Chemical reduction causing land degradation. II Detailed observations at a discharge site in the Eastern Dundas Tablelands, Victoria, Australia

Abstract

Observations at a discharge site in the Eastern Dundas Tablelands show that acid production and iron mobilisation contribute significantly to land degradation in addition to salinity caused by rising saline groundwater. Conditions at discharge are shown to vary markedly with position in the scald and time (both daily and longer periods). Silica and iron cementation of soil particles also occur. A framework is proposed to interpret these processes based on conditions at the discharge point for a reduced groundwater. © 2004 Kluwer Academic Publishers.