Abstract
Ammonium sulfate is often applied as snow cement on ski run during racing ski competition in Japan. The purpose of our study is to make clear behaviors of ammonium sulfate and the effects upon snow, water, soil and vegetation, because a large amount of ammonium sulfate applied on field has possibility to give various impacts on environments such as vegetation change, water pollution, and soil acidification. Snowmelt water included high concentration of applied ammonium sulfate on snow surface and ran off from snow rapidly . This runoff with high concentration of snow cement may have effects on surroundings suddenly and strongly. However, the effects on stream and underdrainage waters were relatively small due to buffer effects that soil adsorbed and kept both NH4+ and SO42- . A great part of ammonium sulfate kept within soil after thaw causes vegetation change, water pollution by nitrate nitrogen, and falling of soil pH.
