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The Atmosphere of the Soil: Its Composition and the Causes of Variation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

Edward John Russell  and
Alfred Appleyard
Edward John Russell
Affiliation:
(Rothamsted Experimental Station.)
Alfred Appleyard
Affiliation:
(Rothamsted Experimental Station.)
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Extract

1. The free air in the pores of the soil to a depth of 6 inches is very similar in composition to the atmospheric air but it differs in two respects:

(a) It contains more CO2 and correspondingly less oxygen, the average in 100 volumes being 0–25 volume CO2 and 20–6 of oxygen against 0–03 volume CO2. and 20–96 oxygen in atmospheric air.

(b) It shows greater fluctuations in composition.

Usually the sum of the CO2 and oxygen is only slightly less than in atmospheric air but at periods when nitrates rapidly increase there is a perceptible falling off of oxygen, and a still greater one in waterlogged soils.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 7 , Issue 1 , March 1915 , pp. 1 - 48
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1915

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References

page 1 note 1 For analysis of the Soil, see p. 44.

page 3 note 1 See Table VI for data.

page 4 note 1 We are here using the word to denote the whole of the surface soil complex: solid matter, water, air spaces, etc. It is unfortunate that no soil chemist has yet had the courage to coin a word to express this meaning. The word “soil” is ambiguous, as it means also the actual solid matter.

page 7 note 1 Boussingault, and Léwy, , ‘Mémoire sur la composition de l'air confiné dans la terre végétale,’ Annales de Chimie et de Physique, 1853, 37, 550.Google Scholar

page 8 note 1 We cannot help thinking there must have been some mistake here; in our experience the oxygen falls very low only in waterlogged soils (p. 32).

page 8 note 2 Letts, and Blake, (Proc. Roy. Soc. Dublin, 1900, 9, 116) have shown that the principle of the method had already been used by Dalton and his pupils, but this work seems to have been unknown to Pettenkofer.Google Scholar

page 8 note 3 von Pettenkofer, M., ‘Ueber den Kohlensäuregohalt der Grundluft im Geröllboden von München in verscbiedenen Tiefen und zu verschiedenen Zeiten,’ Zeitsch. f. Biologie, 1871, 7, 395417; and 1873, 9, 250–257.Google Scholar

page 8 note 4 Forschungen auf dem Gebiete der Agrikultur-Physik, 1878–1898.

page 8 note 5 Fodor, J., Hygienische Vntersuchungen fiber Luft, Boden und Wasser, Braunschweig, 1881.Google Scholar

page 8 note 6 E., Wollny, Die Zersetzung der orgavischen Stoffe, 1897.Google Scholar

page 8 note 7 Letts, E. A. and Blake, R. F., ‘ The carbonic anhydride of the atmosphere,’ Proc. Roy. Soc. Dublin 1900, 9, 107270, especially pp. 214 et seq.Google Scholar

page 8 note 8 Caldwell, in Letts and Blake's paper, Proc. Roy. Soc. Dublin 1900, 9, 219229.Google Scholar

page 9 note 1 Ebermayer, , ‘ Mitteilungen über den Kohlensäuregehalt der Waldluft und des Waldbodens im Vergleich zu einer nicht bewaldeten Fläche,’ Forsch. auf dem Gebiele der Agrik. Physik, 1878, 1, 158161.Google Scholar

page 9 note 2 Joseph Möller, ‘Ueber die freie Kohlensäure im Boden,’ ibid. 1879, 2, 329–338.

page 9 note 3 E. Wollny, ‘Untersuchungen über den Einfluss der Pflanzendecke und der Beschattung auf dem Kohlensäuregehalt der Bodenluft,’ ibid. 1880, 3, 1–15.

page 9 note 4 Fodor, loc. cit. pp. 126 et stq.

page 9 note 5 ‘Untersuohungen über den Kohlensäuregehalt der Bodenluft,’ Landw. Versuchs. Stal. 1880, 25, 373391.Google Scholar

An earlier reference to the possible significance of microorganisms in producing the carbon dioxide of the soil occurs in a paper by Joseph Möller, ‘Ueber die freie Kohlensäure im Boden’ (Mitt, aus dem forstlichen Versuchswesen Oesterreichs, 1878, Heft. 2, 121–148). After showing that the amount of carbon dioxide is increased by additions of organic matter he goes on to state that the lower organisms and organic residues brought in from the air are of considerable importance in this connection.

We have been unable to see the original paper, but in the long abstract in Wollny's Forschungen no reference is made to any experiments and it does not appear that this was more than an expression of opinion. At any rate it made no impression and it is not referred to by other writers, nor even by Möller himself in his second paper already quoted.

page 10 note 1 Ann. Agron. 22, 305.Google Scholar

page 10 note 2 Th. Sohloesing flis, ‘Sur I'atmosphére confinée dans le sol,’ Compt. Rend, 1889, 109, 618–20, 673–76.Google Scholar

page 10 note 3 Erich, Lau, Beiträge zur Kenntnis der Zusammensetzung der im Ackerboden befindlichen Luft, Inaug. Dissertation, Rostock, 1906.Google Scholar

page 20 note 1 See also Appendix, Table XI, Hoos field follow.

page 24 note 1 Proc. Boy. Soc. Dublin, 1900, 9, 107270 and especially pp. 205 et seq.Google Scholar

page 31 note 1 ‘The nature and amount of the fluctuations in nitrate contents of arable soils,’ J. Agric. Sci. 1914, 6, 1857.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

page 32 note 1 Examination for hydrogen or methane has so far led to negative results.

page 34 note 1 Joset, Fodor, Hygienische Uniersuchungen über Luft, Boden und Wasser, Braunschweig, 1881, p. 130.Google Scholar

page 34 note 2 Fodor, ibid. p. 135.

page 34 note 3 Fodor, ibid. p. 53.

page 34 note 4 Wollny, , Forsch. auf dem Gebiete der Agrik. Physik, 1885, 8, 417.Google Scholar

page 38 note 1 Similar seasonal fluctuations in nitrate content are recorded in the paper already quoted in J. Agric. Sci. 1914, 6, 1857.Google Scholar