The Influence of Snow Cover on Soil Solution Chemistry:
Preliminary Results of the Soil Freezing Experiment
at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, New Hampshire
Ross D. Fitzhugh 1, Charles T. Driscoll 1, Peter M. Groffman 2,
Timothy J. Fahey 3, and Janet P. Hardy 4
Snow depth strongly influences soil temperature, root and microbial dynamics, soil solution and
stream water chemistry, as well as soilatmosphere trace gas fluxes. A lack of snow cover is hypoth-
esized to cause the following: 1) colder soil temperatures, 2) an increase in the severity and vertical
extent of soil freezing, and 3) increased occurrences of freezethaw cycles. Previous studies have
suggested that soil freezing can result in root and microbial mortality, which releases labile N and C
to soil, resulting in increased rates of net mineralization and nitrification. Soil freezing can therefore
accelerate the input of nitrate and dissolved organic carbon to soil solutions, causing mobilization of
cations and drainage water acidification. The soil freezing experiment at the Hubbard Brook Exper-
imental Forest examines the role of snow cover in fine root dynamics, microbial C and N dynamics,
soil solution chemistry, and soilatmosphere trace gas fluxes. This role is elucidated by comparisons
between reference (no snow removal) and treatment (snow removal throughout winter) plots. The
soil freezing experiment therefore integrates physical, chemical, and biological processes. This
report from the soil freezing experiment focuses on the influence of snow cover on soil solution
chemistry and incorporates lysimeter data from the first winter of the experiment (19971998). We
hypothesize that soil freezing will result in greater nitrate, dissolved organic carbon, calcium, potas-
sium, hydrogen ion, and inorganic monomeric aluminum concentrations and lower acid neutralizing
capacity in soil solutions of treatment plots as compared with reference plots.
1
Syracuse University, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Syracuse University, Syracuse,
New York 13244, USA
2 Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Box AB, Millbrook, New York 12545, USA
3 Cornell University, Department of Natural Resources, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA
U.S. Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory, 72 Lyme Road, Hanover, New Hampshire
03755-1290, USA
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