Short-term acidification detection in soils along the northern Dráva floodplain (SW Hungary) by means of Acid Neutralising Capacity (ANC) analysis

Abstract

Various methods can be used for soil acidification monitoring, which can be useful towards remediation or preventing environmental degradation. It has been demonstrated that acidification can be made evident over the span of a few years, with proper monitoring. However, a reliance on pH as a main indicator can lead to detection inadequacies, especially where soils are relatively well buffered against acidity and acid deposition is negligible. A technique employing acid-neutralising capacity (ANC) derivation was applied to cultivated and uncultivated Alluvial Meadow soils to find out whether ANC data could prove effective in determining the occurrence and degree of acidification. Sampling and lab work were carried out between 2009 and 2010 on 33 sites under various land uses. Unlike pH, ANC, soil organic matter (SOM), and cation exchange capacity (CEC) decreased significantly. ANC analysis appears to be effective in detecting acidification trends over short periods and, in contrast to previous studies, under ostensibly unremarkable conditions.