Acid Sulfate Soil Dynamics and Management
Summary
Soils containing substantial quantities of iron sulfides—commonly termed acid sulfate soils—undergo oxidation when drained or exposed to air, generating sulphuric acid and mobilising toxic metals such as aluminium and iron. This process leads to severe acidification of wetlands, floodplains and agricultural fields, with downstream impacts on freshwater and coastal ecosystems. Management strategies have evolved to address both the chemical and hydrological drivers of acid release. Liming with calcium-based materials restores pH buffering capacity, while controlled water management—including re-establishment of anoxic conditions by tidal inundation or water table manipulation—slows sulfide oxidation. Organic matter amendments and engineered remediation suspensions offer additional routes for altering redox conditions and sequestering metals. Spatial prioritisation frameworks now guide resource allocation by identifying areas of greatest risk, integrating hydrogeomorphic data with acid flux measurements. Recent advances in geochemical modelling and rapid field-screening methods have improved predictions of long-term soil behaviour and informed adaptive management practices. Restoration of acid sulfate landscapes not only mitigates environmental hazards but can provide co-benefits for habitat health, coastal resilience and agricultural productivity.
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Acid Sulfate Soil Dynamics and Management publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in acid sulfate soil dynamics and management across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Acid sulfate soils: Soils rich in iron sulfide minerals that produce acid when oxidised.
Pyrite: An iron sulfide mineral whose oxidation generates sulphuric acid.
Liming: Application of alkaline materials to neutralise soil acidity.
Tidal inundation: Controlled flooding by tidal waters to maintain anoxic soil conditions.
Cation exchange capacity (CEC): A measure of a soil's ability to hold and exchange positively charged ions.
References
- Upscaling the remediation of acidic landscapes – the coastal floodplain prioritisation method. Journal of Environmental Management (2023).
- A nationwide acid sulfate soil study — A rapid and cost-efficient approach for characterizing large-scale features. The Science of The Total Environment (2023).
- Coastal Acid-Sulfate Soils of Kalimantan, Indonesia, for Food Security: Characteristics, Management, and Future Directions. Resources (2024).
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