Variation in Soil Nitrate Concentrations in Two N-Saturated Norway Spruce Forests (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) in Southern Bavaria

Persistently high Nitrogen (N) deposition may have caused widespread N saturation in Central Europe's forests. Simple and inexpensive methods are required for estimating the N status. This study suggests that the current N status of forest ecosystems can be estimated by measuring CaCl₂-extracta...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Water, air, and soil pollution air, and soil pollution, 2008, Vol.187 (1-4), p.203-217
Main Authors: Mellert, Karl H, Gensior, Andreas, Göttlein, Axel, Kölling, Christian, Rücker, Gernot
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
forest soils
nitrate nitrogen
nitrogen content
Picea abies
polluted soils
seepage
soil chemical properties
soil pollution
soil solution
spatial variation
stand characteristics
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Summary:Persistently high Nitrogen (N) deposition may have caused widespread N saturation in Central Europe's forests. Simple and inexpensive methods are required for estimating the N status. This study suggests that the current N status of forest ecosystems can be estimated by measuring CaCl₂-extractable nitrate concentrations in the soil below the main rooting zone. We tested this possibility using a large number of samples (135 in total) in a nested sampling design in two homogeneous Norway spruce forests in southern Bavaria. This approach was accompanied by a small scale survey with suction cups (N = 54) in one forest. Nitrate concentrations determined by soil extracts varied widely (coefficients of variance 95 and 125%) and were well comparable with those of the simultaneous investigation of seepage water. Site and stand conditions explained only a small portion (
ISSN:0049-6979
1573-2932
DOI:10.1007/s11270-007-9509-7