This study aims to evaluate the development of soil reaction values in 15 key localities of soil Partial Monitoring System from 1994 to 2023, and to identify the most important regional drivers of pH value development. Soil samples were collected from the depth 0 - 0.10 m yearly in the spring (5 samples from each locality). In the dry soil, samples were determined actively and exchanged soil reaction. The most significant negative changes (decreases of soil reaction) were determined in Haplic Stagnosols group and Cambisols group. The pH value in topsoil is primarily controlled by soil type and soil substrate, soil management and land use, and to a lesser extent by climatic region.
Over recent decades, Gampaha district, Sri Lanka, has experienced significant urbanisation and industrial growth, increasing groundwater demand due to limited and polluted surface water resources. In 2013, a community uprising in Rathupaswala, a village in Gampaha district, accused a latex glove manufacturing factory of causing groundwater acidity (pH < 4). This study evaluates the spatial and temporal changes in geochemical parameters across three transects in the southern part of Gampaha district to 1) assess the impact of geological formations on groundwater;2) compare temporal variations in groundwater;and 3) explain acidification via a geochemical model. Seventy-two sample locations were tested for pH, electrical conductivity (EC), and anion concentrations (sulphate, nitrate, chloride and fluoride). Depth to the water table and distance from the sea were measured to study variations across sandy, peaty, lateritic, and crystalline aquifers. Results showed pH readings around 7 for sandy and crystalline aquifers, below 7 for peaty aquifers, and below 5 for lateritic aquifers, with significant water table fluctuations near Rathupaswala area. Principal component analysis revealed three principal components (PCs) explaining 86.0% of the variance. PC1 (40.6%) correlated with pH, EC, and sulphate (saltwater intrusion), while PC2 (32.0%) correlated with nitrates and depth to the water table (anthropogenic nutrient pollution). A geochemical transport model indicated a cone of depression recharged by acidic groundwater from peat-soil aquifers, leading to acidic groundwater in Rathupaswala area. Previous attributions of acidic pH to the over-exploitation of groundwater by the latex factory have been reevaluated;the results suggest natural acidification from prolonged water-rock interactions with iron-rich lateritic aquifers. Groundwater pH is influenced by local climate, geology, topography, and drainage systems. It is recommended that similar water-rock interaction conditions may be present throughout the wet zone of S
Ishara PathirageAnushka Upamali RajapakshaS. P. Sucharitha BandaraG. W. A. Rohan Fernando
Artificial CO_(2)removal from the atmosphere(also referred to as negative CO_(2)emissions)has been proposed as a potential means to counteract anthropogenic climate change.Here we use an Earth system model to examine the response of ocean acidification to idealized atmospheric CO_(2)removal scenarios.In our simulations,atmospheric CO_(2)is assumed to increase at a rate of 1%per year to four times its pre-industrial value and then decreases to the pre-industrial level at a rate of 0.5%,1%,2%per year,respectively.Our results show that the annual mean state of surface ocean carbonate chemistry fields including hydrogen ion concentration([H^(+)]),pH and aragonite saturation state respond quickly to removal of atmospheric CO_(2).However,the change of seasonal cycle in carbonate chemistry lags behind the decline in atmospheric CO_(2).When CO_(2)returns to the pre-industrial level,over some parts of the ocean,relative to the pre-industrial state,the seasonal amplitude of carbonate chemistry fields is substantially larger.Simulation results also show that changes in deep ocean carbonate chemistry substantially lag behind atmospheric CO_(2)change.When CO_(2)returns to its pre-industrial value,the whole-ocean acidity measured by[H^(+)]is 15%-18%larger than the pre-industrial level,depending on the rate of CO_(2)decrease.Our study demonstrates that even if atmospheric CO_(2)can be lowered in the future as a result of net negative CO_(2)emissions,the recovery of some aspects of ocean acidification would take decades to centuries,which would have important implications for the resilience of marine ecosystems.
