Regional assessment of the temporal trends in soil acidification in southern Sweden, using the safe model

The dynamic soil acidification model SAFE was applied to 44 forested sites in Skane, southern Sweden, using available Swedish databases on present soil status, vegetation and deposition. Time series of deposition were derived for each site from present deposition in a generalized fashion by dividing deposition into different classes and scaling with deposition trends from the literature. This study connects the current status of the soil and the soil development with critical load maps calculated with the steady-state model PROFILE. The model was calibrated against measurements of present base saturation from the Swedish Forest Inventory. Model output was compared with available measurements of soil water chemistry. Model output was used to assess the time delay between changes in acidic input and system response in terms of exchangeable base cations and pH. The model was also used for scenario analysis, applying the reductions agreed in the Oslo Protocol to assess the environmental benefits of the agreement.