Paleoecological investigation of recent lake acidification: Methods and project description: Interim report

Technical Report · Sat Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1986

OSTI ID:6907182

Charles, D F; Whitehead, D R ^[1]

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1. eds.

This report documents the methods used for the interdisciplinary paleoecological investigation of five to fifteen comparable watershed/lake systems from each of four low-alkalinity regions that are currently receiving acidic deposition: Adriondack Mountains, NY, northern New England, northern Great Lakes states, and northern Florida. The primary objective of the study is to develop an integrated paleoecological approach to making a detailed reconstruction of the recent history of pH-related changes and demonstrating this approach in a representative suite of lakes from each of the regions. Inference of historical pH levels is based on diatom stratigraphies with chrysophytes used for support. Dating of sediments strata is based on lead-210 with pollen and charcoal used for support. Other sediment stratigraphies are measured either to explore possible causes of any inferred pH changes or to test their ability to reflect the pH changes indicated by the diatoms and chrysophytes. The major portion of the report is detailed descriptions of methods used for PIRLA research activities: lake selection; watershed and climatic history analysis, sediment coring and subsampling; analysis of sediment pollen and charcoal, coal and oil soot, diatoms, chrysophytes, chironomids, cladocera, Pb-210 dating, total metals, sequential extraction of metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, total sulfur, carbon, nitrogen and hydrogen, sulfur isotopes; water chemistry; and the variability study.

• Research Organization: Indiana Univ., Bloomington (USA). Dept. of Biology
• OSTI ID: 6907182
• Report Number(s): EPRI-EA-4906; ON: TI87920113
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

500200 -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
520200* -- Environment
Aquatic-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ACID RAIN
ACIDIFICATION
ADIRONDACK MOUNTAINS
ALGAE
APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS
ATMOSPHERIC PRECIPITATIONS
CARBON COMPOUNDS
DIATOMS
FEDERAL REGION II
FEDERAL REGION III
FEDERAL REGION IV
FEDERAL REGION V
FLORIDA
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
LAKES
MOUNTAINS
NEW YORK
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NORTH AMERICA
PH VALUE
PLANTS
RAIN
SEDIMENTS
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
SURFACE WATERS
USA