Studies of Adirondack Mountain (N. Y. ) lakes: limnological characteristics and sediment diatom - water chemistry relationships

Thesis/Dissertation · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1982

OSTI ID:6134713

Charles, D F

The author investigated the limnology of six small lakes located along an elevational gradient in the Adirondack Mountains (N.Y.). The lakes are all dilute, poorly buffered, and unproductive. Summer lake average pH (7.1 to 4.6) and alkalinity (73 to -32 ..mu..eg/L) decrease continuously with increasing elevation as do concentrations of Ca (142 to 68 ..mu..eq/L) and Mg (24 to 14 ..mu..eq/L). Total Al concentrations are high (August 1979 values ranged from 31 to 701 ..mu..g/L), and increase toward higher elevations. Differences in chemistry among the lakes appear to be controlled primarily by watershed characteristics, including precipitation, evapo-transpiration, weathering rate, and rates of nutrient uptake by plants. In two lakes, loss of S to the sediment and production of alkalinity appear to be important proceses modifying hypolimnetic chemistry. Trophic status of the lakes ranges from ultraoligotrophic to ligomesotrophic, based on summer lake average concentrations of total P (3.1 to 6.3 ..mu..g/L) and chlorophyll a (0.3 to 2.9 ..mu..g/L). Composition of phytoplankton, zooplankton, aquatic macrophytes, and fish assemblages varies with elevation and lakewater pH. The author also studied the relationships between surface sediment diatom assemblages and lakewater characteristics in a suite of 37 diverse Adirondack lakes. The distribution of diatoms along lake chemical gradients was examined using reciprocal averaging ordination, cluster analysis, and regression techniques. Alkalinity, pH, and concentrations of Ca, Mg, and Na correlated closely with diatom distributions. Total P, chlorophyll a, color, SO/sub 4/, Cl, lake surface area, and mean depth were not important in explaining differences among assemblages.

• OSTI ID: 6134713
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

520200 -- Environment
Aquatic-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
560303* -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology-- Plants-- (-1987)
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ADIRONDACK MOUNTAINS
ALGAE
ALKALINE EARTH METALS
ALUMINIUM
APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS
CALCIUM
CHEMISTRY
DIATOMS
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ELEMENTS
GROWTH
LAKES
LIMNOLOGY
MAGNESIUM
METALS
MOUNTAINS
NONMETALS
NUTRIENTS
PH VALUE
PHOSPHORUS
PLANTS
SEDIMENTS
SULFUR
SURFACE WATERS
WATER CHEMISTRY