Acid neutralization in sediments of freshwater lakes

Thesis/Dissertation · Wed Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1986

OSTI ID:6440193

Schiff, S L

Acid neutralization in soft water lake sediments was investigated with two techniques. Limnocorrals were installed in two lakes of differing sediment characteristics to examine mechanisms and importance of short term acid neutralization. Once the water column alkalinity is depleted, within-lake acid neutralization is confined to the lake sediments. Ambient lakewater alkalinity is not a good predictor of sediment buffer capacity which is significant in both organic-rich and sandy sediments. The principle source of abiotic acid neutralization is Ca/sup 2 +/ release. Concentrations of exchangeable cations are equal for both sediment types. In both lakes, HNO/sub 3/ had a substantially smaller potential for acidification than H/sub 2/SO/sub 4/. Denitrification to an uncharged end product was the main mechanism of NO/sub 3/-removal. Sulfate consumption in sediments also contributes to alkalinity production but at a much slower rate than denitrification.

• Research Organization: Columbia Univ., New York (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6440193
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

520200* -- Environment
Aquatic-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ACID NEUTRALIZING CAPACITY
ACIDIFICATION
ALKALINE EARTH METAL COMPOUNDS
CALCIUM COMPOUNDS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHEMISTRY
DENITRIFICATION
GROUND WATER
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INORGANIC ACIDS
INTERSTITIAL WATER
LAKES
NITRATES
NITRIC ACID
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PH VALUE
POLLUTION
REMOVAL
SEDIMENTS
SULFATES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
SULFURIC ACID
SURFACE WATERS
WATER
WATER CHEMISTRY
WATER POLLUTION