Controlling factors and effects of chronic nitrogen and sulphur deposition on methane oxidation in a temperate forest soil

• Published in: Soil biology & biochemistry Vol. 33; no. 1; pp. 93 - 102
• Main Authors: Bradford, M.A, Wookey, P.A, Ineson, P, Lappin-Scott, H.M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 2001; New York, NY Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Acid deposition; ammonium sulfate; Biological and medical sciences; British Isles, England; Forest soil; Forestry; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General forest ecology; Generalities. Production, biomass. Quality of wood and forest products. General forest ecology; Methane consumption; Methane oxidation; Nitrogen fertilization; Sulphur deposition; United Kingdom; Europe; Nitrogen fertilization; Forest soil; Methane oxidation; Acid deposition; Sulphur deposition; Methane consumption; Methane; Temperature; Vaccinium myrtillus; Small fruits; Quercus robur; Rosaceae; Environmental factor; Temperate zone; Sulfuric acid; Absorption; Dicotyledones; Angiospermae; Hardwood forest tree; Oxidation; Atmospheric fallout; Sorbus aucuparia; Fagaceae; Wet deposition; Nitric acid; Soil water properties; Spermatophyta; Ericaceae; Ammonium Sulfates; Fagus sylvatica; ATMOSPHERIC METHANE; sulphur deposition; nitrogen fertilization; SPRUCE FOREST; acid deposition; N AVAILABILITY; CH4 CONSUMPTION; TRACE GAS FLUXES; AMMONIUM INHIBITION; RE; methane consumption; ACID-RAIN; CONIFEROUS FORESTS; forest soil; methane oxidation
• ISSN: 0038-0717; 1879-3428
• DOI: 10.1016/S0038-0717(00)00118-8

Soil CH
4 flux rates were determined on 28 occasions between June 1996 and July 1997 in a temperate deciduous woodland in south-west England. The effects of environmental and edaphic factors on flux rates and the effects of chronic deposition of sulphuric acid, nitric acid and ammonium sulphate were investigated. The soil was a consistent net CH
4 oxidiser, with mean (
n=10) oxidation rates for plots exposed to ambient throughfall ranging from 44.3 to 110.6
μg
CH
4
m
−2
h
−1 between samplings; net CH
4 production was not observed. The annual mean uptake rate differed by only 6% from the annual mean flux calculated from the literature for other studies of >364
d duration in temperate and boreal deciduous woodlands. The CH
4 uptake rates were correlated with soil water potential (square-root transformed), temperature and depth of organic horizon (
r
2=0.78, 0.30 and 0.41, respectively). Soil water potential was the best predictor of net CH
4 oxidation rates and when temperature was added to the regression model no improvement in the
r
2 was observed. The chronic deposition of sulphuric acid stimulated net methane oxidation (
P<0.05), while the chronic deposition of nitric acid and ammonium sulphate had no significant effect.