Effect of acid deposition on potentially sensitive soil-plant systems at Vandenberg AFB, California. Final report, 1 September 1984-1 September 1987

Technical Report · Sat Apr 30 00:00:00 EDT 1988

OSTI ID:6840234

Zedler, P H; Marion, G

The objectives of this study were to assess the impact of the acid deposition expected from rocket launches on natural coastal vegetation and soils. Interest was directed primarily toward the longer-term and more-subtle effects of acidity, and the degree of sensitivity of different soil-plant systems. A study area was established along a topographic chronosequence that ranged from stabilized dunes to residual soils over bedrock. Soils and plants were collected from this region and used in three main studies. A leaching study measured the changes in chemical properties of four soils subjected to repeated acid additions. A second study treated seeds of wide variety of native or spontaneous species with HC1 on the four soils to establish the sensitivity of the vegetation to deposition events during the fall to winter germination pulse characteristic of California coastal ecosystems. A third study examined the effect of acid treatments on the growth of and competition between two common woody plants -- Artemisia californica and Pinus muricata. A fourth study partially supported by this grant studied the invasion of an exotic species in a recently burned site on one of the four study soils. The studies collectively show that, although the soil-plant systems are well buffered against moderate and low inputs of acidity, the effect of acid additions differed among soil types and from species to species. Overall the hypothesis that acidic deposition could affect plant-plant and soil-plant interactions was supported, but some of these effects are subtle and not all appear to be deleterious.

• Research Organization: San Diego State Univ., CA (USA). Dept. of Biology
• OSTI ID: 6840234
• Report Number(s): AD-A-195125/0/XAB
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ACID RAIN
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
CALIFORNIA
COASTAL REGIONS
PLANT GROWTH
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
SOILS
CHEMICAL PROPERTIES
DEPOSITION
DUNES
ECOSYSTEMS
GEOCHEMISTRY
GERMINATION
HYDROCHLORIC ACID
LEACHING
PROGRESS REPORT
PULSES
SEEDS
SENSITIVITY
SHRUBS
SOIL CHEMISTRY
STABILIZATION
TREES
ATMOSPHERIC PRECIPITATIONS
CHEMISTRY
DISSOLUTION
DOCUMENT TYPES
FEDERAL REGION IX
GROWTH
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INORGANIC ACIDS
NORTH AMERICA
PLANTS
RAIN
SEPARATION PROCESSES
USA
500200* - Environment
Atmospheric- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (-1989)
560300 - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
510200 - Environment
Terrestrial- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (-1989)