Tree species influence on soil acidification: long-term trends and modeling

Forest ecosystems belong to the part of environment most affected by the anthropogenic acidification. The structure of Central European forests was historically converted mostly into the Norway spruce monocultures. Such a forests received elevated acidic deposition since 1950s, from which large parts of mountain forests were killed by air pollution in 1970s and 1980s. After reduction of acidic deposition the forest soils were significantly delayed in chemical recovery compared to stream chemistry (Alewell et al., 2000). In this thesis we focused on long-term changes in soil chemistry at highly polluted area of Ore Mts., with particular interest in the tree species influence on soil acidification. The presented results including measurements of biogeochemical cycles within forest ecosystem at the Norway spruce (Picea abies [L.]) stand in the period 1992-2005 and at the European beech (Fagus sylvatica [L.]) stand between 2003-2005. The desorption of previously stored sulfur and the decrease of Ca deposition are the main factors controlling the recovery of soil solution at spruce stand. The reduction in Ca availability resulted in lower uptake by tree assimilatory tissues, measured as concentration in needles. The unexpected disappearing of nitrogen leaching from soil was undoubtedly the most...Forest ecosystems belong to the part of environment most affected by the anthropogenic acidification. The structure of Central European forests was historically converted mostly into the Norway spruce monocultures. Such a forests received elevated acidic deposition since 1950s, from which large parts of mountain forests were killed by air pollution in 1970s and 1980s. After reduction of acidic deposition the forest soils were significantly delayed in chemical recovery compared to stream chemistry (Alewell et al., 2000). In this thesis we focused on long-term changes in soil chemistry at highly polluted area of Ore Mts., with particular interest in the tree species influence on soil acidification. The presented results including measurements of biogeochemical cycles within forest ecosystem at the Norway spruce (Picea abies [L.]) stand in the period 1992-2005 and at the European beech (Fagus sylvatica [L.]) stand between 2003-2005. The desorption of previously stored sulfur and the decrease of Ca deposition are the main factors controlling the recovery of soil solution at spruce stand. The reduction in Ca availability resulted in lower uptake by tree assimilatory tissues, measured as concentration in needles. The unexpected disappearing of nitrogen leaching from soil was undoubtedly the most...Institute of Geochemistry, Mineralogy and Mineral ResourcesÚstav geochemie, mineralogie a nerostných zdrojůFaculty of SciencePřírodovědecká fakult

Long-Term Changes in Aluminum Fractions of Drainage Waters in Two Forest Catchments with Contrasting Lithology

Aluminum (Al) chemistry was studied in soils and waters of two catchments covered by spruce (Picea abies) monocultures in the Czech Republic that represent geochemical end-members of terrestrial and aquatic sensitivity to acidic deposition. The acid-sensitive Lysina catchment, underlain by granite, was compared to the acid-resistant Pluhův Bor catchment on serpentine. Organically-bound Al was the largest pool of reactive soil Al at both sites. Very high median total Al (Alt) concentrations (40 μmol L−1) and inorganic monomeric Al (Ali) concentrations (27 μmol L−1) were observed in acidic (pH 4.0) stream water at Lysina in the 1990s and these concentrations decreased to 32 μmol L−1 (Alt) and 13 μmol L−1 (Ali) in the 2000s. The potentially toxic Ali fraction decreased in response to long-term decreases in acidic deposition, but Ali remained the largest fraction. However, the organic monomeric (Alo) and particulate (Alp) fractions increased in the 2000s at Lysina. In contrast to Lysina, marked increases of Alt concentrations in circum-neutral waters at Pluhův Bor were observed in the 2000s in comparison with the 1990s. These increases were entirely due to the Alp fraction, which increased more than 3-fold in stream water and up to 8-fold in soil water in the A horizon. Increase of Alp coincided with dissolved organic carbon (DOC) increases. Acidification recovery may have increased the content of colloidal Al though the coagulation of monomeric Al

Changes in soil dissolved organic carbon affect reconstructed history and projected future trends in surface water acidification

Preindustrial (1850s) and future (2060) streamwater chemistry of an anthropogenically acidified small catchment was estimated using the MAGIC model for three different scenarios for dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations and sources. The highest modeled pH = 5.7 for 1850s as well as for 2060 (pH = 4.4) was simulated given the assumption that streamwater DOC concentration was constant at the 1993 level. A scenario accounting for an increase of DOC as an inverse function of ionic strength (IS) of soilwater and streamwater resulted in much lower preindustrial (pH = 4.9) and future recovery to (pH = 4.1) if the stream riparian zone was assumed to be the only DOC source. If upland soilwater (where significant DOC increase was observed at −5 and −15 cm) was also included, DOC was partly neutralized within the soil and higher preindustrial pH = 5.3 and future pH = 4.2 were estimated. The observed DOC stream flux was 2–4 times higher than the potential carbon production of the riparian zone, implying that this is unlikely to be the sole DOC source. Modeling based on the assumption that stream DOC changes are solely attributable to changes in the riparian zone appears likely to underestimate preindustrial pH

Effects of bark beetle disturbance on soil nutrient retention and lake chemistry in glacial catchment

Forest ecosystems worldwide are subjected to human-induced stressors, including eutrophication and acidification, and to natural disturbances (for example, insect infestation, windstorms, fires). The occurrence of the later is expected to increase due to the ongoing climate change. These multi-stressor forcings modify ecosystem biogeochemistry, including the retention of limiting nutrients, with implications for terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity. Here we present whole ecosystem nutrient (N, Ca, Mg, K) mass balances in the forested catchment of Plešné Lake, CZ, which has undergone transient changes linked to the recovery from anthropogenic acidification and to the forest disturbances caused by severe infestations by the bark beetle (Ips typographus). Measured fluxes and storage of nutrients in the lake-catchment ecosystem were used to constrain the processoriented biogeochemical model MAGIC (Model of Acidification of Groundwater In Catchments). Simulated lake water chemistry and changes in soil nutrient pools fitted observed data and revealed that (1) the ecosystem N retention declined, thus nitrate leaching increased for 10 years following the bark beetle disturbance, with transient adverse effects on the acid–base status of lake water, (2) the kinetics of nutrient mineralisation from decaying biomass coupled with nutrient immobilisation in regrowing vegetation constrained the magnitude and duration of ecosystem losses of N, Ca and Mg, (3) the excess of mineralised base cations from decomposing biomass replenished the soil cation exchange matrix, which led to increased soil base saturation, and (4) the improvement of the catchment soil acid–base status led to an increase of lake water pH and acid neutralising capacity. Forested ecosystems underlain by nutrient-poor soils and bedrock are prone to human-induced damages caused by acidification and eutrophication, and any natural disturbance may further lead to nutrient imbalances. We demonstrated that in this natural forest ecosystem protected from human intervention, disturbances together with natural post-disturbance vegetation recovery have temporally positive effects on the nutrient stores in the soil

Dissolved and gaseous nitrogen losses in forests controlled by soil nutrient stoichiometry

Global chronic nitrogen (N) deposition to forests can alleviate ecosystem N limitation, with potentially wide ranging consequences for biodiversity, carbon sequestration, soil and surface water quality, and greenhouse gas emissions. However, the ability to predict these consequences requires improved quantification of hard-to-measure N fluxes, particularly N gas loss and soil N retention. Here we combine a unique set of long-term catchment N budgets in the central Europe with ecosystem 15N data to reveal fundamental controls over dissolved and gaseous N fluxes in temperate forests. Stream leaching losses of dissolved N corresponded with nutrient stoichiometry of the forest floor, with stream N losses increasing as ecosystems progress towards phosphorus limitation, while soil N storage increased with oxalate extractable iron and aluminium content. Our estimates of soil gaseous losses based on 15N stocks averaged 2.5 ± 2.2 kg N ha−1 yr−1 and comprised 20% ± 14% of total N deposition. Gaseous N losses increased with forest floor N:P ratio and with dissolved N losses. Our relationship between gaseous and dissolved N losses was also able to explain previous 15N-based N loss rates measured in tropical and subtropical catchments, suggesting a generalisable response driven by nitrate (NO3−) abundance and in which the relative importance of dissolved N over gaseous N losses tended to increase with increasing NO3− export. Applying this relationship globally, we extrapolated current gaseous N loss flux from forests to be 8.9 Tg N yr−1, which represent 39% of current N deposition to forests worldwide

Predicting sulphur and nitrogen deposition using a simple statistical method

Data from 32 long-term (1994–2012) monitoring sites were used to assess temporal development and spatial variability of sulphur (S) and inorganic nitrogen (N) concentrations in bulk precipitation, and S in throughfall, for the Czech Republic. Despite large variance in absolute S and N concentration/deposition among sites, temporal coherence using standardised data (Z score) was demonstrated. Overall significant declines of SO4 concentration in bulk and throughfall precipitation, as well as NO3 and NH4 concentration in bulk precipitation, were observed. Median Z score values of bulk SO4, NO3 and NH4 and throughfall SO4 derived from observations and the respective emission rates of SO2, NOx and NH3 in the Czech Republic and Slovakia showed highly significant (p < 0.001) relationships. Using linear regression models, Z score values were calculated for the whole period 1900–2012 and then back-transformed to give estimates of concentration for the individual sites. Uncertainty associated with the concentration calculations was estimated as 20% for SO4 bulk precipitation, 22% for throughfall SO4, 18% for bulk NO3 and 28% for bulk NH4. The application of the method suggested that it is effective in the long-term reconstruction and prediction of S and N deposition at a variety of sites. Multiple regression modelling was used to extrapolate site characteristics (mean precipitation chemistry and its standard deviation) from monitored to unmonitored sites. Spatially distributed temporal development of S and N depositions were calculated since 1900. The method allows spatio-temporal estimation of the acid deposition in regions with extensive monitoring of precipitation chemistry

Acidity controls on dissolved organic carbon mobility in organic soils

Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations in surface waters have increased across much of Europe and North America, with implications for the terrestrial carbon balance, aquatic ecosystem functioning, water treatment costs and human health. Over the past decade, many hypotheses have been put forward to explain this phenomenon, from changing climate and land management to eutrophication and acid deposition. Resolution of this debate has been hindered by a reliance on correlative analyses of time series data, and a lack of robust experimental testing of proposed mechanisms. In a 4 year, four-site replicated field experiment involving both acidifying and deacidifying treatments, we tested the hypothesis that DOC leaching was previously suppressed by high levels of soil acidity in peat and organo-mineral soils, and therefore that observed DOC increases a consequence of decreasing soil acidity. We observed a consistent, positive relationship between DOC and acidity change at all sites. Responses were described by similar hyperbolic relationships between standardized changes in DOC and hydrogen ion concentrations at all sites, suggesting potentially general applicability. These relationships explained a substantial proportion of observed changes in peak DOC concentrations in nearby monitoring streams, and application to a UK-wide upland soil pH dataset suggests that recovery from acidification alone could have led to soil solution DOC increases in the range 46–126% by habitat type since 1978. Our findings raise the possibility that changing soil acidity may have wider impacts on ecosystem carbon balances. Decreasing sulphur deposition may be accelerating terrestrial carbon loss, and returning surface waters to a natural, high-DOC condition

Tree species influence on soil acidification: long-term trends and modeling

Forest ecosystems belong to the part of environment most affected by the anthropogenic acidification. The structure of Central European forests was historically converted mostly into the Norway spruce monocultures. Such a forests received elevated acidic deposition since 1950s, from which large parts of mountain forests were killed by air pollution in 1970s and 1980s. After reduction of acidic deposition the forest soils were significantly delayed in chemical recovery compared to stream chemistry (Alewell et al., 2000). In this thesis we focused on long-term changes in soil chemistry at highly polluted area of Ore Mts., with particular interest in the tree species influence on soil acidification. The presented results including measurements of biogeochemical cycles within forest ecosystem at the Norway spruce (Picea abies [L.]) stand in the period 1992-2005 and at the European beech (Fagus sylvatica [L.]) stand between 2003-2005. The desorption of previously stored sulfur and the decrease of Ca deposition are the main factors controlling the recovery of soil solution at spruce stand. The reduction in Ca availability resulted in lower uptake by tree assimilatory tissues, measured as concentration in needles. The unexpected disappearing of nitrogen leaching from soil was undoubtedly the most..

Dissolved and gaseous nitrogen losses in forests controlled by soil nutrient stoichiometry

This study investigates the consequences of chronic nitrogen deposition in forests, including its effects on soil and surface water quality, and greenhouse gas emissions. To predict these effects, the authors explore the controls over dissolved and gaseous nitrogen fluxes in temperate forests. Their findings indicate that stream leaching losses of dissolved nitrogen correspond with the nutrient stoichiometry\nof the forest floor, with stream N losses increasing as ecosystems progress towards phosphorus limitation. Soil nitrogen storage increases with oxalate extractable iron and aluminium content. The authors estimate soil gaseous losses based on 15 N stocks, which averaged 2.5±2.2 kg N ha-1 year-1 , comprising 20±14% of total nitrogen deposition. They also extrapolate the current gaseous nitrogen loss flux from forests globally to be 8.9 Tg N year-1 , which represents 39% of current nitrogen deposition to forests worldwide