Ion release in the C horizon of a forest soil triggered by Carbonic Acid

Abstract Ion release in the C horizon of a Skeletic Umbrisol on gneiss bedrock was investigated by percolation experiments at a water status near field capacity and with adjusted CO 2 partial pressures in soil air. CO 2 partial pressures of 0.001, 0.01, and 0.1 bar with pH‐values of 5.7, 4.9, and 4....

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science
Main Authors: Kohler, Martin, Hildebrand, Ernst E.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2003
Subjects:
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jpln.200390027
https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Fjpln.200390027
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/jpln.200390027
Description
Summary:Abstract Ion release in the C horizon of a Skeletic Umbrisol on gneiss bedrock was investigated by percolation experiments at a water status near field capacity and with adjusted CO 2 partial pressures in soil air. CO 2 partial pressures of 0.001, 0.01, and 0.1 bar with pH‐values of 5.7, 4.9, and 4.5 yielded cation release rates of 3.0, 8.5, and 12.3 kmol c yr –1 ha –1 at a 1 m horizon depth and 800 mm seepage water. Within the pH range of 5.7 to 4.5, the activity of carbonic acid triggers ion release. For the treatment with a CO 2 partial pressure of 0.001, the isolation of a weathering rate (0.5 kmol c yr –1 ha –1 ) was possible because parallel running processes such as the dissolution of solid compounds could be identified by dissolved anions, and exchange processes only modified internal ratios of mobilized basic cations. The weathering rate at a site‐typical CO 2 partial pressure of 0.01 bar was about 5–10 times higher than usually assumed in the literature. There are three reasons that may account for this: (1) the consideration of actual carbonic acid activities and (2) specific site features such as the richness of basic minerals and/or the presence of a skeletal fraction with micro voids and fissures providing large internal surfaces. Furthermore, (3) it can not be completely excluded that parallel running exchange processes contribute to ion release.