Discharge of weathering products from acid sulfate soils after a rainfall event, Tweed River, eastern Australia

Bennett C. T. MacDonald, Ian White, Mats E. Astrom, A. F. Keene, Michael D. Melville, Jason Reynolds

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

69 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The oxidation of the iron sulfide, pyrite, in acid sulfate soil floodplains generate substantial acidity and this acid has caused further weathering of the soil profile. The movement of groundwater from these soils is an important geochemical control on surface water quality. The flux of acidified and metal-rich water during a wet season rainfall event has been examined at two study catchments on the Tweed River in eastern Australia. At the sites, 81 kg/ha and 60 kg/ha of oxidisable acidity are exported, along with Al, Fe and Zn during the flood event. The main contributors to the acid flux are H + , Fe and Al at the first site and whilst Fe and Al are present in the drainage waters at the second site, the main contributor is likely to be H + . The different flux characteristics at the sites may be caused by different surface soil hydraulic conductivities and oxidation history.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2695-2705
Number of pages11
JournalApplied Geochemistry
Volume22
Issue number12
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2007
Externally publishedYes

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