Sulphur dynamics of forest ecosystems

The chapter summarizes much of the information gained from studying the impacts of acid-sulphate deposition on forest vegetation and soils. The role that sulphur retention or release plays in affecting the flux of acidity to downstream ecosystems is elucidated, as is the interaction of sulphur with other elemental cycles, especially nitrogen and basic cations. However, there are still inconsistencies in the measurement of dry and cloud-water deposition, and that there are still major unanswered questions with regard to sulphur retention and adsorption in soil. For example, the effect of sulphur storage in organic compounds has to be understood in terms of release rates over a longer period, and the fluxes of sulphur gases from forests also remain poorly studied, particularly for tropical forests. -from Editors