Acidity status of lakes in the Adirondack region of New York in relation to fish resources

Technical Report · Fri Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1980

OSTI ID:5891484

Pfeiffer, M H; Festa, P J

Many surface waters in the Adirondack region of New York State have low alkalinities due to a carbonate-poor geology. This condition makes these waters particularly sensitive to the high acid ion deposition associated with the region's airshed. Since 1975, pH and alkalinity measurements have been made on 849 ponded waters throughout the Adirondack region to determine the scope of water quality impacts associated with acid ion deposition and to provide a baseline inventory for indexing future measurements. The present condition of surface waters is described on the basis of summertime, one meter depth, pH measurements obtained with a pH meter under air-CO/sub 2/-equilibrium conditions. Twenty-five percent of the waters in the survey registered pH readings below 5.0. These waters comprise 10,460 surface acres. Comparisons of historic and post-1974 acidities are made where data points from comparable methodologies exist. Relationships between meter pH, colorimetric pH, alkalinity, conductivity, calcium, lake surface area, lake surface elevation and geographical locations are discussed. Changes in fish species composition and sportfishing yields observed in waters exhibiting increased acidity are reviewed.

• Research Organization: New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation, Albany (USA). Div. of Fish and Wildlife
• OSTI ID: 5891484
• Report Number(s): NP-2901528; FW-P-168-10-80
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

520200* -- Environment
Aquatic-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ACIDIFICATION
ANIMALS
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
DATA
DATA COMPILATION
ECONOMIC IMPACT
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
FISHES
FISHING INDUSTRY
INDUSTRY
INFORMATION
LAKES
MID-ATLANTIC REGION
MOUNTAINS
NATURE RESERVES
NEW YORK
NORTH AMERICA
NUMERICAL DATA
PH VALUE
RESOURCES
SPECIES DIVERSITY
SURFACE WATERS
USA
VERTEBRATES
WATER QUALITY