Atmospheric particulate deposition in temperate deciduous forest ecosystems: interactions with the canopy and nutrient inputs in two beech stands of Northeastern France.

As wood harvests are expected to increase to satisfy the need for bio-energy in Europe, quantifying atmospheric nutrient inputs in forest ecosystems is essential for forest management. Current atmospheric measurements only take into account the <0.45 μm fraction and dry deposition is generally modeled. The aims of this study were to quantify atmospheric particulate deposition (APD), the >0.45 μm fraction of atmospheric deposition, below the canopy, to study the influence of the canopy on APD, and to determine the influence of APD below canopy to nutrient input-output budgets with a focus on base cations calcium, magnesium and potassium, and phosphorus. APD was sampled every four weeks by passive collectors. We divided APD into an organic and a mineral fraction, respectively POM and MDD. MDD was divided into a soluble and a hardly soluble fraction in hydrogen peroxide, referred to as S-MDD and H-MDD, respectively. In order to better understand the influence of the canopy on APD, we studied APD in three pathways below the canopy (litterfall, stemflow and throughfall), and in open field. Our results indicated that APD in throughfall (123 ± 64 kg ha(-1)year(-1)) was significantly higher and synchronic with that in open field (33 ±9 kg ha(-1)year(-1)) in the two study sites. This concerned both POM and MDD, suggesting a large interception of APD by foliar surfaces, which is rapidly washed off by rain within four weeks. Throughfall H-MDD was the main pathway with an average of 16 ± 2 kg ha(-1)year(-1). Stemflow and litterfall were neglected. In one study site, canopy intercepted about 8 kg ha(-1)year(-1) of S-MDD. Although base cations and phosphorus inputs by APD are lower than those of <0.45 μm deposition, they contributed from 5 to 32% to atmospheric deposition and improved the nutrient budget in one of the study sites.