Acid rain and soils of the Adirondacks. III. Rates of soil acidification in a montane spruce–fir forest at Whiteface Mountain, New York

1994 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 663-669 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.H. Johnson ◽  
A.J. Friedland ◽  
E.K. Miller ◽  
T.G. Siccama
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Soil Acidification ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Base Cations ◽  
Base Cation ◽  
Mineral Weathering ◽  
Published Data ◽  
Whiteface Mountain ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Loss Rates

To assess the impact of atmospheric deposition on soil acidification and base cation supplies in montane spruce–fir forest soils at Whiteface Mountain, New York, base cation and proton fluxes were determined for organic and mineral horizons from measurements made at four stands (1020–1090 m above sea level) over a 4-year period. Our best estimates indicate an annual accumulation of H+ and a net loss of base cations from the forest floor of about 0.71 kmolc/ha, a 2.8% per year loss of the total forest floor base cation pool. This high rate of acidification is attributable to base cation leaching by sulfate and organic anions, and uptake by living biomass. From 1986 to 1990, the annual net loss rate of forest floor Ca, the most abundant base cation, was several times greater than historical loss rates as determined by 50-year comparisons of forest floor Ca in nearly identical forests of the Adirondack High Peaks region. Published data on long-term trends in Ca deposition in the U.S. Northeast suggest that the difference between historical and current net loss rates of forest floor Ca may be due to sharply reduced atmospheric inputs of Ca after about 1970, exacerbated by sulfate leaching. In mineral horizons where the total base cation pool (mostly mineral bound) is very large, the net losses of base cations were substantially lower and in the range where losses due to leaching and uptake can be countered by mineral weathering.

scholarly journals Current, steady-state and historical weathering rates of base cations at two forest sites in northern and southern Sweden: a comparison of three methods

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 281-304 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sophie Casetou-Gustafson ◽  
Harald Grip ◽  
Stephen Hillier ◽  
Sune Linder ◽  
Bengt A. Olsson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Steady State ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Base Cations ◽  
Base Cation ◽  
Mineral Weathering ◽  
Soil Horizon ◽  
Soil Horizons ◽  
Weathering Rate ◽  
Weathering Rates ◽  
Forest Sites

Abstract. Reliable and accurate methods for estimating soil mineral weathering rates are required tools in evaluating the sustainability of increased harvesting of forest biomass and assessments of critical loads of acidity. A variety of methods that differ in concept, temporal and spatial scale, and data requirements are available for measuring weathering rates. In this study, causes of discrepancies in weathering rates between methods were analysed and were classified as being either conceptual (inevitable) or random. The release rates of base cations (BCs; Ca, Mg, K, Na) by weathering were estimated in podzolised glacial tills at two experimental forest sites, Asa and Flakaliden, in southern and northern Sweden, respectively. Three different methods were used: (i) historical weathering since deglaciation estimated by the depletion method, using Zr as the assumed inert reference; (ii) steady-state weathering rate estimated with the PROFILE model, based on quantitative analysis of soil mineralogy; and (iii) BC budget at stand scale, using measured deposition, leaching and changes in base cation stocks in biomass and soil over a period of 12 years. In the 0–50 cm soil horizon historical weathering of BCs was 10.6 and 34.1 mmolc m−2 yr−1, at Asa and Flakaliden, respectively. Corresponding values of PROFILE weathering rates were 37.1 and 42.7 mmolc m−2 yr−1. The PROFILE results indicated that steady-state weathering rate increased with soil depth as a function of exposed mineral surface area, reaching a maximum rate at 80 cm (Asa) and 60 cm (Flakaliden). In contrast, the depletion method indicated that the largest postglacial losses were in upper soil horizons, particularly at Flakaliden. With the exception of Mg and Ca in shallow soil horizons, PROFILE produced higher weathering rates than the depletion method, particularly of K and Na in deeper soil horizons. The lower weathering rates of the depletion method were partly explained by natural and anthropogenic variability in Zr gradients. The base cation budget approach produced significantly higher weathering rates of BCs, 134.6 mmolc m−2 yr−1 at Asa and 73.2 mmolc m−2 yr−1 at Flakaliden, due to high rates estimated for the nutrient elements Ca, Mg and K, whereas weathering rates were lower and similar to those for the depletion method (6.6 and 2.2 mmolc m−2 yr−1 at Asa and Flakaliden). The large discrepancy in weathering rates for Ca, Mg and K between the base cation budget approach and the other methods suggests additional sources for tree uptake in the soil not captured by measurements.

Cycling of acid and base cations in deciduous stands of Huntington Forest, New York, and Turkey Lakes, Ontario

1992 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 167-174 ◽  
Author(s):  
N.W. Foster ◽  
M.J. Mitchell ◽  
I.K. Morrison ◽  
J.P. Shepard
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Soil Acidity ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Base Cations ◽  
Base Cation ◽  
Native Soil ◽  
Soil Solutions ◽  
Acid And Base ◽  
Turkey Lakes Watershed ◽  
Dominant Cation

Annual nutrient fluxes within two forests exposed to acidic deposition were compared for a 1-year period. Calcium (Ca2+) was the dominant cation in throughfall and soil solutions from tolerant hardwood dominated Spodosols (Podzols) at both Huntington Forest (HF), New York, and the Turkey Lakes watershed (TLW), Ontario. There was a net annual export of Ca2+ and Mg2+ from the TLW soil, whereas base cation inputs in precipitation equaled outputs at HF. In 1986, leaching losses of base cations were five times greater at TLW than at HF. A higher percentage of the base cation reserves was leached from the soil at TLW (5%) than at HF (1%). Relative to throughfall, aluminum concentrations increased in forest-floor and mineral-soil solutions, especially at HF. The TLW soil appears more sensitive to soil acidification. Deposited atmospheric acidity, however, was small in comparison with native soil acidity (total and exchangeable) and the reserves of base cations in each soil. Soil acidity and base saturation, therefore, are likely only to change slowly.

scholarly journals The Mineral Fertilizer-Dependent Chemical Parameters of Soil Acidification under Field Conditions

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (17) ◽  
pp. 7165
Author(s):  
Przemysław Tkaczyk ◽  
Agnieszka Mocek-Płóciniak ◽  
Monika Skowrońska ◽  
Wiesław Bednarek ◽  
Sebastian Kuśmierz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Acidification ◽  
Soil Acidity ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Base Cations ◽  
Mineral Fertilizer ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Mineral Fertilizers ◽  
Chemical Parameters ◽  
Npk Fertilizer ◽  
The Impact

Soil acidification in agroecosystems is a natural process that could be accelerated, mainly by the inappropriate application of mineral fertilizers, or prevented, by sustainable management practices. On the basis of a three-year field study in a grassland agroecosystem, the impact of different rates of fertilization with nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) on soil chemical parameters related to soil acidity was evaluated. It was found that high-rate fertilization with ammonium nitrate accelerated the soil acidification process, which was additionally intensified by the application of superphosphate and potassium salt. The sum of exchangeable base cations, the values of base saturation and hydrolytic acidity in the soil reflected the interactions between the applied NPK-fertilizer levels. Considering chemical parameters related to soil acidity studied in this experiment, it seems that the best strategies for mitigating soil acidification in grasslands are reducing nitrate leaching, changing fertilizer types and increasing the input of base cations.

scholarly journals Status of soil acidification in North America

2006 ◽  
Vol 52 (Special Issue) ◽  
pp. S3-S13 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.E. Fenn ◽  
T.G. Huntington ◽  
S.B. McLaughlin ◽  
C. Eagar ◽  
A. Gomez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Forest Soils ◽  
Soil Acidification ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Base Cations ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Base Cation ◽  
Eastern United States ◽  
San Bernardino Mountains ◽  
Wide Range

Forest soil acidification and depletion of nutrient cations have been reported for several forested regions in North America, predominantly in the eastern United States, including the northeast and in the central Appalachians, but also in parts of southeastern Canada and the southern U.S. Continuing regional inputs of nitrogen and sulfur are of concern because of leaching of base cations, increased availability of soil Al, and the accumulation and ultimate transmission of acidity from forest soils to streams. Losses of calcium from forest soils and forested watersheds have now been documented as a sensitive early indicator and a functionally significant response to acid deposition for a wide range of forest soils in North America. For red spruce, a clear link has been established between acidic deposition, alterations in calcium and aluminum supplies and increased sensitivity to winter injury. Cation depletion appears to contribute to sugar maple decline on some soils, specifically the high mortality rates observed in northern Pennsylvania over the last decade. While responses to liming have not been systematically examined in North America, in a study in Pennsylvania, restoring basic cations through liming increased basal area growth of sugar maple and levels of calcium and magnesium in soil and foliage. In the San Bernardino Mountains in southern California near the west coast, the pH of the A horizon has declined by at least 2 pH units (to pH 4.0–4.3) over the past 30 years, with no detrimental effects on bole growth; presumably, because of the Mediterranean climate, base cation pools are still high and not limiting for plant growth.

Effects of base cation fertilization on soil and foliage nutrient concentrations, and litter-fall and throughfall nutrient fluxes in a sugar maple forest

1994 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 542-549 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.W. Fyles ◽  
B. Côté ◽  
F. Courchesne ◽  
W.H. Hendershot ◽  
S. Savoie
Keyword(s):  
Nutrient Cycling ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Base Cations ◽  
Base Cation ◽  
Nutrient Concentrations ◽  
Litter Fall ◽  
Fertilizer Response ◽  
Foliar Concentrations ◽  
Cycling System

Application of base cation fertilizers is widely used to ameliorate decline symptoms in hardwood forests in southern Quebec, but little is known about the effects of fertilization on nutrient cycling. Control and fertilized plots in a sugar maple (Acersaccharum Marsh.) dominated stand were monitored over a 4-year period to determine the effects of fertilization on exchangeable soil base cations in soil, foliar nutrient concentrations, and fluxes of N, K, Ca, and Mg in litter fall and throughfall. Fertilization had a large, immediate effect on exchangeable K, whereas effects on Ca and Mg were delayed and restricted to the organic forest floor, presumably because of the lower solubility of the limestone-based Ca and Mg components of the fertilizer. Fertilization raised pH in the organic forest floor the second and third years after application but had no effect in the B horizon. Foliar K, Ca, and Mg were elevated in the year of fertilization, but foliar concentrations of Ca and Mg did not differ from, or were lower than, controls in following years. Litter-fall K flux was increased by fertilization, but litter-fall Ca and Mg fluxes and all through-fall base cation fluxes were unaffected. In control plots, nutrient concentrations in soil remained relatively constant throughout the study, but foliar concentrations and, in particular, litter-fall fluxes varied widely from year to year. This natural variation caused control plots to shift from a state of deficiency in N, Ca, and Mg to a nutrient-sufficient state between the first and second years of study. Fertilization effects are superimposed on a naturally variable nutrient cycling system, and controls on this variability must be understood if fertilizer response is to be accurately predicted.

Base cation mineral weathering and total release rates from soils in three calibrated forest watersheds on the Canadian Boreal Shield

2005 ◽  
Vol 85 (2) ◽  
pp. 245-260 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rock Ouimet ◽  
Louis Duchesne
Keyword(s):  
Forest Soil ◽  
Monitoring Network ◽  
Base Cations ◽  
Base Cation ◽  
Mineral Weathering ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
Release Rates ◽  
Ecosystem Research ◽  
Forest Watersheds ◽  
Boreal Shield

Total release rates of base cations (Ca, Mg, K, and Na) from soils and from watersheds were evaluated using three methods. Three methods, one of which is new, were also used to evaluate mineral weathering rates of soils for three calibrated forest watersheds in the forest ministry’s monitoring network (Réseau d’étude et de surveillance des eco ystems forestiers: Quebec Forest Ecosystem Research and Monitoring Network; RESEF) on the Canadian Boreal Shield. We also compiled an extensive literature review of forest soil base cation release rates, focussed on northeastern North American forest soils of granitic lithology. With the exception of the total release and mineral weathering of Ca from soils at the Lake Laflamme Watershed site, and the total release of K from the three watersheds, soils and watershed release rates for the three watersheds were within the confidence interval of release rates compiled for forest ecosystems with similar granitic environment (compiled data for solum [mmol (+) m-2 yr-1 ± 95% CI], Ca: 33.8 ± 16.3, Mg: 16.8 ± 4.2, K: 13.0 ± 5.6, Na: 11.1 ± 3.0, and sum of base cations (BC): 61.2 ± 11.0; compiled data from watersheds, Ca: 82.8 ± 24.6, Mg: 50.8 ± 17.0, K: 7.8 ± 2.2, Na: 44.7 ± 12.8, and BC: 186.0 ± 49.9). Given the uncertainties associated with the calculations, there was little overall difference between total release rates and weathering release rates from soils for two of the three watersheds. Key words: Weathering rate, forest soil, granitic environment, watershed, PMB method, compositional trends

scholarly journals Assessing the impact of acid rain and forest harvest intensity with the HD-MINTEQ model – soil chemistry of three Swedish conifer sites from 1880 to 2080

SOIL ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric McGivney ◽  
Jon Petter Gustafsson ◽  
Salim Belyazid ◽  
Therese Zetterberg ◽  
Stefan Löfgren
Keyword(s):  
Acid Rain ◽  
Soil Solution ◽  
Tree Growth ◽  
Soil Chemistry ◽  
Base Cations ◽  
Mineral Weathering ◽  
Solution Ph ◽  
Weathering Rates ◽  
Model Soil ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. Forest soils are susceptible to anthropogenic acidification. In the past, acid rain was a major contributor to soil acidification, but, now that atmospheric levels of S have dramatically declined, concern has shifted towards biomass-induced acidification, i.e. decreasing soil solution pH due to tree growth and harvesting events that permanently remove base cations (BCs) from forest stands. We use a novel dynamic model, HD-MINTEQ (Husby Dynamic MINTEQ), to investigate possible long-term impacts of two theoretical future harvesting scenarios in the year 2020, a conventional harvest (CH, which removes stems only), and a whole-tree harvest (WTH, which removes 100 % of the above-ground biomass except for stumps) on soil chemistry and weathering rates at three different Swedish forest sites (Aneboda, Gårdsjön, and Kindla). Furthermore, acidification following the harvesting events is compared to the historical acidification that took place during the 20th century due to acid rain. Our results show that historical acidification due to acid rain had a larger impact on pore water chemistry and mineral weathering than tree growth and harvesting, at least if nitrification remained at a low level. However, compared to a no-harvest baseline, WTH and CH significantly impacted soil chemistry. Directly after a harvesting event (CH or WTH), the soil solution pH sharply increased for 5 to 10 years before slowly declining over the remainder of the simulation (until year 2080). WTH acidified soils slightly more than CH, but in certain soil horizons there was practically no difference by the year 2080. Even though the pH in the WTH and CH scenario decreased with time as compared to the no-harvest scenario (NH), they did not drop to the levels observed around the peak of historic acidification (1980–1990), indicating that the pH decrease due to tree growth and harvesting would be less impactful than that of historic atmospheric acidification. Weathering rates differed across locations and horizons in response to historic acidification. In general, the predicted changes in weathering rates were very small, which can be explained by the net effect of decreased pH and increased Al3+, which affected the weathering rate in opposite ways. Similarly, weathering rates after the harvesting scenarios in 2020 remained largely unchanged according to the model.

scholarly journals Effects of Moderate Nitrate and Low Sulphate Depositions on the Status of Soil Base Cation Pools and Recent Mineral Soil Acidification at Forest Conversion Sites with European Beech (“Green Eyes”) Embedded in Norway Spruce and Scots Pine Stands

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 573
Author(s):  
Florian Achilles ◽  
Alexander Tischer ◽  
Markus Bernhardt-Römermann ◽  
Ines Chmara ◽  
Mareike Achilles ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Acidification ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
European Beech ◽  
Base Cation ◽  
Forest Conversion ◽  
Seepage Water ◽  
Litter Fall ◽  
Soil Base ◽  
Pine Stands

High N depositions of past decades brought changes to European forests including impacts on forest soil nutrition status. However, the ecosystem responses to declining atmospheric N inputs or moderate N depositions attracted only less attention so far. Our study investigated macronutrient (N, S, Ca2+, Mg2+, K+) pools and fluxes at forest conversion sites over 80 years old in Central Germany with European beech (so-called “Green Eyes” (GE)). The GE are embedded in large spruce and pine stands (coniferous stands: CS) and all investigated forest stands were exposed to moderate N deposition rates (6.8 ± 0.9 kg ha−1 yr−1) and acidic soil conditions (pHH2O < 4.7). Since the understanding of forest soil chemical and macronutrient status is essential for the evaluation of forest conversion approaches, we linked patterns in water-bound nutrient fluxes (2001–2018) and in predicted macronutrient storage in the herbaceous and tree layer to patterns in litter fall (2016–2017) and in forest floor and mineral soil macronutrient stocks at GE and CS assessed in 2018. Our results exhibited 43% (Nt) and 21% (S) higher annual throughfall fluxes at CS than at GE. Seepage water at 100 cm mineral soil depth (2001–2018) of CS is characterized by up to fivefold higher NO3− (GE: 2 ± 0.7 µmolc L−1; CS: 9 ± 1.4 µmolc L−1) and sevenfold higher SO42− (GE: 492 ± 220 µmolc L−1; CS: 3672 ± 2613 µmolc L−1) concentrations. High base cation (∑ Ca2+, Mg2+, K+) concentrations in CS mineral soil seepage water (100 cm depth: 2224 ± 1297 µmolc L−1) show significant positive correlations with SO42−. Tree uptake of base cations at GE is associated especially with a Ca2+ depletion from deeper mineral soil. Foliar litter fall turns out to be the main pathway for litter base cation return to the topsoil at GE (>59%) and CS (>66%). The litter fall base cation return at GE (59 ± 6 kg ha−1 yr−1) is almost twice as large as the base cation deposition (30 ± 5 kg ha−1 yr−1) via throughfall and stemflow. At CS, base cation inputs to the topsoil via litter fall and depositions are at the same magnitude (24 ± 4 kg ha−1 yr−1). Macronutrient turnover is higher at GE and decomposition processes are hampered at CS maybe through higher N inputs. Due to its little biomass and only small coverage, the herbaceous layer at GE and CS do not exert a strong influence on macronutrient storage. Changes in soil base cation pools are tree species-, depth- and might be time-dependent, with recently growing forest floor stocks. An ongoing mineral soil acidification seems to be related to decreasing mineral soil base cation stocks (through NO3− and especially SO42− leaching as well as through tree uptake).

scholarly journals Base cations in the soil bank: non-exchangeable pools may sustain centuries of net loss to forestry and leaching

SOIL ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 351-366 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas P. Rosenstock ◽  
Johan Stendahl ◽  
Gregory van der Heijden ◽  
Lars Lundin ◽  
Eric McGivney ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Biomass ◽  
Base Cations ◽  
Base Cation ◽  
Mineral Weathering ◽  
Major Constituent ◽  
Chemical Extraction ◽  
Spectroscopic Techniques ◽  
Nutrient Return ◽  
Nutrient Pools ◽  
Clay Interlayer

Abstract. Accurately quantifying soil base cation pool sizes is essential to interpreting the sustainability of forest harvests from element mass-balance studies. The soil-exchangeable pool is classically viewed as the bank of “available” base cations in the soil, withdrawn upon by plant uptake and leaching and refilled by litter decomposition, atmospheric deposition and mineral weathering. The operational definition of this soil bank as the exchangeable (salt-extractable) pools ignores the potential role of “other” soil nutrient pools, including microbial biomass, clay interlayer absorbed elements, and calcium oxalate. These pools can be large relative to “exchangeable” pools. Thus neglecting these other pools in studies examining the sustainability of biomass extractions, or need for nutrient return, limits our ability to gauge the threat or risk of unsustainable biomass removals. We examine a set of chemical extraction data from a mature Norway spruce forest in central Sweden and compare this dataset to ecosystem flux data gathered from the site in previous research. The 0.2 M HCl extraction released large pools of Ca, K, Mg, and Na, considerably larger than the exchangeable pools. Where net losses of base cations are predicted from biomass harvest, exchangeable pools may not be sufficient to support more than a single 65-year forest rotation, but acid-extractable pools are sufficient to support many rotations of net-ecosystem losses. We examine elemental ratios, soil clay and carbon contents, and pool depth trends to identify the likely origin of the HCl-extractable pool. No single candidate compound class emerges, as very strongly supported by the data, as being the major constituent of the HCl-extractable fraction. A combination of microbial biomass, fine grain, potentially shielded, easily weatherable minerals, and non-structural clay interlayer bound potassium may explain the size and distribution of the acid-extractable base cation pool. Sequential extraction techniques and isotope-exchange measurements should be further developed and, if possible, complemented with spectroscopic techniques to illuminate the identity of and flux rates through these important, and commonly overlooked, nutrient pools.

scholarly journals Soil weathering rates in 21 catchments of the Canadian Shield

2012 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 685-697 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Houle ◽  
P. Lamoureux ◽  
N. Bélanger ◽  
M. Bouchard ◽  
C. Gagnon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Base Cations ◽  
Base Cation ◽  
High Reactivity ◽  
Mineral Weathering ◽  
Forest Growth ◽  
Canadian Shield ◽  
Geochemical Model ◽  
Soil Weathering ◽  
Weathering Rates ◽  
Profile Model

Abstract. Soil mineral weathering represents an essential source of nutrient base cation (Ca, Mg and K) for forest growth in addition to provide a buffering power against precipitation acidity for soils and surface waters. Weathering rates of base cations were obtained for 21 catchments located within the temperate and the boreal forest of the Canadian Shield with the geochemical model PROFILE. Weathering rates ranged from 0.58 to 4.46 kmolc ha−1 yr−1 and their spatial variation within the studied area was mostly in agreement with spatial variations in soil mineralogy. Weathering rates of Ca and Mg were significantly correlated (r = 0.80 and 0.64) with their respective lake concentrations. Weathering rates of K and Na did not correlate with lake concentrations of K and Na. The modeled weathering rates for each catchment were also compared with estimations of net catchment exportations. The result show that modeled weathering rates of Ca were not significantly different than the net catchment exportations while modeled weathering rates of Mg were higher by 51%. Larger differences were observed for K and Na weathering rates that were significantly different than net catchment exportations being 6.9 and 2.2 times higher than net exportations, respectively. The results for K were expected given its high reactivity with biotic compartments and suggest that most of the K produced by weathering reactions was retained within soil catchments and/or above ground biomass. This explanation does not apply to Na, however, which is a conservative element in forest ecosystems because of the insignificant needs of Na for soil microorganisms and above ground vegetations. It raises concern about the liability of the PROFILE model to provide reliable values of Na weathering rates. Overall, we concluded that the PROFILE model is powerful enough to reproduce spatial geographical gradients in weathering rates for relatively large areas as well as adequately predict absolute weathering rates values for the sum of base cations, Ca and Mg.

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