Sulfur input, output and distribution in two oak forests

Technical Report · Sat Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1983

OSTI ID:6966735

Kelly, J M

Atmospheric sources, based on a five-year study, introduce a total of 33.8 and 30.9 kg 2/sup 1/ y/sup -1/ of sulfur at the Cross Creek and Camp Branch sites. These inputs interact with the forest canopy resulting in average inputs to the forest floor of 29.2 and 22.5 kg ha/sup -1/ y/sup -1/, respectively. Rainfall, dryfall particulates, and gaseous SO/sub 2/ contribute 37, 10, and 53% of the total atmospheric input at Cross Creek and 35, 11, and 53% at Camp Branch. Throughfall, stemflow, and litterfall contribute 58, 18, and 24%, respectively, to forest floor input at Cross Creek and 69, 12, and 19% at Camp Branch. Aboveground biomass has accumulated 42.1 kg ha/sup -1/ of sulfur at Cross Creek and 36.1 at Camp Branch, while belowground biomass contains 41.1 and 27.8 kg ha/sup -1/, respectively. Litter layers were found to contain 22.0 and 14.9 kg ha/sup -1/, while the average sulfur content of the mineral soil is 96% of the total ecosystem pool at both sites or 2646 kg ha/sup -1/ at Cross Creek and 1876.0 at Camp Branch. Comparison of the distribution, form, and factors influencing distribution revealed major differences when residual soils were compared to alluvial soils both within and between sites. Total sulfur content decreased with depth in all profiles as did the water soluble fraction, while insoluble inorganic sulfur increased with depth in the residual soils. Organic matter and exchangeable phosphate were strongly correlated with soluble sulfur distribution, while percent clay and pH provided the best correlations with insoluble inorganic sulfur distribution. Residual sulfur (the difference between the total and the sum of soluble and insoluble) appears to occur largely as an organically bound sulfate and its concentration and distribution is closely associated with soil organic matter content. 47 references, 13 figures, 5 tables.

• Research Organization: Tennessee Valley Authority, Knoxville (USA). Div. of Air and Water Resources
• DOE Contract Number: AI05-83OR21363
• OSTI ID: 6966735
• Report Number(s): DOE/OR/21363-1; CONF-830692-2; ON: DE84011139
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

510200* -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ACID RAIN
ATMOSPHERIC PRECIPITATIONS
BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS
DATA
DISTRIBUTION
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ECONOMIC ANALYSIS
ECONOMICS
ECOSYSTEMS
ELEMENTS
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FOREST LITTER
FORESTS
INFORMATION
INPUT-OUTPUT ANALYSIS
MATERIALS
NONMETALS
NUMERICAL DATA
ORGANIC MATTER
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
RAIN
SOILS
SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION
SULFATES
SULFUR
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
SULFUR CYCLE
TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS