Evidence of Fish Population Responses to Acidification in the Eastern United States

Haines, Terry A.; Baker, Joan P.

doi:10.1007/978-94-009-3385-9_169

Cited by 10 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…The significance of these changes in ionic composition is best understood by reference to biologically critical pH levels. Although fish species tolerance depends upon a number of environmental factors, critical pH values range from about 6.0 to 4.7 for a number of fish species commonly present in native brook trout waters [Cooper and Wagner, 1973;Haines andBaker, 1986, Schofield andDriscoll, 1987]. At present, the median pH for the sampled streams (6.7) is still well above the range of critical values.…”

Section: Alkalinityss = Alkalinityc -(1 -F)([so•-]ss -[So•-]c)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Acidification of native brook trout streams in Virginia

Webb¹,

Cosby²,

Galloway³

et al. 1989

Water Resources Research

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A survey of 344 streams in the Appalachian Mountain region of Virginia that support reproducing populations of native brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) was conducted in the spring of 1987. The surveyed streams represent about 76% of the identified trout streams in the region. Relative to commonly applied sensitivity criteria, 93% of the streams are sensitive (alkalinity ≤ 200 μeq L−1), 49% of the streams are extremely sensitive (alkalinity ≤ 50 μeqL−1) and 10% of the streams are currently acidic (alkalinity ≤ 0.0 μeq L−1). Sulfate is the dominant anion in the streams, but all catchments associated with the streams are retaining significant amounts of atmospherically deposited sulfur (median retention=68%). Estimates of past and potential future acidification were obtained using a simple linear model relating changes in concentrations of base cations to changes in concentrations of sulfate. Sulfate concentration changes were determined as the difference between currently observed concentrations and estimated past and future steady state concentrations. Changes in concentrations of base cations were calculated, assuming base cation increase factors equal to 0.4 and 0.8 times the sulfate increase. The median historical alkalinity loss for the sampled population is estimated as 29 and 9 μeq L−1 for the two assumed factors, with 3 and 0% of the streams estimated to have had historical alkalinities < 0.0 μeq L−1. The median future alkalinity loss is estimated as 90 and 30 μeq L−1 for the two assumed factors, with 88 and 32% of the streams estimated to have future alkalinities < 0.0 μeq L−1.

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Section: Alkalinityss = Alkalinityc -(1 -F)([so•-]ss -[So•-]c)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Acidification of native brook trout streams in Virginia

Webb¹,

Cosby²,

Galloway³

et al. 1989

Water Resources Research

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“…Acid precipitation has negatively impacted surface waters and aquatic organisms in the eastern United States (Haines and Baker 1986, Schindler 1988, Baker et al, 1990a, Herlihy et al, 1993. Rates of sulfur deposition within the mid-Appalachian region (40-60 g/m2/yr) rank among the highest in the United States (Church et al, 1989).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

ACIDIFICATION AND FISH OCCURRENCE IN THE UPPER CHEAT RWER DRAINAGE, WEST VIRGINIA¹

Welsh

Perry

1997

J American Water Resour Assoc

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The decline of many fish populations within the mid‐Appalachian region has been attributed to stream acidification as a result of acid precipitation. Many previous attempts to examine relationships between fish occurrence and acidification have been hindered by a lack of data on water quality and fish distributions. To assess relationships between water quality and bedrock type in the upper Cheat River drainage, we used EPA STORET water quality data (1969–1993) and calculated mean pH and mean alkalinity of streams associated with four bedrock types (Hampshire, Chemung, Mauch Chunk, and Pottsville). We examined the relationship between fish occurrence and bedrock type for 53 headwater streams. We found that acidity in headwater streams associated with Pottsville and Mauch Chunk groups often exceeded biological thresholds for acid‐sensitive fish species (pH < 5.5). Streams associated with the Pottsville group typically had fewer cyprinid species and fewer total species than those associated with Mauch Chunk, Chemung, and Hampshire bedrock types. The congruent occurrence of streams with low buffering capacity, streams with pH > 5.5, and streams with low fish species richness indicate that acidification has influenced fish distributions in the upper Cheat River drainage.

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“…2), with over three-quarters of these lakes at higher elevations (Fig. Declines in brook trout populations due to water quality degradation resulting from acidic deposition have been documented for surface waters in the northeastern US (Haines and Baker 1986) and for Adirondack lakes in particular (Baker et al 1993). The coldwater habitat of these lakes primarily depends on cold-groundwater seepages (Schofield 1993).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 96%

Distributions of Lake Fishes of the Northeast USA: III. Salmonidae and Associated Coldwater Species

Halliwell¹,

Whittier²,

Ringler³

2001

Northeastern Naturalist

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JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.. Eagle Hill Institute is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Northeastern Naturalist.ABSTRACT -We present distributional maps and discuss native status for fish species characteristic of coldwater lakes, sampled from 203 randomly selected lakes in the northeastern USA (New England, New York, New Jersey). Eleven coldwater fish species from four families (Salmonidae, Osmeridae, Gadidae, Cottidae) were collected during the summers of 1991 to 1996 by the Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP). The most widespread species were brook trout and rainbow smelt, collected at 23% and 18% of the sampled lakes, respectively. Stocked (put-and-take) rainbow trout occurred at 10% of the lakes, while the remaining fish species (brown trout, landlocked Atlantic salmon, lake trout, Arctic char, lake whitefish, cisco, burbot, slimy sculpin) were collected at less than 6% of the lakes. We also provide comparative data on physical (surface area, depth, elevation), chemical (pH and total phosphorus), and watershed characteristics of the lakes where these species were collected.

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Evidence of Fish Population Responses to Acidification in the Eastern United States

Cited by 10 publications

References 24 publications

Acidification of native brook trout streams in Virginia

Acidification of native brook trout streams in Virginia

ACIDIFICATION AND FISH OCCURRENCE IN THE UPPER CHEAT RWER DRAINAGE, WEST VIRGINIA¹

Distributions of Lake Fishes of the Northeast USA: III. Salmonidae and Associated Coldwater Species

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Evidence of Fish Population Responses to Acidification in the Eastern United States

Cited by 10 publications

References 24 publications

Acidification of native brook trout streams in Virginia

Acidification of native brook trout streams in Virginia

ACIDIFICATION AND FISH OCCURRENCE IN THE UPPER CHEAT RWER DRAINAGE, WEST VIRGINIA1

Distributions of Lake Fishes of the Northeast USA: III. Salmonidae and Associated Coldwater Species

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ACIDIFICATION AND FISH OCCURRENCE IN THE UPPER CHEAT RWER DRAINAGE, WEST VIRGINIA¹