Acidification of forest soil in Russia: From 1893 to present
It is commonly believed that fine-textured soils developed on carbonate parent material are well buffered from possible acidification. There are no data, however, that document resistance of such soils to acidic deposition exposure on a timescale longer than 30-40 years. In this paper, we report on directly testing the long-term buffering capacity of nineteenth century forest soils developed on calcareous silt loam. In a chemical analysis comparing archived soils with modern soils collected from the same locations similar to 100 years later, we found varying degrees of forest-soil acidification in the taiga and forest steppe regions. Land-use history, increases in precipitation, and acidic deposition were contributing factors in acidification. The acidification of forest soil was documented through decreases in soil pH and changes in concentrations of exchangeable calcium and aluminum, which corresponded with changes in communities of soil microfauna. Although acidification was found at all three analyzed locations, the trends in soil chemistry were most pronounced where the highest loading of acidic deposition had taken place.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Director, Office of Science; National Science Foundation (US)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC03-76SF00098
- OSTI ID:
- 833985
- Report Number(s):
- LBNL-55320; GBCYEP; R&D Project: 465103; TRN: US200430%%2064
- Journal Information:
- Global Biogeochemical Cycles, Vol. 18, Issue 1; Other Information: Journal Publication Date: March 10, 2004; PBD: 2 Jan 2003; ISSN 0886-6236
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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