Disturbance effects on soil solution chemistry due to heating cable installation

Abstract

Installation of heating cables for warming soil was used to evaluate the effect of disturbance on soil solution chemistry within a northern hardwood forest (Adirondack Mountains, New York). Differences in response among treatments suggested the importance of both the depth and timing of cable installation. There were increases (p>0.05) in many solutes within pilot study plots in which “surrogate cable” was installed at 15 cm depth. Most notably, mean nitrate concentrations for the 1st year following disturbance were 744 μeq l-1 at 15 cm depth compared to 7 μeq l-1 for the non-disturbed control. A comparison of pilot plots with 5 cm cable depth and an unheated soil-warming control plot with the same cable disturbance showed that the seasonality of soil disturbance may have a key role in response to disturbance. The soil solution response was diminished if installation occurred during the spring, a period of rapid uptake of nitrogen by vegetation. Mean nitrate concentrations were 176 μeq l-1 for 5-cm pilot plots (installed in fall 1991) versus 6 μeq l-1 for 5-cm, unheated soil-warming control plots (installed in spring 1992). Disturbance effects were attenuated over time and not generally apparent 1 year after installation.