Geological and hydrochemical sensitivity of the eastern United States to acid precipitation

Hendrey, George R.; Galloway, James N.; Norton, Stephen A.; Schofield, Carl L.; Shaffer, Paul W.; Burns, Douglas A.

doi:10.2172/5101700

Cited by 55 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…An analysis of ecological sensitivity can help us to recognize the future possible scenario of ecological safety based on the known features of current ecological change [18]. The research by Hendrey et al [19] in the 1970s on the sensitivity of the water ecosystem to acid deposition was the earliest research on the sensitivity of an ecological system to environmental change. In 1990, scholars began to analyze climate variation, human activities and land use change as sensitivity factors affecting the ecological system.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Responses of Ecosystem Service to Land Use Change in Qinghai Province

2016

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Qinghai Province has a very fragile ecological environment and is an important component of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. To understand the disturbance caused by human activities to the local ecological system, it is necessary to evaluate the response of ecological service functions to land use change in Qinghai Province and to uncover the sensitivity of ecological service functions to land use change. This study uses a proxy-based method and proposes a sensitivity index to describe the degree of ecological service function response to the land use change in Qinghai Province. The findings were as follows.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Responses of Ecosystem Service to Land Use Change in Qinghai Province

2016

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“…The topography of a region also has a significant influence on the susceptibility of its lakes and streams to acidification. Mountainous areas are likely to have shallower soils and more exposed bedrock than lowlands and are hence more vulnerable to the effects of acid deposition (Hendrey et al, 1980). A recent study of4 watersheds on the Laurel Hill in southwestern Pennsylvania presented evidence of stream acidification due to atmospheric deposition (Sharpe et al, 1984).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Macroinvertebrate community structure and detritus processing rates in two southwestern Pennsylvania streams acidified by atmospheric deposition

et al. 1985

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A one-year study of benthic macroinvertebrate communities and leaf litter decomposition rates was conducted on Wildcat and McGinnis Runs, two headwater tributaries of Rolling Rock Creek in southwestern Pennsylvania. Previous studies have shown these two streams to be affected by acidic runoff following periods of precipitation and snow-melt. The more highly buffered waters of Wildcat Run support wild fish populations while McGinnis Run lacks native fish fauna. Five benthic macroinvertebrate samples were taken from riffle areas in each stream using a Surber sampler during the spring, summer, fall, and wint&'seasons. Thirty 10-g packs of white ash (Fraxinus americana) leaves were placed in each stream on October 7, 1982, and sampled over a 5-month period to determine per cent weight loss. The benthic macroinvertebrate community of McGinnis Run was found to be depressed compared to that of Wildcat Run in terms of density, diversity, and total taxa. The overall rate of leaf-litter decomposition was also slower in McGinnis Run.

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“…Southern Norway and northern New England (Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine) contain numerous lakes which, because of the low buffering capacity of their watershed soils and waters are sensitive to acidic precipitation (Overrein et al 1980;Hendrey et al 1980). The degree and chronology of acidification and associated pollution of these lakes by heavy metals from the atmosphere is poorly known, due to the scarcity of long-term series of direct measurements of chemical and biological parameters.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Paleolimnological reconstruction of the effects of atmospheric deposition of acids and heavy metals on the chemistry and biology of lakes in New England and Norway

et al. 1983

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Sediment cores from nine lakes in southern Norway (N) and six in northern New England (NE) were dated by 37 Cs, 210Pb and in NE also by pollen, and were analyzed geochemically and for diatoms. Cores from two N and three NE lakes were analyzed for cladocerans. 37 Cs dating is unreliable in these lakes, probably due to mobility of Cs in the sediment. In Holmvatn sediment, an up-core increase in Fe, starting ca. 1900, correlates with geochemical indications of decreasing mechanical erosion of soils. Diatoms indicate a lake acidification starting in the 1920's. We propose that soil Fe was mobilized and runoff acidified by acidic precipitation and/or by soil acidification resulting from vegetational succession following reduced grazing. Even minor land use changes or disturbances in lake watersheds introduce ambiguity to the sedimentary evidence relating to atmospheric influences. Diatom counts from surface sediments in 36 N and 31 NE lakes were regressed against contemporary water pH to obtain coefficients for computing past pH from subsurface counts. Computed decreases of 0.3-0.8 pH units start between 1890 and 1930 in N lakes already acidic (pH 5.0-5.5) before the decrease. These and lesser decreases in other lakes start decades to over a century after the first sedimentary indications of atmospheric heavy metal pollution. It is proposed that the acidification of precipitation accompanied the metal pollution. The delays in lake acidification may be due to buffering by the lakes and watersheds. The magnitude of acidification and heavy metal loading of the lakes parallels air pollution gradients. Shift in cladoceran remains are contemporary with acidification, preceding elimination of fishes.

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Geological and hydrochemical sensitivity of the eastern United States to acid precipitation

Cited by 55 publications

References 12 publications

Responses of Ecosystem Service to Land Use Change in Qinghai Province

Responses of Ecosystem Service to Land Use Change in Qinghai Province

Macroinvertebrate community structure and detritus processing rates in two southwestern Pennsylvania streams acidified by atmospheric deposition

Paleolimnological reconstruction of the effects of atmospheric deposition of acids and heavy metals on the chemistry and biology of lakes in New England and Norway

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