The soil solution chemistry of some Oxfordshire soils: temporal and spatial variability

SUMMARY The immiscible liquid displacement method was used to displace soil solutions from a variety of Oxfordshire soils. These included grassland, arable, and woodland soils. The results of detailed chemical analyses demonstrated that for most solutes there were significant seasonal differences as well as differences both within and between soil series. The variation over time intervals of a few days or weeks appeared to be relatively small in relation to sampling errors. Median concentrations (in mmol m −3 ) for soil solutions derived from 21 grassland sites and six arable sites sampled six or seven times throughout 1 year were: p H 7.7, alkalinity 1810, Na 465, K 390, Mg 135, Ca 2120, Sr 1.9, Ba 0.16, Mn 0.52, Fe 3.4, Cu 0.25, TON 860, Cl 1590, S 327, P 64, Si 220, B 5.1, and DOC 4250. For many solutes, the individual soil solution concentrations spanned a range from approximately five‐times less than these median values to approximately five‐times more.