Study of Acidic Deposition and Natural Processes on Forest Soil Development in the United States and Russia Over the Past Century

尽管酸雨在欧洲和美国东部广泛发生，但酸雨对陆地生态系统养分循环的长期影响尚不清楚。这项研究提供了一个独特的机会来记录酸性沉积物对北方森林生态系统的影响，通过将森林土壤的存档样本与原始采样后100年至50年在同一地点收集的现代样本进行比较。这些历史样本被认为是世界上最古老的存档土壤样本，是在强酸性沉积开始之前在东欧和俄罗斯收集的。研究人员将通过分析碱基阳离子、不同形式的铝以及土壤和树木中的其他元素来评估俄罗斯西北部土壤-植被系统的变化。除了提高对酸雨影响的认识外，这项研究对于了解未来全球气候变化、大气二氧化碳浓度增加以及大气中硫和氮氧化物的持续人为污染下的森林健康状况也很重要。

The long-term consequences of acid rain on nutrient cycling in terrestrial ecosystems are not clearly understood, despite the widespread occurrence of acid rain in Europe and the eastern United States. This study provides a unique opportunity to document the effects of acidic deposits on northern forest ecosystems by comparing archived samples of forest soil with modern samples collected at the same locations ~100 and ~50 years after the original sampling. The historical samples, thought to be the oldest archived soil samples in the world, were collected in Eastern Europe and Russia before the onset of strong acidic deposition. The researchers will evaluate changes in soil-vegetation systems in northwestern Russia through analysis of base cations, different forms of aluminum, and other elements in soils and trees. In addition to advancing knowledge of the effects of acid rain, this research is important for understanding forest health under future global climate changes, increased concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide, and continuing anthropogenic pollution of the atmosphere with sulfur and nitrogen oxides.