Soil Mineral Weathering Research Articles

Effects of Carbon Dioxide Enrichment and Nitrogen Addition on Inorganic Carbon Leaching in Subtropical Model Forest Ecosystems

Soil mineral weathering may serve as a sink for atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2). Increased weathering of soil minerals induced by elevated CO2 concentration has been reported previously in temperate areas. However, this has not been well documented for the tropics and subtropics. We used model forest ecosystems in open-top chambers to study the effects of CO2 enrichment alone and together with nitrogen (N) addition on inorganic carbon (C) losses in the leachates. Three years of exposure to an atmospheric CO2 concentration of 700 ppm resulted in increased annual inorganic C export through leaching below the 70 cm soil profile. Compared to the control without any CO2 and N treatments, net biocarbonate C (HCO3 −-C) loss increased by 42%, 74%, and 81% in the high CO2 concentration treatment in 2006, 2007, and 2008, respectively. Increased inorganic C export following the exposure to the elevated CO2 was related to both increased inorganic C concentrations in the leaching water and the greater amount of leaching water. Net annual inorganic C (HCO3 −-C and carbonate C: CO3 2−-C) loss via the leaching water in the high CO2 concentration chambers reached 48.0, 49.5, and 114.0 kg ha−1 y−1 in 2006, 2007, and 2008, respectively, compared with 33.8, 28.4, and 62.8 kg ha−1 y−1 in the control chambers in the corresponding years. The N addition showed a negative effect on the mineral weathering. The decreased inorganic C concentration in the leaching water and the decreased leaching water amount induced by the high N treatment were the results of the adverse effect. Our results suggest that tropical forest soil systems may be able to compensate for a small part of the atmospheric CO2 increase through the accelerated processing of CO2 into HCO3 −-C during soil mineral weathering, which might be transported in part into ground water or oceans on geological timescales.

Adsorption of dissolved organic matter on clay minerals as assessed by infra-red, CPMAS 13C NMR spectroscopy and low field T1 NMR relaxometry

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is a very important environmental constituent due to its role in controlling factors for soil formation, mineral weathering and pollutant transport in the environment. Prediction of DOM physical–chemical properties is achieved by studying its chemical structure and spatial conformation. In the present study, dissolved organic matter extracted from compost obtained from the organic fraction of urban wastes (DOM-P) has been analysed by FT-IR, CPMAS 13C NMR spectroscopy and 1H T 1 NMR relaxometry with fast field cycling (FFC) setup. While the first two spectroscopic techniques revealed the chemical changes of dissolved organic matter after adsorption either on kaolinite (DOM-K) or montmorillonite (DOM-S), the latter permitted the evaluation of the conformational variations as assessed by longitudinal relaxation time ( T 1) distribution at the fixed magnetic field of 500 mT. Alterations of T 1 distributions from DOM-P to DOM-K and DOM-S were attributed to a decreasing molecular complexity following DOM-P adsorption on the clay minerals. This study applied for the first time solid state 1H T 1 NMR relaxometry to dissolved organic matter from compost obtained from the organic fraction of urban wastes and revealed that this technique is very promising for studying environmentally relevant natural organic systems.

Twelve testable hypotheses on the geobiology of weathering

Critical Zone (CZ) research investigates the chemical, physical, and biological processes that modulate the Earth's surface. Here, we advance 12 hypotheses that must be tested to improve our understanding of the CZ: (1) Solar-to-chemical conversion of energy by plants regulates flows of carbon, water, and nutrients through plant-microbe soil networks, thereby controlling the location and extent of biological weathering. (2) Biological stoichiometry drives changes in mineral stoichiometry and distribution through weathering. (3) On landscapes experiencing little erosion, biology drives weathering during initial succession, whereas weathering drives biology over the long term. (4) In eroding landscapes, weathering-front advance at depth is coupled to surface denudation via biotic processes. (5) Biology shapes the topography of the Critical Zone. (6) The impact of climate forcing on denudation rates in natural systems can be predicted from models incorporating biogeochemical reaction rates and geomorphological transport laws. (7) Rising global temperatures will increase carbon losses from the Critical Zone. (8) Rising atmospheric P(CO2) will increase rates and extents of mineral weathering in soils. (9) Riverine solute fluxes will respond to changes in climate primarily due to changes in water fluxes and secondarily through changes in biologically mediated weathering. (10) Land use change will impact Critical Zone processes and exports more than climate change. (11) In many severely altered settings, restoration of hydrological processes is possible in decades or less, whereas restoration of biodiversity and biogeochemical processes requires longer timescales. (12) Biogeochemical properties impart thresholds or tipping points beyond which rapid and irreversible losses of ecosystem health, function, and services can occur.

The role of soil biota in the weathering of minerals: A review of literature

Two methodological approaches used in the study of the mineral weathering in soils under the effect of biota were analyzed. According to one approach, which is based on the concepts of coordination chemistry, the dissolution of minerals is considered at the ion-molecule level and can be described using the terms and notions of classical thermodynamics. According to the other approach, the weathering of minerals in the supergenesis zone is considered at the ion-electron level within the framework of the corrosion model of supergenesis on the basis of anode-cathode processes, when the mineral in the electrolyte environment serves as an anode and is oxidized being an electron donor. Microorganisms act as a cathodic associate of minerals, i.e., an electron acceptor. The kinetic parameters related to the rate of the biological processes and the diffusion come out on top in this case. The review deals with the mechanisms of the direct and indirect effect of biota on the weathering of minerals in soils; the features of the soil in the rhizosphere and the ectomycorrhizosphere; the impact of fungi, bacteria, and higher plants on the minerals; and the generated synergistic effect.

Influence of forest trees on the distribution of mineral weathering-associated bacterial communities of the Scleroderma citrinum mycorrhizosphere.

In acidic forest soils, availability of inorganic nutrients is a tree-growth-limiting factor. A hypothesis to explain sustainable forest development proposes that tree roots select soil microbes involved in central biogeochemical processes, such as mineral weathering, that may contribute to nutrient mobilization and tree nutrition. Here we showed, by combining soil analyses with cultivation-dependent analyses of the culturable bacterial communities associated with the widespread mycorrhizal fungus Scleroderma citrinum, a significant enrichment of bacterial isolates with efficient mineral weathering potentials around the oak and beech mycorrhizal roots compared to bulk soil. Such a difference did not exist in the rhizosphere of Norway spruce. The mineral weathering ability of the bacterial isolates was assessed using a microplaque assay that measures the pH and the amount of iron released from biotite. Using this microplate assay, we demonstrated that the bacterial isolates harboring the most efficient mineral weathering potential belonged to the Burkholderia genus. Notably, previous work revealed that oak and beech harbored very similar pHs in the 5- to 10-cm horizon in both rhizosphere and bulk soil environments. In the spruce rhizosphere, in contrast, the pH was significantly lower than that in bulk soil. Because the production of protons is one of the main mechanisms responsible for mineral weathering, our results suggest that certain tree species have developed indirect strategies for mineral weathering in nutrient-poor soils, which lie in the selection of bacterial communities with efficient mineral weathering potentials.

Lithium isotope systematics in a forested granitic catchment (Strengbach, Vosges Mountains, France)

Over the last decade it has become apparent that Li isotopes may be a good proxy to trace silicate weathering. However, the exact mechanisms which drive the behaviour of Li isotopes in surface environments are not totally understood and there is a need to better calibrate and characterize this proxy. In this study, we analysed the Li concentrations and isotopic compositions in the various surface reservoirs (soils, rocks, waters and plants) of a small forested granitic catchment located in the Vosges Mountains (Strengbach catchment, France, OHGE http://ohge.u-strasbg.fr). Li fluxes were calculated in both soil profiles and at the basin scale and it was found that even in this forested basin, atmospheric inputs and litter fall represented a minor flux compared to input derived from the weathering of rocks and soil minerals (which together represent a minimum of 70% of dissolved Li). Li isotope ratios in soil pore waters show large depth dependent variations. Average dissolved δ 7Li decreases from −1.1‰ to −14.4‰ between 0 and −30 cm, but is +30.7‰ at −60 cm. This range of Li isotopic compositions is very large and it encompasses almost the entire range of terrestrial Li isotope compositions that have been previously reported. We interpret these variations to result from both the dissolution and precipitation of secondary phases. Large isotopic variations were also measured in the springs and stream waters, with δ 7Li varying from +5.3‰ to +19.6‰. δ 7Li increases from the top to the bottom of the basin and also covaries with discharge at the outlet. These variations are interpreted to reflect isotopic fractionations occurring during secondary phase precipitation along the water pathway through the rocks. We suggest that the dissolved δ 7Li increases with increasing residence time of waters through the rocks, and so with increasing time of interaction between waters and solids. A dissolution precipitation model was used to fit the dissolved Li isotopic compositions. It was found that the isotopic compositions of springs and stream waters are explicable by an isotopic fractionation of −5‰ to −14‰ (best fit −10.8‰), in agreement with Li incorporation into clay. In soil solutions, it was found that isotopic fractionation during secondary precipitation is larger (at least −23‰), suggesting a major role for different secondary phases, such as iron oxides that maybe incorporate Li with a higher isotope fractionation.

Influence of landscape on the apportionment of Ca nutrition in a Boreal Shield forest of Saskatchewan (Canada) using 87Sr/86Sr as a tracer

A 87Sr/86Sr tracer technique was used to apportion the supply of calcium (Ca) between atmospheric deposition and soil mineral weathering in a pristine Boreal Shield forest of northern Saskatchewan. To assess the impact of landscape variability on soil mineral weathering 87Sr/86Sr ratios, the watershed was divided into six study plots at low, middle, and high elevations along two toposequences - one consisting of mixed woods and the other consisting of black spruce. Apportionment analysis shows that none of the trees in the study plots depend entirely on soil mineral weathering as a source of Ca. Calcium pools in trees are shifted towards the atmospheric end-member (31-98%), probably because of the low soil mineral weathering fluxes combined with relatively high atmospheric deposition fluxes. These results need to be considered as the consequence of buildup and recycling of atmospherically derived Ca in the soil-vegetation system rather than the direct and large use of current atmospheric Ca inputs by the trees on an annualized basis. We also find that the trees in the high-elevation plots contain more Ca from atmospheric sources (84-98%) than trees in middle (31-86%) and low (37-82%) elevation plots. Two mechanisms are proposed to explain these results. First, if each plot is assumed to receive a constant supply of atmospherically derived Ca, then hillslope changes in soil mineral weathering rates are required to explain the changing proportions of atmospherically derived Ca cycling internally within each plot. Second, trees on hilltops may capture more dry aerosols than trees that are more shielded from atmospheric circulation in the valleys. Our work supports previous Ca cycling models in other forested ecosystems suggesting that much of the Ca requirement in trees is met via the flux from the atmosphere, but adds knowledge with regards to the role of topographical effects and forest canopy height as local factors that can influence the balance of Ca captured from atmospheric sources and released from soil mineral weathering sources. Key words: Boreal forest, calcium cycling, atmospheric deposition, soil mineral weathering, strontium isotopes, 87Sr/86Sr, calcium to strontium ratios, Sr/Ca; forest floor, tree calcium pools

Impact of catchment properties on aquatic chemistry in the rivers of Latvia

The relationships between land use characteristics and aquatic chemistry (nutrient concentrations, major inorganic ions and indicators of organic matter concentrations) were analyzed to determine factors controlling the runoff of dissolved substances, spatial variability of water chemical composition and possible impacts of pollution sources in Latvia. Groups of factors were found to determine the variability of nutrient, organic matter and major inorganic ions concentrations. Bedrock geology and weathering of soil minerals affect the concentrations of inorganic ions, but the nature of the relationships between nutrient concentrations and those of land use are good indicators of human impact.

Ca isotope cycling in a forested ecosystem

Reports of large Ca isotope fractionations between trees and soils prompted this study of a Boreal forest ecosystem near La Ronge, Saskatchewan, to improve understanding of this phenomenon. The results on five tree species (black spruce, trembling aspen, white spruce, jack pine, balsam poplar) confirm that nutrient Ca uptake by plants favors the light isotopes, thus driving residual Ca in plant available soil pools towards enrichment in the heavy isotopes. Substantial within-tree fraction occurs in tissues formed along the transpiration stream, with low δ 44Ca values in fine roots (2 mm), intermediate values in stemwood, and high values in foliage. Separation factors between different plant tissues are similar between species, but the initial fractionation step in the tips of the fine roots is species specific, and/or sensitive to the local soil environment. Soil water δ 44Ca values appear to increase with depth to at least 35 cm below the top of the forest floor, which is close to the deepest level of fine roots. The heavy plant fractionated signature of Ca in the finely rooted upper soils filters downward where it is retained on ion exchange sites, leached into groundwater, and discharged into surface waters. The relationship between Ca uptake by tree fine roots and the pattern of δ 44Ca enrichment with soil depth was modeled for two Ca pools: the forest floor (litter) and the underlying (upper B) mineral soil. Six study plots were investigated along two hillside toposequences trending upwards from a first order stream. We used allometric equations describing the Ca distribution in boreal tree species to calculate weighted average δ 44Ca values for the stands in each plot and estimate Ca uptake rates. The δ 44Ca value of precipitation was measured, and soil weathering signatures deduced, by acid leaching of lower B mineral soils. Steady state equations were used to derive a set of model Ca fluxes and fractionation factors for each plot. The model reproduces the increase in δ 44Ca with depth found in forest floor and upper B soil waters. Transient model runs show that the forest Ca cycle is sensitive to changes in plant Ca uptake rate, such as would occur during ontogeny or disturbance. Accordingly, secular records of δ 44Ca in tree ring cellulose have the potential to monitor changes in the forest Ca cycle through time, thus providing a new tool for evaluating natural and anthropogenic impacts on forest health. Another model run shows that by changing the size of the isotope fractionation factor and adjusting for differences in forest productivity, that the range in Ca isotope fractionation in forested ecosystems reported in the literature, thus far, is reproduced. As a quantitative tool, the Ca cycling model produces a reasonable set of relative Ca fluxes for the La Ronge site, consistent with Environment Canada’s measurements for wet deposition in the region and simulated Ca release from soil mineral weathering using the PROFILE model. But the sensitivity of the model is limited by the small range of fractionation observed in this boreal shield setting of ∼1‰, which limits accuracy. If the model were applied to a site with a greater range in δ 44Ca values among the principal Ca fluxes, it is capable of producing robust and reliable estimations of Ca fluxes that are otherwise difficult to measure in forested ecosystems.

Sources of nutrients to windward agricultural systems in pre‐contact Hawai‘i

Prior to European contact in 1778, Hawaiians developed intensive irrigated pondfield agricultural systems in windward Kohala, Hawai'i. We evaluated three potential sources of nutrients to windward systems that could have sustained intensive agriculture: (1) in situ weathering of primary and secondary minerals in upland soils; (2) rejuvenation of the supply of rock-derived nutrients on eroded slopes and in alluvium; and (3) transport of rock-derived nutrients to crops via irrigation water. Our results show that most windward soils are infertile and suggest that weathering of minerals within upland soils was insufficient to sustain intensive agriculture without substantial cultural inputs. Erosion enhances weathering and so increases nutrient supply, with soils of the largest alluvial valleys (>200 m deep) retaining 37% of calcium from parent material (compared to 2% in upland sites). However, soils of smaller valleys that also supported pre-contact agricultural systems are substantially less enriched. Isotopic 87Sr/86Sr analyses of stream water demonstrate that at low to moderate stream flow over 90% of dissolved strontium derives from weathering of basalt rather than deposition of atmospheric sources; most other dissolved cations also derive from basalt weathering. We calculate that irrigation water could have supplied approximately 200 kg ha(-1) yr(-1) of calcium to pondfield systems, nearly 100 times more than was supplied by weathering in soils on stable geomorphic surfaces. In effect, irrigation waters brought nutrients from rocks to the windward crops.

Nanoscience and Nano-Technology: Cracking Prodigal Farming

AbstractNano-science coupled with nano-technology has emerged as possible cost-cutting measure to prodigal farming and environmental clean-up operations. It has ushered as a new interdisciplinary field by converging various science disciplines, and is highly relevant to agricultural and food systems. Environmental Protection Agency of USA defined nanotechnology as the understanding and control of matter at dimensions of roughly 1-100 nm, where unique physical properties make novel applications possible. By this definition all soil-clays, many chemicals derived from soil organic matter (SOM), several soil microorganisms fall into this category. Apart from native soil-materials, many new nanotech products are entering into soil system, some of which are used for agricultural production and some others for many other purposes.Nano-science (also nanotechnology) has found applications in controlling release of nitrogen, characterization of soil minerals, studies of weathering of soil minerals and soil development, micro-morphology of soils, nature of soil rhizosphere, nutrient ion transport in soil-plant system, emission of dusts and aerosols from agricultural soil and their nature, zeoponics, and precision water farming. In its stride, nanotechnology converges soil mineralogy with imaging techniques, artificial intelligence, and encompass bio molecules and polymers with microscopic atoms and molecules, and macroscopic properties (thermodynamics) with microscopic properties (kinetics, wave theory, uncertainty principles, etc.), to name a few. Some of the examples include clinoloptolite and other zeolite based substrates, and Fe-, Mn-, and Cu- substituted synthetic hydroxyapatites that have made it possible to grow crops in space stations and at Antarctica. This has eliminated costs of repeated launching of space crafts. A disturbing fact is that the fertilizer use efficiency is 20-50 percent for nitrogen, and 10-25 percent for phosphorus (<1% for rock phosphate in alkaline calcareous soils). With nano-fertilizers emerging as alternatives to conventional fertilizers, build ups of nutrients in soils and thereby eutrophication and drinking water contamination may be eliminated. In fact, nano-technology has opened up new opportunities to improve nutrient use efficiency and minimize costs of environmental protection. It has helped to divulge to recent findings that plant roots and microorganisms can directly lift nutrient ions from solid phase of minerals (that includes so-called susceptible (i.e., easily weatherable, as well as non-susceptible minerals).

Does the preferential microbial colonisation of ferromagnesian minerals affect mineral weathering in soil?

Fungal activity is thought to play a direct and effective role in the breakdown and dissolution of primary minerals and in the synthesis of clay minerals in soil environments, with important consequences for plant growth and ecosystem functioning. We have studied primary mineral weathering in volcanic soils developed on trachydacite in southern Tuscany using a combination of qualitative and quantitative mineralogical and microbiological techniques. Specifically, we characterized the weathering and microbiological colonization of the magnetically separated ferromagnesian minerals (biotite and orthopyroxene) and non-ferromagnesian constituents (K-feldspar and volcanic glass) of the coarse sand fraction (250-1,000 microm). Our results show that in the basal horizons of the soils, the ferromagnesian minerals are much more intensively colonized by microorganisms than K-feldspar and glass, but that the composition of the microbial communities living on the two mineral fractions is similar. Moreover, X-ray diffraction, optical and scanning electron microscope observations show that although the ferromagnesian minerals are preferentially associated with an embryonic form of the clay mineral halloysite, they are still relatively fresh. We interpret our results as indicating that in this instance microbial activity, and particularly fungal activity, has not been an effective agent of mineral weathering, that the association with clay minerals is indirect, and that fungal weathering of primary minerals may not be as important a source of plant nutrients as previously claimed.

Mineral weathering in forest soils and its relevance to the preservation of the buried archaeological resource

There is more woodland in Britain now than for many centuries and considering many international climate change mitigation policies, woodland cover, both in Britain and internationally, is being promoted. However, neither the management of existing woodlands nor their expansion should be at the expense of important archaeological evidence. Due to the large number of known archaeological sites, the large areas of land with uninvestigated archaeological potential and the expanding woodland cover, suitable mitigation strategies need to be developed to allow preservation in situ of important sites. An understanding of how woodland soils and the buried archaeological resource interact is, therefore, essential. This paper utilises ongoing environmental research into the mineral weathering rates in forest soils and considers its application to artefact preservation. The study concludes that soil water pH, its movement, and the saturation of dissolved ions in the soil solution are major factors determining both mineral and artefact longevity. A simple guide to artefact longevity based on these properties is proposed and a geochemical model for predicting loss is tested. These tools could be applied to any soil or individual horizon irrespective of land-use.

Weathering of soil minerals by angiosperm and gymnosperm trees

AbstractWeathering of terrestrial Ca- and Mg-bearing silicate minerals is an important control on atmospheric CO2 on geological time scales. It has been determined that vascular plants can accelerate mineral weathering as compared to non-vascular plants or non-vegetated surfaces. This indicates that the evolution of vascular plants, particularly the deep-rooted trees, may play a large role in the long-term carbon cycle and its regulation of the atmosphere. The weathering impact of the separate evolutionary appearances of the gymnosperms in the Palaeozoic and the angiosperms in the Mesozoic, and the shifting ecological dominance from the former to the latter, is currently poorly understood. This study aims to contribute to our understanding of the quantitative weathering rates of the angiosperms and gymnosperms by examining plant-mineral interactions of the two tree types in a temperate field setting underlain by granodiorite. Results include determinations of soil element fluxes and etching of minerals. The observed root-mineral interactions resulted in only slightly more weathering of Ca-bearing minerals by the angiosperms. However, we observed significantly more weathering of the Mg-bearing minerals by the gymnosperms. These results suggest that increasing dominance of the angiosperms in forests in the Mesozoic may have had a small or neutral impact on accelerating overall mineral weathering and regulating CO2, but that this impact may be lithology-dependent.

The role of earthworm communities in soil mineral weathering: a field experiment

Minerals are an important component of the soil environment (Dixonet al., 1977). They provide a structural framework which supports plants and contribute to the physical heterogeneity of soil. Minerals also contribute to the fertility of soils. Primary minerals are a source of essential plant nutrients (Harley and Gilkes, 2000). Clay minerals impact on the water-holding capacity of soils, affect the cation exchange capacity of soils (Brown, 1977) and are able to sequester nutrients and contaminants within the soil (Dubbin, 2001).

A sequential extraction to determine the distribution of apatite in granitoid soil mineral pools with application to weathering at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, NH, USA

Mineral weathering in soils is an important source of many nutrients to forest ecosystems. Apatite, a Ca phosphate mineral, occurs in trace amounts in virtually all igneous and metamorphic rocks and is often found as small mineral inclusions in more weathering-resistant silicate minerals. To better understand the distribution of apatite in soils and its exposure to soil solutions, a sequential extraction method was developed to selectively dissolve minerals from soils so that the amount of apatite in contact with soil solutions versus that armored by silicate minerals could be quantified. The use of three molarities of HNO 3 (0.01, 0.1 and 1 M) at three temperatures (0, 10, or 20 °C) was explored and it was found that apatite congruently dissolved in 1 M HNO 3 at all three temperatures, but did not completely dissolve in weaker HNO 3 solutions. Soil horizons, glacial till (i.e., soil parent material), and individual minerals separated from till collected from the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest (HBEF), NH, were subjected to a 4-step sequential extraction. Chemical analyses of the extracts indicate that 1 M NH 4Cl (pH 7; 20 °C) removes exchangeable ions, 1 M HNO 3 at 20 °C primarily dissolves apatite in contact with solutions, 1 M HNO 3 at 200 °C primarily dissolves biotite and chlorite (and apatite armored by them), and a mixture of concentrated HNO 3, HCl, and HF at 200 °C dissolves the more refractory minerals including muscovite, alkali feldspar, plagioclase feldspar and quartz (and apatite armored by these minerals). This extraction method was applied to soil profiles from HBEF to demonstrate that it could be used to interpret the abundance of apatite and other minerals as a function of depth. Approximately 70% of the apatite in the HBEF soil parent material is exposed to soil solutions; the remaining 30% is armored in more weathering-resistant micas and feldspars. In the upper soil horizons, the only apatite that has not been weathered from the soil occurs as inclusions in micas and feldspars and thus the rate of dissolution of apatite in weathered soil horizons is controlled by silicate mineral dissolution.

Modeling response of soil productivity to biogeochemical cycling and atmospheric acid deposition in the Hayden Brook watershed (Canada) using the ForNBM model

A process-based biogeochemistry model, the ForNBM, was calibrated to simulate stream flows, nutrient concentrations and loadings on a monthly time scale using the field data collected from 1973 to 1985 at the Hayden Brook watershed, a natural forested mixed-hardwood watershed, in central New Brunswick, Canada. The model was then used to assess the major biogeochemical processes that influence soil productivity and the sensitivity of soil acidity and nutrient leaching to different scenarios of atmospheric acid deposition in the Hayden Brook watershed. The results of the model calibration showed that the ForNBM model reproduced the field data well with the Nash–Sutcliffe coefficient of efficiency ranking from 0.63 to 0.99 for the simulations of stream flows, from −0.11 to 0.14 for the stream nutrient concentrations, from 0.03 to 0.63 for the monthly stream nutrient loadings, and from 0.94 to 0.99 for the cumulative stream nutrient loadings. Field measurements and model predictions indicated that 90% of atmospheric deposited nitrogen (N) was retained in the soils. Atmospheric N deposition may be the most important source of N for the long-term watershed soil N accumulation in the Hayden Brook watershed. Biomass had low nutrient retention rates and high nutrient return rates, which demonstrated that the biogeochemical cycling was fast in the mixed-hardwood forest. The results also showed that annual N supply for biomass uptake was mainly from soil organic matter mineralization, and base cations (Ca 2+, Mg 2+, and K +) from both soil organic matter mineralization and mineral weathering. Results of sensitivity analysis indicated that the soil pH and base cation leaching were more sensitive to atmospheric acid deposition than N. A 100% increase of current atmospheric acid deposition may cause a 0.6 unit decrease of soil pH, 44%, 39%, and 30% increase of soil Ca 2+, Mg 2+, and K + leaching, respectively. Long-term soil productivity at the Hayden Brook watershed may also be declined by soil acidity and depletion of base cations due to increased leaching in response to increased atmospheric acid deposition.

Rhizosphere: A New Frontier for Soil Biogeochemistry

AbstractChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 200 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract, please click on HTML or PDF.

Application of a coupled ecosystem-chemical equilibrium model, DayCent-Chem, to stream and soil chemistry in a Rocky Mountain watershed

Atmospheric deposition of sulfur and nitrogen species have the potential to acidify terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, but nitrate and ammonium are also critical nutrients for plant and microbial productivity. Both the ecological response and the hydrochemical response to atmospheric deposition are of interest to regulatory and land management agencies. We developed a non-spatial biogeochemical model to simulate soil and surface water chemistry by linking the daily version of the CENTURY ecosystem model (DayCent) with a low temperature aqueous geochemical model, PHREEQC. The coupled model, DayCent-Chem, simulates the daily dynamics of plant production, soil organic matter, cation exchange, mineral weathering, elution, stream discharge, and solute concentrations in soil water and stream flow. By aerially weighting the contributions of separate bedrock/talus and tundra simulations, the model was able to replicate the measured seasonal and annual stream chemistry for most solutes for Andrews Creek in Loch Vale watershed, Rocky Mountain National Park. Simulated soil chemistry, net primary production, live biomass, and soil organic matter for forest and tundra matched well with measurements. This model is appropriate for accurately describing ecosystem and surface water chemical response to atmospheric deposition and climate change.

Physical mechanisms of plant roots affecting weathering and leaching of loess soil

Plant roots have potential impacts on soil mineral weathering and leaching. Our objective is to understand the physical mechanisms of plant roots affecting weathering and leaching of loess soil. Root densities were measured through the method of a large-size dug profile, and transport fluxes of soil elements were determined using an undisturbed monolith soil infiltration device on the hilly and gully regions of the Chinese Loess Plateau. The results show that the improvement effects of soil environment by plant roots are mainly controlled by the density and weight of the fibrous roots with the diameters less than 1 mm. Plant roots have the stronger effects on soil physical properties than chemical properties. The principal components analysis (PCA) indicates that soil physical properties by plant roots account for 56.7% of variations in soil environment whereas soil chemical properties and pH contribute about 24.2% of the soil variations. The roles of plant roots in controlling soil weathering and leaching increased in the following order: infiltration enhancement > increase of bioactive substance > stabilization of soil structure. The effects of plant roots on soil mineral weathering and leaching can be quantified using the multiple regression models with the high prediction accuracies developed in this study.