Four years of simulated N and S depositions did not cause N saturation in a mixedwood boreal forest ecosystem in the oil sands region in northern Alberta, Canada

We conducted a simulated nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S) deposition experiment in the Athabasca oil sands region (AOSR) where NOx and SO2 have been emitted from oil sands mining/extracting and upgrading activities and then deposited to the surrounding ecosystems for decades. To evaluate changes in tree growth rates, N pool sizes, and nutrient losses by S and N deposition, the following four treatments were applied: control (CK), N addition (+N, 30 kg N ha−1 yr−1), S addition (+S, 30 kg S ha−1 yr−1), and +NS additions (+NS, 30 kg N and 30 kg S ha−1), from 2006 through 2009. Nitrogen addition increased (p < 0.05) tree growth in the +N and +NS treatments, indicating N-limitation in the studied forest, while none of the treatments affected understory growth or soil microbial biomass. The treatments affected inorganic N concentrations in the soil only immediately following N addition. Minimal amounts of NO3- were leached below 45 cm (considered to be below the main rooting zone) of the soil profile in any of the treatments. Decreases in exchangeable Ca2+ and Mg2+ by N and S additions were likely due to increased tree uptake following increased tree growth in the former and increased leaching with sulfate in the latter. Although the lack of significant N leaching indicates that the risk of N saturation was low after 4 yr of elevated N deposition, reduction of exchangeable base cations implies that nutrient imbalance remains a concern in AOSR in the long term.

► Forests in the Athabasca oil sands region were N limited.
► Minimal nitrate leaching beyond the main rooting zone after simulated N deposition.
► N and S deposition reduced soil solution cationic nutrient concentrations.
► No signs of N saturation but nutrient imbalance a concern with elevated N and S depositions.