Acidity Manipulation Field Experiment Data on Litter Decomposition and Soil Chemistry

48 sampling points per time collected from a 2015-2016 field experiment manipulating soil acidity in North Wales and the Peak District. Data includes pore water chemistry, litter mass loss, and Tea Bag Index metrics from control, acid, and alkaline treatments across two soil types.

Use Cases

• Analyze litter mass loss over 3, 6, 9, and 12-month incubation periods to model decomposition rates under different acidity treatments.
• Correlate pore water pH and DOC measurements with Tea Bag Index decomposition rate (kTBI) and stabilisation factor (S).
• Compare SUVA254 and total nitrogen in litter extracts across acid, alkaline, and control treatments to assess organic matter chemistry changes.
• Model the effects of soil type (peat, organic, podzol) and site location on pore water EC and DOC using monthly and quarterly samples.

Strengths

• Experimental design includes four replications per treatment type and up to four sub-replications, supporting statistical analysis.
• Data integrates multiple sample types and temporal scales: monthly pore water, quarterly litter and soil extracts, and multi-month litter bag incubations.
• Covers two distinct UK geographical regions (North Wales and the Peak District) and two soil types (peat and organic/podzol).

Limitations

• Sample size is limited to 48 points per sampling time, which may constrain power for complex multivariate models.
• Data is from a specific two-year field experiment (2015-2016), limiting analysis of long-term or interannual trends.

Provenance

Source

Environmental Information Data Centre

Collection Method

Field experiment with controlled acidity manipulations (control, acid, alkaline) and replicated sampling.

Time Range

2015-2016

Freshness

Last updated in March 2026, though the underlying experiment concluded in 2016.

Geography

North Wales and the Peak District, United Kingdom