Abstract
Changes in the dynamics of inorganic N species transformations with depth have been investigated for seven soil profiles from a nitrogen-impacted ancient grassland on a nature reserve outside York in the UK, using incubation experiments. In five of the profiles, both ammonification and nitrification are occurring below the rooting zone, probably partly in response to the low C:N ratio in the soils. This contributes to elevated nitrate concentrations found in an adjacent stream. Accumulation of ammonium during incubation in the sub-soils of these five profiles suggests a high probability of ammonium leaching down the profiles as ammonium inputs and outputs at a given depth approach equilibrium. This ammonium may also be nitrified at depth. However, in the two profiles with the most acidic surface horizons, net mineralization was negligible or negative; some initial ammonium-N and ammonium-N produced during incubation were nitrified, so the loss in ammonium-N was closely balanced by nitrate-N production. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1075-1082 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Environmental Pollution |
Volume | 156 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Dec 2008 |
Keywords
- Nitrogen
- Deposition
- Mineralization
- Soil profile
- N leaching
- MANAGED SOIL TYPES
- ACID FOREST SOILS
- NITROGEN MINERALIZATION
- ECOSYSTEMS
- SATURATION
- FLOOR
- NITRIFICATION
- AVAILABILITY
- DEPOSITION
- PROFILES