Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Climate Change: A Frontier For Acid Sulfate Soil Research, Richard Bush, Leigh Sullivan, Scott Johnston, Edward Burton, Vanessa Wong, Annabelle Keene

Associate Professor Edward D Burton

Sea-level is predicted to continue to rise this century, threatening the integrity of coastal floodplains throughout the world. The low-lying elevation of much of the 17 million ha of acid-sulfate soils that occur worldwide, renders these landscapes particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Acid sulfate soils landscapes are regulated by redox driven biogeochemical processes that are sensitive to watertable dynamics, tidal exchange and temperature. The increased likelihood of extreme weather events such as drought and floods and rising global temperatures are directly relevant to the redox and hydrological processes that influence acid sulfate soil behaviour and their impact …