Effects of pH and ionic strength on the cation exchange capacity of soils with variable charge

Abstract

The cation exchange capacity of six surface soils from north Queensland and Hawaii has been measured over a range of pH values (4-6) and ionic strength values (0.003-0.05). The results show that for variable charge soils, modest changes in electrolyte ionic strength are as important in their effect on caton exchange capacity as are changes in pH values.