SOLUBILIZATION EFFECTS OF SIMULATED ACID RAIN ON THE ORGANIC MATTER OF FOREST SOIL; PRELIMINARY RESULTS

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Abstract
We determined the concentrations of total organic carbon, total carbohydrate, fulvic acid, and ammonium-plus-amino nitrogen in leachates from columns of a Canadian shield podzol soil at depths of approximately 10 and 20 cm after treatment with aqueous solutions of pH 5.7, 3.5, and 2.0. Sampling was carried out in the laboratory over a 16-d period during which the soil received a total accumulation of 935 mm of simulated rainfall, equivalent to 1 year's precipitation. Highest concentrations of each of total organic carbon, total carbohydrate, and fulvic acid were obtained after the pH 5.7 treatment; the concentrations were greater at the 10-cm depth than at 20 cm. The pH 2.0 solution dissolved the least amounts of these components. The opposite trend was observed in the analyses of ammonium-plus-amino nitrogen. The soil exhibited considerable buffering action in terms of regulating leachate pH. © Williams & Wilkins 1985. All Rights Reserved.