Premium
Retention of chloride in soil and cycling of organic matter‐bound chlorine
Author(s) -
Öberg G.,
Sandén P.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
hydrological processes
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.222
H-Index - 161
eISSN - 1099-1085
pISSN - 0885-6087
DOI - 10.1002/hyp.5680
Subject(s) - lysimeter , leachate , leaching (pedology) , cycling , topsoil , biogeochemical cycle , organic matter , environmental chemistry , dissolved organic carbon , chlorine , surface runoff , subsoil , environmental science , chloride , total organic carbon , soil organic matter , lessivage , soil water , chemistry , soil science , ecology , history , archaeology , organic chemistry , biology
Chloride (Cl inorg ) is generally considered to be a hydrologically and chemically inert substance. Past research suggests that Cl inorg participates in a complex bio geochemical cycle involving the formation of organically bound chlorine (Cl org ). The present study examines whether Cl org cycling is sufficiently extensive as to influence the geochemical cycling of Cl inorg . Undisturbed soil cores were collected in a coniferous forest soil in SE Sweden. The cores were stored in climate chambers for three months, irrigated with artificial rain, and the leachate was collected and analysed. The water balance of the lysimeters could be well described, and we found that 20–50% of the chlorine leached from the lysimeters was organically bound and that the amounts lost did not decrease with time. This strongly suggests that a substantial amount of Cl org forms in topsoil, and that subsequent leaching to deeper layers causes a considerable withdrawal of Cl inorg . The concentration of both organic carbon and Cl org in the leachate was considerably higher than concentrations observed in the runoff in the actual catchment, suggesting that organic matter precipitates or is mineralized on its way through the soil. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.