Abstract
A four-year study in a forest catchment exposed to a moderate level of anthropogenic pollution indicated heavy accumulation of hydrogen (H+), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu) and lead (Pb) in the ecosystem and phosphorous (P), potassium (K) and cadmium (Cd) to a lesser extent. Nitrogen, which is also accumulated, is leached mainly as NO3−, even though the input is dominated by NH4+. Magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca) and sodium (Na) are leached from the catchment, presumably due to intensive weathering processes in deeper layers of mineral soil. Chloride ion (Cl−) is also lost from the ecosystem. The output of sulphate (SO42−) with stream water exceeds its input only slightly. Although it appears that the catchment as a whole has a large buffering capacity (average stream water pH=7.43, rainfall pH=4.33), the upper biologically active soil layers are probably more susceptible to acidification and pollution. With constant accumulation of H+ and heavy metal ions this may lead to degradation of forest health.
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