8.1 Introduction
Acid deposition is the process with the transformation of acids and substances from
the atmosphere to land surface (Smith 1872), resulted from the anthropogenic
emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ), nitrogen oxides (NO x ), ammonia (NH 3 ), and
particle matter (Driscoll et al. 2001). Since the 1950s, acid deposition has drawn
increasing attentions in Europe and North America due to its negative impacts on
soil and surface water acidification (Reuss et al. 1987; Charles and Christie 1991;
Likens and Bormann 1995), nutrient leaching (Aber et al. 1989, 1998), forest decline
(Goodale and Aber 2001; Watt et al. 1983), and biodiversity loss (Bobbink et al.
2010). After the emission abatements of SO 2 and NO x have been implemented since
the 1980s, the acidification was recovered (Stoddard et al. 1999; Driscoll et al. 2001;
Skjelkvale et al. 2005; Mitchell and Likens 2011; Strock et al. 2014; Sutherland et al.
2015). However, the reactive nitrogen (N) deposition was still a serious issue on the
surface water and soil acidification.
China has been regarded as a new global hotspot of acid emission and deposition
(Bhatti et al. 1992; Vet et al. 2014). The results derived from monitoring and
modelling showed the rapid increase of sulfur (S) and N deposition in China from
the 1980s to 2000s, accompanied by the increase of SO 2 and NO x emissions.
Corresponding to the effective abatement of SO 2 emission and a rapid increasing
emission of NO x , atmogenic N has an increasing contribution to acid deposition in
recent decades. Although numerous studies have documented the effects of N deposition on soils and aquatic ecosystems, causing acidification of soil and surface water
to a variable extent in different regions in dissimilar periods (Asano and Uchida 2005;
Duan et al. 2011; Larssen et al. 2011; Fang et al. 2011; Chen et al. 2012), there were
limited long-term monitoring data on chemistry variations of surface water or soil in
the national scale. Contrast to those in Europe and North America, the extensive
acidification of surface water has not been widely reported in China, even in the area
with acidic soils (Yu et al. 2017b; Qiao et al. 2016). However, soil acidification has
been commonly reported in both the forested and agriculture soils (Larssen et al. 2011;
Fang et al. 2011). The unique acidification and buffering processes were because of
the warm and humid climate, and distinctive deposition characteristics (e.g., high base
cation deposition), as well as strongly weathered Acrisols (Chen and Mulder 2007;
Larssen et al. 2011). In this chapter, we review and synthesize the current studies
regarding N deposition contribution to acid deposition and its effects on soil and
surface water acidification across China. The review may be useful for the knowledge
of current status and future studies, as well as policymaking.
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Q. Yu and L. Duan
Acid deposition is the process with the transformation of acids and substances from
the atmosphere to land surface (Smith 1872), resulted from the anthropogenic
emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ), nitrogen oxides (NO x ), ammonia (NH 3 ), and
particle matter (Driscoll et al. 2001). Since the 1950s, acid deposition has drawn
increasing attentions in Europe and North America due to its negative impacts on
soil and surface water acidification (Reuss et al. 1987; Charles and Christie 1991;
Likens and Bormann 1995), nutrient leaching (Aber et al. 1989, 1998), forest decline
(Goodale and Aber 2001; Watt et al. 1983), and biodiversity loss (Bobbink et al.
2010). After the emission abatements of SO 2 and NO x have been implemented since
the 1980s, the acidification was recovered (Stoddard et al. 1999; Driscoll et al. 2001;
Skjelkvale et al. 2005; Mitchell and Likens 2011; Strock et al. 2014; Sutherland et al.
2015). However, the reactive nitrogen (N) deposition was still a serious issue on the
surface water and soil acidification.
China has been regarded as a new global hotspot of acid emission and deposition
(Bhatti et al. 1992; Vet et al. 2014). The results derived from monitoring and
modelling showed the rapid increase of sulfur (S) and N deposition in China from
the 1980s to 2000s, accompanied by the increase of SO 2 and NO x emissions.
Corresponding to the effective abatement of SO 2 emission and a rapid increasing
emission of NO x , atmogenic N has an increasing contribution to acid deposition in
recent decades. Although numerous studies have documented the effects of N deposition on soils and aquatic ecosystems, causing acidification of soil and surface water
to a variable extent in different regions in dissimilar periods (Asano and Uchida 2005;
Duan et al. 2011; Larssen et al. 2011; Fang et al. 2011; Chen et al. 2012), there were
limited long-term monitoring data on chemistry variations of surface water or soil in
the national scale. Contrast to those in Europe and North America, the extensive
acidification of surface water has not been widely reported in China, even in the area
with acidic soils (Yu et al. 2017b; Qiao et al. 2016). However, soil acidification has
been commonly reported in both the forested and agriculture soils (Larssen et al. 2011;
Fang et al. 2011). The unique acidification and buffering processes were because of
the warm and humid climate, and distinctive deposition characteristics (e.g., high base
cation deposition), as well as strongly weathered Acrisols (Chen and Mulder 2007;
Larssen et al. 2011). In this chapter, we review and synthesize the current studies
regarding N deposition contribution to acid deposition and its effects on soil and
surface water acidification across China. The review may be useful for the knowledge
of current status and future studies, as well as policymaking.
156
Q. Yu and L. Duan