Smog nitrogen and the rapid acidification of forest soil, San Bernardino Mountains, southern California |
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Authors: | Wood Yvonne A Fenn Mark Meixner Thomas Shouse Peter J Breiner Joan Allen Edith Wu Laosheng |
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Institution: | Department of Environmental Sciences, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA. yvonne.wood@ucr.edu |
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Abstract: | We report the rapid acidification of forest soils in the San Bernardino Mountains of southern California. After 30 years, soil to a depth of 25 cm has decreased from a pH (measured in 0.01 M CaCl2) of 4.8 to 3.1. At the 50-cm depth, it has changed from a pH of 4.8 to 4.2. We attribute this rapid change in soil reactivity to very high rates of anthropogenic atmospheric nitrogen (N) added to the soil surface (72 kg ha(-1) year(-1)) from wet, dry, and fog deposition under a Mediterranean climate. Our research suggests that a soil textural discontinuity, related to a buried ancient landsurface, contributes to this rapid acidification by controlling the spatial and temporal movement of precipitation into the landsurface. As a result, the depth to which dissolved anthropogenic N as nitrate (NO3) is leached early in the winter wet season is limited to within the top approximately 130 cm of soil where it accumulates and increases soil acidity. |
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