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Research in forest ecosystems is focused on recent and past extreme events caused by drought, heat, storms and frost [1,2]. This research aims at exploring soil-specific processes of element leaching in relation to the impact of soil wetting cycles after freezing and heating. Loosely bound nutrients (ions/elements) react differently to thermodynamic conditions, which are interesting to analyze associated with climate change and soil water depletion. Soil drying is related to the increase in air temperature. Repeated drying and wetting increases mineralization of the organic matter, and thus increases the availability and losses of nutrients. The effect of freezing-wetting alters solution fluxes. Both processes are far from being predictable, and there is a lack of knowledge on this subject. The objective of this experiment was to investigate the effects of soil freezing-wetting and heating-wetting cycles on soil leaching processes. Our hypothesis is that freezing and heating of the soil, change the quality of the soil solute, i.e. mineral ions (Na+ , K+ , Ca2+, Mg2+, Al3+, Fe3+, Mn2+, NO2 - , SO4 2-, NO3 - , PO4 3-) concentrations in leachate. Two forest soil profiles, in European beech dominated stand on Mt Bjelašnica in Bosnia and Herzegovina (18˘15’44”E, 43˘42’25”N) were sampled. Soil type corresponded to Calcaric Cambisol (CA) and Chromic Cambisol (CH) according to IUSS Working Group WRB (2015). Soil was sampled by horizons (O, Ah, A/Brz, Brz1, Brz2). Porous plastic glasses were filled with 120g of air-dried soil, two representing different treatments (rewetting-freezing vs. rewetting-heating) and one representing the control. Treatments involved: a) four cycles of wetting the soil (2% intensity, 30’, 120cm3 ) and freezing (-10˘C) vs b) four cycles of wetting the soil (2% intensity, 30’, 120cm3 ) and heating for 3 hours at 40˘C. Control state involved wetting and drying at room temperature. After each wetting cycle, leachate was captured and left in freezer unti

Research in forest ecosystems is focused on recent and past extreme events caused by drought, heat, storms and frost [1,2]. This research aims at exploring soil-specific processes of element leaching in relation to the impact of soil wetting cycles after freezing and heating. Loosely bound nutrients (ions/elements) react differently to thermodynamic conditions, which are interesting to analyze associated with climate change and soil water depletion. Soil drying is related to the increase in air temperature. Repeated drying and wetting increases mineralization of the organic matter, and thus increases the availability and losses of nutrients. The effect of freezing-wetting alters solution fluxes. Both processes are far from being predictable, and there is a lack of knowledge on this subject. The objective of this experiment was to investigate the effects of soil freezing-wetting and heating-wetting cycles on soil leaching processes. Our hypothesis is that freezing and heating of the soil, change the quality of the soil solute, i.e. mineral ions (Na+ , K+ , Ca2+, Mg2+, Al3+, Fe3+, Mn2+, NO2 - , SO4 2-, NO3 - , PO4 3-) concentrations in leachate. Two forest soil profiles, in European beech dominated stand on Mt Bjelašnica in Bosnia and Herzegovina (18˘15’44”E, 43˘42’25”N) were sampled. Soil type corresponded to Calcaric Cambisol (CA) and Chromic Cambisol (CH) according to IUSS Working Group WRB (2015). Soil was sampled by horizons (O, Ah, A/Brz, Brz1, Brz2). Porous plastic glasses were filled with 120g of air-dried soil, two representing different treatments (rewetting-freezing vs. rewetting-heating) and one representing the control. Treatments involved: a) four cycles of wetting the soil (2% intensity, 30’, 120cm3 ) and freezing (-10˘C) vs b) four cycles of wetting the soil (2% intensity, 30’, 120cm3 ) and heating for 3 hours at 40˘C. Control state involved wetting and drying at room temperature. After each wetting cycle, leachate was captured and left in freezer unti