Abstract
In acid soils acid rain is often largely neutralized by dissolution of aluminium1–3, which is potentially phyto-toxic4. Here we show that only a minor fraction of soil aluminium is readily dissolved. This most soluble fraction consists largely of non-silicate, organically bound aluminium, which has been formed in the course of soil development. The current rapid and irreversible depletion of this fraction constitutes a drastic change in soil genesis. Depletion may eventually result in reduced acid neutralization, as a consequence of decreased dissolution of aluminium, and should be accounted for in soil acidification models.
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Mulder, J., van Breemen, N. & Eijck, H. Depletion of soil aluminium by acid deposition and implications for acid neutralization. Nature 337, 247–249 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1038/337247a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/337247a0
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