Extreme soil acidification and metal release risks from increasing drought

该项目旨在研究干旱对土壤pH值和金属形态的影响，并开发工具来评估当前和未来的风险。社会和经济福祉取决于良好的土壤和水质量。气候变化使干旱更加频繁和严重，这可能导致许多地区的土壤酸化(pH和lt；4)和金属释放。该项目将把干旱对土壤地球化学影响的实验数据与水文地球化学模型结合起来，并将其应用于国家规模的预测。预期的成果是改善干旱的管理和备灾，并为地球化学提供新的研究方向。

The project aims to study the effects of drought on pH and metal speciation in soils, and develop tools to assess current and future risks. Social and economic well-being depends on good soil and water quality. Climate change makes droughts more frequent and severe, which could cause soil acidification (pH<4) and metal release in many regions. The project will integrate experimental data on the effects of drought on soil geochemistry with hydro-geochemical models, and apply these to national-scale predictions. The intended outcomes are improved management and preparedness for droughts and new research directions for geochemistry.