Web of Science: 30 cites, Scopus: 37 cites, Google Scholar: cites
Changes in atmospheric deposition and streamwater chemistry over 25 years in undisturbed catchments in a Mediterranean mountain environment
Àvila i Castells, Anna (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals)
Rodà, F. (Ferran), 1953- (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Biologia Animal, de Biologia Vegetal i d'Ecologia)

Data: 2012
Resum: Surface water chemistry has changed in response to reduced atmospheric deposition of sulphur and acidity in many regions of Europe and North America. Most of these studies come from acidic or low-alkalinity surface waters under high acidic deposition. Mediterranean climates offer a different biogeochemical context, characterised by streamwaters of higher alkalinity and low acid inputs. In this paper, we use surveys of streamwater chemistry conducted in 1981-1984 and again in 2007 in the Montseny natural park (NE Spain) to test whether streamwaters of these well-buffered catchments respond to changes in atmospheric deposition, which has declined for S during the last decades in NE Spain while remaining about stable for nitrogen. The 23 sampled streams drained heathland, beech forests and evergreen oak forests in relatively undisturbed small catchments underlain by silicate bedrock. Bulk deposition of sulphate at Montseny decreased by 54% while nitrate bulk deposition increased (non-significantly) by 30% in this period. Total N deposition is estimated in the range 15-30 kg N ha¯¹ y¯¹ for NE Spain. This is well above threshold values (e. g. 10 kg N ha¯¹ y¯¹) reported as starting nitrogen saturation symptoms in forest ecosystems in Europe. Baseflow sulphate concentrations decreased on average by 47 μeq L¯¹ or 29% of early 1980s concentrations. Baseflow mean nitrate concentrations increased significantly but only from 5. 5 to 8. 9 μeq L¯¹. Thus, despite decades of high N deposition, these ecosystems appear to be still far from N saturation. Baseflow alkalinity and base cation concentrations increased substantially, probably a combined result of decreased S deposition, enhanced silicate weathering under current higher temperatures, reduced plant cation uptake as vegetation matures, and slightly drier conditions in the survey of 2007. Overall, these well-buffered catchments have shown sizable changes in baseflow chemistry in response to changed atmospheric deposition and other environmental changes.
Ajuts: Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia CGL2005-07543/CLI
Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación CGL2009-13188-C03-01
Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación CSD2008-00040
Drets: Tots els drets reservats.
Llengua: Anglès
Document: Article ; recerca ; Versió acceptada per publicar
Matèria: Alkalinity ; Base cations ; Fagus sylvatica ; Heathland ; Mediterranean ; Montseny mountains ; Nitrogen ; Quercus ilex ; Streamwater chemistry ; Sulphate
Publicat a: Science of the total environment, Vol. 434 (Sep. 2012) , p. 18-27, ISSN 1879-1026

DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2011.11.062


Post-print
36 p, 1.0 MB

El registre apareix a les col·leccions:
Documents de recerca > Documents dels grups de recerca de la UAB > Centres i grups de recerca (producció científica) > Ciències > CREAF (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals)
Articles > Articles de recerca
Articles > Articles publicats

 Registre creat el 2016-03-15, darrera modificació el 2022-09-04



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