Reversibility of soil acidification in beech stands of the Vienna Woods
Abstract
Comparison between chemical parameters of soil from the infiltrations zone of stemflow near the base of the stem and from the between trees areas in 152 old beech stands by Lindebner (1990) in the Vienna Woods (sample collection in 1984/85) proved a significant impact of deposition of atmospheric pollutants: soil acidification, increased sulfur contents and loss of the base cations calcium and magnesium. Meanwhile, SO2 emissions, the most important precursor of Acid Rain, declined sharply since the 1980s. However, revisiting the Acid Rain topic is worth, since in many regions mass balance estimates of sulphur are negative due to release of previously-stored sulfur, delaying the recovery of pH of soils and surface waters, depending on soil properties. Preliminary results after re-sampling of 19 of these 152 sites showed a clear trend of soil pH increase, with higher trends of recovery for the stem area than for the between trees area. Changes of soil chemistry with increasing distance from the stem in the Vienna Woods were measured by Sonderegger (1982) and Kazda (1983) in the 1980s and are well documented. At 3 of these old sites soils will be re-sampled and, additionally, lysimeters will be installed for collecting soil solution at 5 distances between 27 and 300 cm (at 3 soil depths) downhill of the individual beech stems. The working hypotheses are: a) soils recovered from acid deposition due to a strong decline of SO2 emissions since the 1980s; b) reversibility of soil acidification is a function of acid loads, received in the past, and time; c) the net sulfur-balance is crucial for predicting recovery and is related to sulfur input and soil parameters. For setting up solute input/output budgets manifold soil hydrological monitoring methods and modeling are required. Using the micro-spatial heterogeneity of soil columns downhill of a beech stem enables the study of reversibility of soil acidification as a function of historic acid loads (stem area received much higher deposition loads in the past than the between trees area) and time (a “false chronosequence” is expected, since increasing soil solution fluxes due to additional stemflow with decreasing distance from the stem cause a quicker steady state of soil sulfate pools in response to decreasing inputs). On one hand, the methods and budget calculations were chosen in such a way that this study represents a self-contained project with expected high scientific output (publication in a scientific journal), on the other hand the provided data are necessary for submitting a large proposal to the Austrian Science Funds (FWF).
Acid Rain Soil recovery Fluxes of nutrients and pollutants Fagus sylvatica Vienna Woods
Publikationen
Predicting reversibility of soil acidification in beech (Fagus sylvatica) stands – introduction of a research project
Autoren: Berger, T.W. Jahr: 2012
Conference & Workshop proceedings, paper, abstract
Stable isotopes of sulfur to study Austrian forest ecosystems
Autoren: Hanousek, O; Berger, TW; Prohaska, T Jahr: 2013
Conference & Workshop proceedings, paper, abstract
Investigation of sulphur mass balances in ecosystems by sulfur isotope ratio measurements using MC-ICP-MS
Autoren: Hanousek, O., Berger T. W., Prohaska T. Jahr: 2013
Conference & Workshop proceedings, paper, abstract
Non-traditional isotopes in analytical ecogeochemistry assessed by MC-ICP-MS
Autoren: Prohaska, T., Irrgeher, J., Horsky, M., Hanousek, O., Zitek, A. Jahr: 2014
Conference & Workshop proceedings, paper, abstract
Biogeochemistry of sulfur in the Vienna Woods: Study of sulfur stable isotope ratios by MC-ICP-MS as indicator of biogeochemical S cycling
Autoren: Hanousek, O., Berger, T.W., Prohaska, T. Jahr: 2014
Journal articles
Biogeochemistry of sulfur in the Vienna Woods: Study of sulfur stable isotope ratios by MC-ICP-MS
Autoren: Hanousek, O. Berger, T.W. Prohaska, T. Jahr: 2014
Conference & Workshop proceedings, paper, abstract
Study of stable isotopes of sulfur in forest soils using MC ICP-MS – analytical challenges and solutions
Autoren: Hanousek, O; Berger, T.; Prohaska, T. Jahr: 2014
Journal articles
The change of forest soil conditions in beech stands (Fagus sylvatica) of the Vienna Woods within the last three decades due to declining deposition of atmospheric pollutants
Autoren: Türtscher, S.; Berger, T.W. Jahr: 2015
Conference & Workshop proceedings, paper, abstract
Predicting recovery from Acid Rain using the micro-spatial heterogeneity of soil columns downhill the infiltration zone of beech stemflow
Autoren: Berger, T.W., Muras, A. Jahr: 2015
Conference & Workshop proceedings, paper, abstract
Modeling sulfur biogeochemistry of beech (Fagus sylvatica) stands at the Vienna Woods
Autoren: Dolschak, K., Berger, T.W. Jahr: 2015
Conference & Workshop proceedings, paper, abstract
MC ICP-MS δ (34)SVCDT measurement of dissolved sulfate in environmental aqueous samples after matrix separation by means of an anion exchange membrane.
Autoren: Hanousek, O; Berger, TW; Prohaska, T; Jahr: 2016
Journal articles
A new approach to predict soil temperature under vegetated surfaces.
Autoren: Dolschak, K; Gartner, K; Berger, TW; Jahr: 2015
Journal articles
Predicting recovery from acid rain using the micro-spatial heterogeneity of soil columns downhill the infiltration zone of beech stemflow: introduction of a hypothesis.
Autoren: Berger, TW; Muras, A; Jahr: 2016
Journal articles
A slight recovery of soils from Acid Rain over the last three decades is not reflected in the macro nutrition of beech (Fagus sylvatica) at 97 forest stands of the Vienna Woods.
Autoren: Berger, TW; Türtscher, S; Berger, P; Lindebner, L; Jahr: 2016
Journal articles
Was blieb vom Sauren Regen? (Teil 1)
Autoren: Berger, TW; Türtscher, S; Berger, P; Lindebner, L Jahr: 2016
Journal articles
Was blieb vom Sauren Regen? (Teil 2)
Autoren: Berger, TW; Türtscher, S; Berger, P; Lindebner, L Jahr: 2016
Journal articles
Declining atmospheric deposition of heavy metals over the last three decades is reflected in soil and foliage of 97 beech (Fagus sylvatica) stands in the Vienna Woods.
Autoren: Türtscher, S; Berger, P; Lindebner, L; Berger, TW; Jahr: 2017
Journal articles
Fractionation of sulfur (S) in beech (Fagus sylvatica) forest soils in relation to distance from the stem base as useful tool for modeling S biogeochemistry.
Autoren: Hanousek, O; Prohaska, T; Kulhanek, M; Balik, J; Tejnecky, V; Berger, TW; Jahr: 2017
Journal articles
Rückgang der Schwermetallgehalte (Teil 1)
Autoren: Türtscher, S, Berger, P, Lindebner, L, Berger, TW Jahr: 2017
Journal articles
Rückgang der Schwermetallgehalte (Teil 2)
Autoren: Türtscher, S; Berger, P; Lindebner, L; Berger, TW Jahr: 2017
Journal articles
Reconstructing Soil Recovery from Acid Rain in Beech (Fagus sylvatica) Stands of the Vienna Woods as Indicated by Removal of Stemflow and Dendrochemistry
Autoren: Turtscher, S; Grabner, M; Berger, TW Jahr: 2019
Journal articles
The impact of rising temperatures on water balance and phenology of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) stands
Autoren: Dolschak, K; Gartner, K; Berger, TW; Jahr: 2019
Journal articles
Modeling the biogeochemistry of sulfur in beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) stands of the Vienna Woods
Autoren: Dolschak, K; Berger, TW; Jahr: 2020
Journal articles
Mitarbeiter*Innen
Torsten Winfried Berger
Ao.Univ.Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.nat.techn. Torsten Winfried Berger
torsten.berger@boku.ac.at
Tel: +43 1 47654-91217
Project Leader
01.07.2010 - 31.12.2012