title: The adsorption and release of sulfur in mineral and organic soils of the Athabasca Oil Sands Region, Alberta, Canada.
abstract: Mineral soil and fibric peat from acid-sensitive western boreal catchments in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region of Alberta, Canada were evaluated for their ability to adsorb and release SO(4)(2-). Laboratory batch studies indicated that SO(4)(2-) adsorption in mineral soil from both the A and B horizons exhibits a limited response to elevated SO(4)(2-) concentrations, with the slope of initial mass isotherms <0.2 for all soils, likely due to low iron and aluminum oxide content. Although S retention is the dominant process in peat soils in the region, drought simulations in the lab using fibric peat collected from a poor fen exhibited as much as a five-fold increase in SO(4)(2-) concentration after drying and rewetting. Given the limited SO(4)(2-) adsorption capacity of mineral soils and the potential drought-induced S release from peatlands in this region where increased S deposition is expected, further investigation of acidification impacts is warranted.
authors.affiliation: Environmental and Resource Studies Dep., Trent University, Peterborough, ON, K9J 7B8, Canada. cwhitfield@trentu.ca
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Whitfield
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Adkinson
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Eimers
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Watmough
mesh_terms: D000327:Adsorption; D000416:Alberta; D008903:Minerals / Q000737:chemistry*; D010578:Petroleum; D012987:Soil / Q000032:analysis*; D013455:Sulfur / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D008903:Minerals; D010578:Petroleum; D012987:Soil; D013455:Sulfur