Acid rain in China-Input-output budgets of major ions in four forested catchments

Acid rain is one of China＇s major environmental problems and emissions of sulphur and nitrogen are still increasing. The acid rain situation in China is somewhat different from what is seen in Europe and North America. Sulfur deposition is very high, but there is also very high deposition of calcium and other base cations. The sources of atmospheric Ca are not well understood, although it is important for understanding long term impacts of acid deposition. The fate of S, N and Ca^2＋ in the catchment is crucial for the future development of the acidification situation of soils and waters in China. Very few studies presenting catchment input-output ion budgets in Chinese natural environments exist and there are several unknown factors regarding processes. Here, we present annual input-output budgets for three years （2001-2003） for major ions for four forested catchments in China receiving different loads of acid deposition. For the two sites receiving the highest SO4^2- inputs, the input-output budget for the upper 50 cm of soil is approximately balanced. For the most remote site the soil is a net sink for SO4^2-, suggesting that the pool of adsorbed SO4^2- in the soil is building up. This is in agreement with the fact that the site so far has received only moderate SO4^2- inputs. For the southemmost, the subtropical site there is a loss of SO4^2- in the soil, which at least partly may be related to high uptake from the dense and highly productive forest at the site. The Ca^2＋ budgets for the upper 50 cm of soil show large variations both within and between sites. For most locations there is production of Ca^2＋ in the soil that can be explained by weathering, and variation between years related to hydrology that can be explained by ion exchange. However, at some plots at the site receiving very high inputs of both SO4^2- and Ca^2＋, there is an unknown sink of Ca^2＋ in the soil at some plots.

Acid rain in China-Input-output budgets of major ions in four forested catchments