Nitrogen and sulfur deposition reductions projected to partially restore forest soil conditions in the US Northeast, while understory composition continues to shift with future climate change.

ABSTRACT: Human activities have dramatically increased nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S) deposition, altering forest ecosystem function and structure. Anticipating how changes in deposition and climate impact forests can inform decisions regarding these environmental stressors. Here, we used a dynamic soil-vegetation model (ForSAFE-Veg) to simulate responses to future scenarios of atmospheric deposition and climate change across 23 Northeastern hardwood stands. Specifically, we simulated soil percent base saturation, acid neutralizing capacity (ANC), nitrate (NO₃ ^-) leaching, and understory composition under 13 interacting deposition and climate change scenarios to the year 2100, including anticipated deposition reductions under the Clean Air Act (CAA) and Intergovernmental Panel on

SUBMITTER: LeDuc SD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9610802 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature