Sulfur Distribution and Cycling in a Deciduous Forest Watershed

Abstract

Sulfate sulfur concentrations and pH of precipitation and streamflow, and sulfur concentrations of biomass and soil components, were determined for a 97.5‐ha mixed deciduous forest (Walker Branch Watershed) in eastern Tennessee. Amounts of sulfur (S) added precipitation and lost by streamflow were compared to fluxes of S between biomass pools. Approximately 18.1 kg/ha per year entered the watershed from the atmosphere, while only 11.5 kg/ha per year were lost in streamflow. Analysis of biomass and soil concentrations of S indicate that, of the 6.6 kg/ha per year apparent accumulation of S for the watershed as a whole, 8.6 kg accrue to mineral soil while 4.3 kg are lost from organic soil horizons, and 2.3 kg accrue to annual increment of vegetation.Seasonal variations in S input and export from the watershed were closely tied to precipitation events. The weighted mean pH of the rainfall samples collected at five sampling sites on the watershed was pH 4.2. Sulfate accounts for 80% of major anions (millequivalent basis) contributed to the watershed. The behavior of S on Walker Branch Watershed appears to differ significantly from locations in the northeastern U.S., however the data suggest active expansion to the southeastern U.S. of the area impacted by atmospheric sulfate pollution commonly associated with the northeastern region of the U.S.

Factors involved in potential sulfur accumulation in litter and soil from a coastal pine forest

“…The accumulation of incoming S in litter and soil has been documented for several forest ecosystems including those located at Coweeta Swank & Douglas 1977;Shriner & Henderson 1978). Two soil processes account for S accumulation, and these processes are influenced by several factors.…”

Sulfate budget and a model for sulfate concentrations in stream water at Birkenes, a Small forested catchment in southernmost Norway

“…At a catchmerit on dolomitic bedrock, the Walker Branch Watershed in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, however, about 40% of the incoming sulfur apparently is retained in the catchmerit. Furthermore, this value is probably an underestimate in that gaseous SO•_ and inputs of sulfur via impaction are not included in the inputs [Shriner and Henderson, 1978].…”

Sulfur speciation and distribution in soils and aboveground biomass of a boreal coniferous forest

“…In the Quercus-Carya stand of Walker Branch Watershed (Tennessee), soils contained 98% of the total ecosystem S (Shriner & Henderson 1978). In a S cycling study for five different ecosystems Johnson et al (1986) reported that soils accounted for 94 to 99% of the total ecosystem S. In Huntington Forest (New York), 88% of total S was found in the soil (David et al 1987).…”