Sulphate concentration and S-SO42- flux in soil solutions in the West Carpathians Mountains on an example of submontane beech forest stand

Abstract

The paper presents the evaluation of data on precipitation totals and on SO42- concentrations and S-SO42- fluxes in lysimetric waters in a submontane beech stand. The records cover continually a 19-year period. The site is situated in the Kremnické vrchy Mountains, belonging to the West arpathians Mountains. The material was sampled on two plots. The first had been clear cut immediately before the research started (1989), the second was covered with the original forest stand. In total, the highest SO42- concentrations on the open plot were measured four years after the intervention (1993) at the soil depth of 0.25 m (40.50 mgl-1). The lowest values were recorded in 1989 on the control plot at the soil depth of 0.25 m (4.54 mgl-1). The sulphate sulphur deposition was the highest in 1995 in the surface humus layer on the open plot (51.8 kgha-1year-1). A very significant influence of precipitation totals on sulphur amounts deposited in the particular soil horizons was also confirmed. No interannual differences in SO42- concentration and S-SO42- flux were proved.