Dataset
NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water
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2019/2020 Bushfire and Water Quality Project: Impact of temperatures on soil leachability

This soil burn and leachate data set was prepared to assess the impact of fire on soil leachability and potential ecological risks. Soils representative of major geological types, unaffected by fires, were collected from nine locations along the east coast of NSW: consisting of three sedimentary soil types: Cumberland State Forest, Lake Parramatta and Hat Head, two metamorphic soil types: Port Macquarie and Yarriabini National Park, three igneous soil types: Bellmore Falls (Budderoo), Robertson National Park and Middle Brother National Park, and one coastal plains organic soil: Crescent Head/Bellmore Swamp. The soils were characterised for metal and nutrient (N, P) levels and analysed using X-ray diffractometry (XRD) to determine their mineralogical composition. The soils were then subjected to a simulated fire impact experiment, where they were treated at temperatures of 200 °C (low-moderate severity), 500 °C (high severity), and 850 °C (extreme severity) for 30 minutes, along with an untreated control (unburnt). After cooling, the soils were leached using a modified version of the Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) as outlined in the USEPA SW-846 Test Method 1311 in freshwater. Dissolved metals, total nutrients, and dissolved nutrients were sampled and analysed in the leachates. This data fed into a leachate assessment and a preliminary aquatic ecological risk assessment, with a report to be released soon. The data presented in this spreadsheet is: • initial characterisation data set for each soil including metals, nutrients organic matter and moisture content. • XRD data for the soils in unburnt, 200 °C and 850 °C treatments. • Leachate data for total nutrients, dissolved nutrients and dissolved metals.

Data and Resources

Metadata Summary What is metadata?

Field Value
Language English
Edition 1
Purpose Assessment of fire severity on soils and potential risk to waterways
Frequency of change Not planned
Keywords HAZARDS-Fire,SOIL-Chemistry,MARINE-Estuaries,WATER-Quality
Metadata Date 2024-06-27
Date of Asset Creation 2024-06-26
Date of Asset Revision 2024-06-27
Date of Asset Publication 2024-06-27
License Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
Geospatial Topic Environment
NSW Place Name NSW East Coast
Extent

Dataset extent
Temporal Coverage From 2023-01-01 - 2023-12-31
Datum GDA94 Geographic (Lat\Long)
Legal Disclaimer Read
Attribution NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water asserts the right to be attributed as author of the original material in the following manner: "© State Government of NSW and NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water 2024"