Table Of ContentGene E. Likens
Biogeochemistry
of a Forested
Ecosystem
Third Edition
Biogeochemistry of a Forested Ecosystem
Gene E. Likens
Biogeochemistry of a
Forested Ecosystem
Third Edition
With assistance from
Donald C. Buso
Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies
Gene E. Likens
Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies
Millbrook , NY , USA
ISBN 978-1-4614-7809-6 ISBN 978-1-4614-7810-2 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-1-4614-7810-2
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I am pleased to dedicate this THIRD
EDITION to my colleagues and friends,
F. Herbert Bormann, John S. Eaton,
Noye M. Johnson, and Robert S. Pierce.
These original coauthors made major
contributions to the First Edition, published
in 1977. Herb Bormann was a coauthor
of the Second Edition, published in 1995.
There have been many changes in the
biogeochemistry of the Hubbard Brook
Valley, several quite unexpected, since 1977.
Unfortunately, Herb, John, Noye, and Bob
are now deceased, but they are fondly
remembered and acknowledged for their
numerous scholarly and stimulating
contributions and especially for their
collegial interactions and friendship.
Special Dedication
A special dedication to my wife, Phyllis who,
despite struggling with a serious illness, did
all of the word processing and reference
checking and much of the reference
searching for this edition. Her dedication,
enthusiastic support and love throughout this
project are acknowledged with utmost
appreciation and respect. Her insightful
inputs and constant encouragement were
vital to the completion of this book. I am
most pleased to recognize her unique and
profound contributions to this 3rd Edition
and to the Hubbard Brook Ecosystem Study.
Preface to the Third Edition
As we approach 50 years of research in the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in
the White Mountains of New Hampshire, it is a time again for analysis and synthe-
sis, as well as for refl ection. This is a momentous event for the Hubbard Brook
Ecosystem Study (HBES), which offi cially began on 1 June 1963. These continu-
ous, long-term data on precipitation and streamwater chemistry are, to my knowl-
edge, the longest in existence. Remarkably, funding from the National Science
Foundation for the HBES has been continuous and generous since 1963. And other
sources of funding including The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Environmental
Protection Agency, and support from the home institutions of the numerous princi-
pal investigators working in the HBES, particularly Dartmouth College, Cornell
University, Yale University, and the Institute of Ecosystem Studies during the early
years of the project, are gratefully acknowledged for support of the research under-
pinning this Third Edition. This long-term work would not have been possible with-
out the cooperation and support of Forest Service colleagues at the Durham, NH
offi ce of the Northern Research Station; U.S. Forest Service in Newtown Square,
PA; and especially those Forest Service personnel stationed at the Hubbard Brook
Experimental Forest.
This is the Third Edition of Biogeochemistry of a Forested Ecosystem , fi rst pub-
lished in 1977. At that time, there were fi ve authors. Coauthors F. Herbert Bormann,
Robert S. Pierce, John S. Eaton, and Noye M. Johnson are now deceased. The wise
counsel of all four of these colleagues is greatly missed as I prepare this Third
Edition, but more, I miss their close friendship, lively encouragement, and construc-
tive generation and questioning of ideas and concepts.
The goal of this Third Edition is to update long-term data presented in earlier
editions and to generate new syntheses and conclusions about the biogeochemistry
of the Hubbard Brook Valley based on these longer-term data. There have been
many changes, revelations, and exciting new insights generated from the longer-
term data records. For example, the impact of acid rain peaked during the period of
the HBES and is now declining. The longer-term data also posed challenges in that
very marked changes in fl uxes occurred in some components, such as hydrogen ion
and sulfate deposition, calcium and nitrate export in stream water, and biomass
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