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R A Skeffington

Publications and source records attributed to R A Skeffington.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2002

Recovery from acidification in the Tillingbourne catchment, southern England: catchment description and preliminary results.

Measurements of acid deposition and streamwater chemistry made in 1979-1982 and 1999-2000 are compared for a small, acid-sensitive catchment in Southeast England. The location, geology, soils, vegetation and hydrology of the catchment are described. The catchment is located on an acidic cretaceous sandstone with a low permeability clay sub-stratum. Soils are predominantly podzol and gley, with some mesotrophic peat. The catchment is forested. Mean volume-weighted concentrations in precipitation have changed approximately in proportion to emission changes. SO4(2-) has declined by 61%, H+ by 75%, both NO- and NH4+ by 37% and Cl- by 26%. Changes in wet deposition are greater, sulfate deposition declined by 69%, non-marine SO4(2-) by 73%, H+ deposition by 75%, NO3- and NH4+ by 50% and Cl- by 41%. Sulfate deposition in throughfall, a surrogate for total deposition measurement, has declined by 82% and non-marine SO4(2-) by 86%. Some of these changes are due to alterations in the tree cover and location of the collectors. In 1979-1982, the flux of NO3- and NH4+ in throughfall was less than in rainfall, 7.5 compared with 11.3 kg N ha(-1) year(-1), showing that N uptake by the canopy was greater than dry deposition of these species. However, in 1999-2000, the throughfall flux of N was greater than rainfall, 19.6 compared to 5.7 kg N ha year(-1), indicating that canopy uptake is not occurring to the same extent. Surface water was sampled at the same locations in the catchment during the two periods. At the catchment exit, mean pH increased, from 3.93 to 4.21 mg l(-1), and SO4(2-) declined from 20.2 to 16.7 mg l(-1) (18%). The decrease in SO4(2-) is much less than the reduction in deposition, suggesting that the predicted recovery is being delayed by release of sulfur from the soil. In contrast, NO3- concentrations in the catchment waters increased from 0.22 to 0.52 mg N l(-1) (133%) despite the reduction in N deposition. NH4+ concentrations were low during both study periods. It is concluded that recovery from acidification is probably occurring, but is possibly being delayed by desorption of soil S. The catchment is also showing signs of increasing N saturation, despite a reduction in N inputs.

Absorption↗
PubMed1994

The effects of excess nitrogen deposition on young Norway spruce trees. Part I the soil.

The effects of wet-deposited nitrogen on soil acidification and the health of Norway spruce were investigated in a pot experiment using an open-air spray/drip system. Nitrogen was applied as ammonium ((NH(4))(2)SO(4)) or nitrate (HNO(3)/NaNO(3)) in simulated rain to either the soil or the foliage for a period of two years five months. Symptoms of forest decline were not reproduced. Adverse effects relating to soil acidification and N saturation were observed and depended on the chemical form of N. The plant-soil system absorbed most of the soil-applied NH(+)(4) at doses of up to 65 kgN ha(-1) year(-1) but only 54% at a dose of 125 kgN ha(-1) year(-1). About 60% of soil-applied NO(-)(3) was absorbed in all treatments. Ammonium treatments acidified the soil, increased base cation leaching, and mobilised acidic cations. Nitrification was not the major source of acidity, however. Nitrate inputs increased soil pH. Critical loads calculated using current criteria were 60-120 and 30-60 kgN ha(-1) year(-1) for ammonium and nitrate, respectively. Ammonium is more likely to damage forest ecosystems, however, illustrating the need for care in the definition of critical loads.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1994

The effects of excess nitrogen deposition on young Norway spruce trees. Part II the vegetation.

The effects of wet-deposited nitrogen on soil acidification and the health of Norway spruce were investigated in a pot experiment using an open-air spray/drip system. Nitrogen was applied as ammonium ((NH(4))(2)SO(4)) or nitrate (HNO(3)/NaNO(3)) in simulated rain to either the soil or the foliage. Symptoms of forest decline as observed in the field were not reproduced, and there was no evidence of direct toxicity. Treatments did, however, have significant effects on tree nutrition. Both NH(+)(4) and NO(-)(3) treatment applied to the foliage lowered foliar K concentrations. NH(+)(4) to a greater extent. Soil-applied NH(+)(4) reduced foliar Mg concentrations and increased foliar Al and Fe. Soil-applied NO(-)(3) significantly reduced foliar P concentrations, and at high doses prevented the alleviation of P deficiency by fertiliser. These effects could be important in some field situations. Ammonium deposition is predicted to be more damaging than nitrate deposition, although the latter may be critical for forests where P status is marginal, such as in parts of the British uplands.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1992

Timescales of recovery from acidification: Implications of current knowledge for aquatic organisms.

Current understanding of the mechanisms of recovery of surface waters from acidification leads to several conclusions which must be considered when devising emission control strategies. Recovery can be regarded as being in two stages: an initial phase in which the waters respond to the reduced SO4(2-) deposition, and a second phase which depends on recovery of the soil base status. If an acceptable water quality is not produced in the first phase, recovery will be extremely slow, taking centuries. This may be true of very sensitive areas such as S Norway. Faster and deeper emission reductions will not significantly speed recovery in these situations: liming is then the only practicable method. Areas where the weathering rate is higher will recover faster, and here recovery may be delayed (by decades) by two poorly understood processes-release of SO4(2-) and release of organic acids from soils. Research on the control of these processes and on the extent of lake resource in each category is urgently needed.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1988

Excess nitrogen deposition: issues for consideration.

This paper briefly reviews some major mechanisms by which deposition of inorganic N compounds from the atmosphere could be damaging forest and natural ecosystems. Twelve issues which needed further discussion or research were identified. These were: has N deposition increased; what is a N-saturated ecosystem; can the time of onset of N saturation be predicted; can fertiliser experiments simulate the effects of atmospheric deposition; are there relationships between N input and N leaching; is N deposition leading to acidification; does high N input lead to toxicity symptoms in trees; does N input increase tree susceptibility to stress; does N input induce nutrient deficiency; does increasing N affect natural plant communities; what are the effects on aquatic ecosystems; can a 'critical load' for protection of ecosystems be defined? There is a brief critical discussion of each issue. It is concluded that there is not enough understanding of ecosystem function to define a critical load objectively, but that limits can be defined for some ecosystems.

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