SOIL SAMPLING AND ANALYSIS AT MULTIPLE LAUNCH ROCKET SYSTEM FIRING POINTS, CAMP SHELBY TRAINING SITE, HATTIESBURG, MS

The possibility of aluminum toxicity in certain endangered species has raised interest in studying the environmental effects of firing the Multiple Launch Rocket System at Camp Shelby Training Site near Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Since 2000, we at the Department of Geology and the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Southern Mississippi (USM) have been monitoring the concentrations of aluminum and chloride compounds in soils and biota at MLRS firing points at Camp Shelby. When rockets are fired from the MLRS, fuel combustion emits large quantities of aluminum oxide and hydrous oxide compounds. Under normal pH conditions, aluminum is not considered to be available for uptake by organisms. However, in extractable forms, aluminum can be poisonous to plants and animals. The aluminum compounds released by the rockets may be broken down by a combination of natural acidic conditions in the soil and chloride compounds emitted from firing the MLRS. This chemical activity could release forms of aluminum that are harmful to biota indigenous to MLRS firing points. Although most of the progress to date has been reported to the Mississippi Army National Guard, no conclusive results have been released that outline the effects of firing the MLRS at CSTS firing points. Based upon data from the first four years sampling, analytical trends in cation exchange capacities, acidic properties, exchangeable aluminum values, and silicon to aluminum ratios show little or no evidence for accumulation of aluminum or chloride compounds in the soils and biota at Camp Shelby.