Catchment and atmospheric effects on acidity of lakes in the northeastern United States

Journal Article · Thu Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1995 · Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America

OSTI ID:95774

Davis, R B; Anderson, D S; Rhodes, T E ^[1]

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1. Univ. of Maine, Orono, ME (United States); and others

Sedimentary evidence from 12 lakes in northeastern United States reveals that both catchment and atmospheric processes have caused changes in lake acidity. Diatom remains indicate pH 5.2 to 5.8 (one lake 6.8) for one to two centuries before impacts on the catchment by Euro-americans. These low-alkalinity lakes were very sensitive to altered fluxes of base cations and acids. Several lakes increased in pH by 0.2 to 0.6 unit in the 1800s and early 1900s when their catchments were logged. Re-acidification of some of the lakes was initially due to forest succession. Older sediment from one of the lakes also shows alkalization by natural disturbance, and acidification paralleling forest succession. However, much of the recent acidification, to uniquely low levels by the 1970s is due to high sulfur deposition.

• OSTI ID: 95774
• Report Number(s): CONF-9507129--
• Journal Information: Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America, Journal Name: Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 76; ISSN BECLAG; ISSN 0012-9623
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ACIDIFICATION
AIR POLLUTION
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
DEPOSITION
ECOLOGICAL SUCCESSION
FORESTS
HARVESTING
LAKES
LIMNOLOGY
PH VALUE
SEDIMENTS