Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 21, 2026

Vegetated Treatment Systems for Removing Contaminants Associated with Surface Water Toxicity in Agriculture and Urban Runoff
Published on: May 15, 2017
Intensified vegetation water use under acid deposition
Matthew Lanning1, Lixin Wang1, Todd M Scanlon2
1Department of Earth Sciences, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA.
Abstract:
Despite the important role vegetation plays in the global water cycle, the exact controls of vegetation water use, especially the role of soil biogeochemistry, remain elusive. In this study, we reveal a new mechanism of soil biogeochemical control of large-scale vegetation water use. Nitrate and sulfate deposition from fossil fuel burning have caused substantial soil acidification, leading to the leaching of soil base cations. Of these, calcium has a unique role in plant cells by regulating stomatal aperture, thus affecting vegetation water use. We hypothesized that the leaching of the soil calcium supply, induced by acid deposition, would increase large-scale vegetation water use. We present evidence from a long-term whole watershed acidification experiment demonstrating that the alteration of the soil calcium supply by acid deposition can significantly intensify vegetation water use (~10% increase in evapotranspiration) and deplete available soil water. These results are critical to understanding future water availability, biogeochemical cycles, and surface energy flux and to help reduce uncertainties in terrestrial biosphere models.
Related Concept Videos
Water: A Bronsted-Lowry Acid and Base
States of Water
Water freezes when the intermolecular forces are greater than the kinetic energy. Unlike most other substances, water is less dense in its solid state than in its liquid state. This is because each water molecule can form...
Phase Transitions: Sublimation and Deposition
Water and Mineral Acquisition
Polyprotic Acids
Quality of Water

