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Chronic and Episodic Acidification of Adirondack Streams from Acid Rain in 2003–2005
Author(s) -
Lawrence Gregory B.,
Roy Karen M.,
Baldigo Barry P.,
Simonin Howard A.,
Capone Susan B.,
Sutherland James W.,
NierzwickiBauer Sandra A.,
Boylen Charles W.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
journal of environmental quality
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.888
H-Index - 171
eISSN - 1537-2537
pISSN - 0047-2425
DOI - 10.2134/jeq2008.0061
Subject(s) - acid neutralizing capacity , snowmelt , streams , hydrology (agriculture) , acid rain , deposition (geology) , environmental science , environmental chemistry , dissolved organic carbon , spring (device) , chemistry , acid deposition , snow , geology , soil water , sediment , soil science , mechanical engineering , computer network , paleontology , geotechnical engineering , organic chemistry , engineering , geomorphology , computer science
Limited information is available on streams in the Adirondack region of New York, although streams are more prone to acidification than the more studied Adirondack lakes. A stream assessment was therefore undertaken in the Oswegatchie and Black River drainages; an area of 4585 km 2 in the western part of the Adirondack region. Acidification was evaluated with the newly developed base‐cation surplus (BCS) and the conventional acid‐neutralizing capacity by Gran titration (ANC G ). During the survey when stream water was most acidic (March 2004), 105 of 188 streams (56%) were acidified based on the criterion of BCS < 0 μeq L −1 , whereas 29% were acidified based on an ANC G value < 0 μeq L −1 During the survey when stream water was least acidic (August 2003), 15 of 129 streams (12%) were acidified based on the criterion of BCS < 0 μeq L −1 , whereas 5% were acidified based on ANC G value < 0 μeq L −1 The contribution of acidic deposition to stream acidification was greater than that of strongly acidic organic acids in each of the surveys by factors ranging from approximately 2 to 5, but was greatest during spring snowmelt and least during elevated base flow in August. During snowmelt, the percentage attributable to acidic deposition was 81%, whereas during the October 2003 survey, when dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations were highest, this percentage was 66%. The total length of stream reaches estimated to be prone to acidification was 718 km out of a total of 1237 km of stream reaches that were assessed.