC ACIDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SOIL CHEMISTRY
SOILS
SULFATES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS