Transformations of sulfate in forested and agricultural lands

Conference · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1982

OSTI ID:6647778

Fitzgerald, J W; Johnson, D W

The physiochemical and biological fates of exogenous inorganic sulfate in agricultural and forest soils were considered. Emphasis was given to the capacities of these soils to adsorb sulfate and to convert the sulfur of the remaining non-adsorbed anion into soil organic sulfur. While agricultural and forest systems can differ substantially in capacity for sulfate adsorption, both systems can incorporate sulfate as ester sulfate into organic matter. Ester linked sulfur may also represent the form of soil organic sulfur which is reconverted to inorganic sulfate in response to plant growth. Existing evidence suggests that the formation of soil organic sulfur is regulated by energy availability whereas the reconversion process may be dictated by levels of available inorganic sulfate. Emphasis was also given to the possibility, based upon the limited information relative to the biological fate of sulfate, that generalizations and comparisons relating to forested and agricultural systems may be premature at present. Further detailed study of sulfate adsorption and biological fate is warranted in view of the increasing environmental importance of sulfate as a major constituent of acidic precipitation.

• Research Organization: Georgia Univ., Athens (USA). Dept. of Microbiology; Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-26
• OSTI ID: 6647778
• Report Number(s): CONF-821149-1; ON: DE83003416
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

510200* -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ADSORPTION
AGRICULTURE
BIOLOGICAL PATHWAYS
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
FORESTS
INDUSTRY
MASS TRANSFER
ORGANIC MATTER
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
SOILS
SORPTION
SULFATES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS