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The Importance of Hydrological Source Areas in Terrestrial Liming
Author(s) -
WATERS D.,
JENKINS A.,
STAPLES T.,
DONALD A. P.
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
water and environment journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.437
H-Index - 37
eISSN - 1747-6593
pISSN - 1747-6585
DOI - 10.1111/j.1747-6593.1991.tb00627.x
Subject(s) - moorland , environmental science , hydrology (agriculture) , drainage basin , water source , flood myth , geology , ecology , geography , water resource management , geotechnical engineering , cartography , archaeology , biology
Terrestrial liming experiments have been carried out in the Welsh uplands at Llyn Brianne, 30 km northwest of Brecon. Limestone has been applied to an entire moorland catchment and to the hydrological source areas of a moorland catchment. The hydrological source areas were derived from topographic data. Blanket liming and source area liming proved successful in (a) raising the pH value of the stream, (b) increasing the calcium concentration, and (c) decreasing the aluminium concentration. The response to the source area liming proved to be more successful, resulting in a higher calcium concentration. Neither site showed any signs of long‐term exhaustion, although the initial response in stream chemistry indicated the importance of the soil exchange complex in determining optimum application rates. Source area liming has economic and environmental advantages over blanket liming, and its increased effectiveness suggests that it is the most viable technique for ameliorating acidification in upland areas.