Chemical response of an acid-sensitive headwater stream to snowmelt and storm events: a field study and simulation model
Thesis/Dissertation
·
OSTI ID:5100921
A coordinated field and modelling effort was undertaken on an instrumented watershed within the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, New Hampshire to test an acid precipitation neutralization hypothesis. This two-step mechanism states that incident hydrogen ion acidity is quickly exchanged for aluminum (a Lewis acid); this reaction is followed by a slower step in which the aluminum acidity is neutralized by base cations. By this hypothesis, the residence time of the water within the soil system is the primary factor controlling its chemistry. In this study, the residence time hypothesis was translated into the hydrologic problem of hydrograph separation: during a snowmelt or storm event, the stream water is composed of both baseflow (water of long residence time) and event water (water of short residence time). Because some forms of aluminum are toxic to fish, a better understanding of neutralization mechanisms will enable a better assessment of the biological impacts of acid deposition. Fish kills in Scandanavia have been attributed to short-term depressions in pH and the accompanying increase in aluminum. Such observations justify the focus of this study on the chemical response of streams to individual events.
- Research Organization:
- Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY (USA)
- OSTI ID:
- 5100921
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Effects of acidic deposition on the chemistry of headwater streams: a comparison between Hubbard Brook, New Hampshire, and Jamieson Creek, British Columbia
In situ bioassays of brook trout (salvelinus fontinalis) and blacknose dace (rhinichthys atratulus) in adirondack streams affected by episodic acidification
Assessing the response of Emerald Lake, an alpine watershed in Sequoia National Park, California, to acidification during snowmelt by using a simple hydrochemical model
Journal Article
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Sun Jan 31 23:00:00 EST 1988
· Water Resour. Res.; (United States)
·
OSTI ID:6924837
In situ bioassays of brook trout (salvelinus fontinalis) and blacknose dace (rhinichthys atratulus) in adirondack streams affected by episodic acidification
Technical Report
·
Thu Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 1992
·
OSTI ID:5640632
Assessing the response of Emerald Lake, an alpine watershed in Sequoia National Park, California, to acidification during snowmelt by using a simple hydrochemical model
Book
·
Sun Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 1989
·
OSTI ID:6940000
Related Subjects
500200* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ACID NEUTRALIZING CAPACITY
ACID RAIN
ALUMINIUM COMPOUNDS
ANIMALS
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
ATMOSPHERIC PRECIPITATIONS
CHEMISTRY
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
FISHES
FUNCTIONAL MODELS
INJURIES
MASS TRANSFER
PH VALUE
RAIN
RUNOFF
SNOW
SOILS
STREAMS
SURFACE WATERS
TOXICITY
VERTEBRATES
WATER CHEMISTRY
WATERSHEDS
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ACID NEUTRALIZING CAPACITY
ACID RAIN
ALUMINIUM COMPOUNDS
ANIMALS
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
ATMOSPHERIC PRECIPITATIONS
CHEMISTRY
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
FISHES
FUNCTIONAL MODELS
INJURIES
MASS TRANSFER
PH VALUE
RAIN
RUNOFF
SNOW
SOILS
STREAMS
SURFACE WATERS
TOXICITY
VERTEBRATES
WATER CHEMISTRY
WATERSHEDS