Chlorine cycling and the fate of Cl in terrestrial environments

Chlorine (Cl) in the terrestrial environment is of interest from multiple perspectives, including the use of chloride as a tracer for water flow and contaminant transport, organochlorine pollutants, Cl cycling, radioactive waste (radioecology; Cl-36 is of large concern) and plant science (Cl as essential element for living plants). During the past decades, there has been a rapid development towards improved understanding of the terrestrial Cl cycle. There is a ubiquitous and extensive natural chlorination of organic matter in terrestrial ecosystems where naturally formed chlorinated organic compounds (Cl-org) in soil frequently exceed the abundance of chloride. Chloride dominates import and export from terrestrial ecosystems while soil Cl-org and biomass Cl can dominate the standing stock Cl. This has important implications for Cl transport, as chloride will enter the Cl pools resulting in prolonged residence times. Clearly, these pools must be considered separately in future monitoring programs addressing Cl cycling. Moreover, there are indications that (1) large amounts of Cl can accumulate in biomass, in some cases representing the main Cl pool; (2) emissions of volatile organic chlorines could be a significant export pathway of Cl and (3) that there is a production of Cl-org in tissues of, e.g. plants and animals and that Cl can accumulate as, e.g. chlorinated fatty acids in organisms. Yet, data focusing on ecosystem perspectives and combined spatiotemporal variability regarding various Cl pools are still scarce, and the processes and ecological roles of the extensive biological Cl cycling are still poorly understood.

Automated summary

Chlorine in terrestrial environments plays multiple roles such as serving as a tracer for water flow and contaminant transport, being present in organochlorine pollutants, cycling within ecosystems, and being an essential element for plant growth. While progress has been made in understanding the terrestrial chlorine cycle, there is still a lack of data on ecosystem-level perspectives and the overall complexities of biological chlorine cycling.