It was the archived soils that fascinated him. They had been stored all these years in a shed downhill from the lysimeter plots. What Wood proposed to do was to compare the archived soils with present-day soils that have been exposed to high levels of atmospheric pollution. The buckwheat plots were not used because, over the years, they had been invaded by other species. Compare sulfate concentrations and sulfate adsorption capacities for archived and lysimeter soils.
Sulfates are common in smog.
As excess sulfate is leached from the soil it may be accompanied by losses of cation nutrients. Assess the degree of soil development achieved after fifty years of soil formation. The study was proposed in 1987 under a system of competitive grants at the Pacific Southwest Research Station in which scientists must compete for discretionary dollars. Research administrators were intrigued and the study was funded. Soil pits were dug to a depth of 30 and 100 centimeters and soil samples taken.