Chemical dynamics of N-containing ionic species in a boreal forest snowcover during the spring melt period
✍ Scribed by H. G. Jones; C. Deblois
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1987
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 874 KB
- Volume
- 1
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0885-6087
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✦ Synopsis
A study of the changes in the ionic loads of NOT, NH:, SO,"-and H+ in a boreal forest snowpack at Lake Laflamme, QuCbec was carried out using hydrological and chemical data from field lysimeters. The results showed that depletion of the N-containing species occurs periodically in the snow ack during meltwater discharge. Rain-on-snow events led to in-pack losses of NO, and NH: at a rate of 130 peq m-'day-' and 101.3 peq m-2day-' respectively. On dry days, however, dry deposition and deposition of organic debris from the canopy resulted in increases of 183.3 peq m-'day-' for NO, and 4.5 peq m-2da -' for NH: in the pack. In contrast, SO:showed continual in-pack increases NH: is due to microbiological uptake of these nutrients during periods when the free water content of the pack is high. Controlled melts in a laboratory snowmelt simulator containing snow and organic matter from the forest canopy at Lake Laflamme showed losses of NO, and N H I similar to those observed in the field. As the microbiological uptake proceeds at a rate comparable to that of ionic load increases in the pack by dry deposition, models of the chemical dynamics of snowmelt should take the former into account in any system where organic content of the snowpack is appreciable. due to deposition of 5-0 peq mP2day-r for wet days and 92.6 peq m-2day-' for dry days. The depletion of NO, and