Sources of sulphur in forest canopy throughfall

Journal Article · Tue Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1988 · Nature

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/336148a0· OSTI ID:978736

Lindberg, Steven Eric ^[1]; Garten, Jr, Charles T ^[1]

---

1. ORNL

Atmospheric deposition of sulphate is the primary link between the atmosphere and acidification of soils and aquatic ecosystems. The flux of sulphate to forest soils can be measured in the water that drips from trees following the interception of rain to form stemflow and throughfall (the sum of which is designated here as TF). Enrichment of sulphur in TF over that found in rain is widely reported; sulphur sources include the wash-off of previously dry-deposited sulphate particles and SO{sub 2} and the leaching of internal plant sulphur from foliage (termed foliar leaching). To quantify foliar leaching, we labelled mature trees in the field with radiosulphur and measured atmospheric sulphur concentrations and fluxes. Here we report that dry deposition provides >85% of the enrichment of sulphate in the TF flux to soils below three different tree species at low-elevation sites in the southeastern United States. This supports evidence from several forests that total atmospheric deposition of sulphate is strongly reflected in the measured flux in TF.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL); Oak Ridge National Environmental Research Park
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-00OR22725
• OSTI ID: 978736
• Journal Information: Nature, Journal Name: Nature Journal Issue: 6195 Vol. 336
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ACIDIFICATION
AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS
DEPOSITION
FORESTS
LEACHING
LEAVES
RAIN
SOILS
THROUGHFALL
TREES
WATER