Acid buffer capacity of the Bavarian soil function map 1:25,000 (BFK25) for three project areas

Soils fulfil important functions in the natural environment. The Federal Soil Protection Act protects these valuable soil functions. Soil function maps evaluate the performance of soils in the natural environment. The assessment is based on soil maps (mostly overview soil maps i.M. 1:25,000) and other information on the environment and location. The area information is implemented by means of linking rules to assessments. The progressive acidification of our soils is a natural process. However, since industrialisation began, this process has accelerated in some areas due to the anthropogenic input of acidifying substances. Acid inputs are buffered in the soil (neutralised), so that despite the entries the soil properties do not change adversely. However, if the buffering capacity of the soil is exhausted, the soil can quickly acidify and toxic metals (e.g. Al3+) occur, damaging soil organisms and plant roots. The assessment of the buffering capacity of the soil for acidifying entries is carried out on the basis of the criterion “acid buffering capacity of forest soils”. For this purpose, the readily available base stocks in the soil are calculated. The proton end position as well as the subsequent delivery of basic-acting cations from silicate weathering were taken into account for individual project areas. Agricultural sites are not evaluated, as the base supply is usually ensured by fertilisation. The assessment map provides indications of sites at risk of acidification where measures to improve the base stock can be useful. The soil function map “Buffering capacity of the soil for acidifying entries” represents a soil protection evaluation of the soil map. Their sharpness is based on the information security of the underlying ground map. Since the basic data of the soil function map are partly based on different topographical foundations, overlapping inaccuracies occur when comparing with current usage maps, especially at usage limits. In some cases, the evaluated areas in the soil function map are very inhomogeneous, so that in addition to the evaluation stage shown, different evaluations are also subordinated. Areas of less than 5 000 m² were added to neighbouring areas.