Hydrologic analyses of acidic and alkaline lakes

Chen, C. W.; Gherini, Steven A.; Peters, Norman E.; Murdoch, Peter S.; Newton, Robert M.; Goldstein, Robert A.

doi:10.1029/wr020i012p01875

Cited by 84 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 6 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Forest type and previous land-use or disturbance history can also influence N retention (Lovett et al 2002;Goodale and Aber 2001). Hydrology is important in stream acidification because flow paths that route water directly to the stream and minimize contact with the soil reduce the capacity for neutralization (Chen et al 1984). In addition, there is considerable biodiversity present in intermittent streams and ephemeral ponds, but little research has been done on the factors controlling acidification in these environments.…”

Section: Aquatic Ecosystemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Air Pollution on Ecosystems and Biological Diversity in the Eastern United States

Lovett

Tear

Evers

et al. 2009

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences

184

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Conservation organizations have most often focused on land-use change, climate change, and invasive species as prime threats to biodiversity conservation. Although air pollution is an acknowledged widespread problem, it is rarely considered in conservation planning or management. In this synthesis, the state of scientific knowledge on the effects of air pollution on plants and animals in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States is summarized. Four air pollutants (sulfur, nitrogen, ozone, and mercury) and eight ecosystem types ranging from estuaries to alpine tundra are considered. Effects of air pollution were identified, with varying levels of certainty, in all the ecosystem types examined. None of these ecosystem types is free of the impacts of air pollution, and most are affected by multiple pollutants. In aquatic ecosystems, effects of acidity, nitrogen, and mercury on organisms and biogeochemical processes are well documented. Air pollution causes or contributes to acidification of lakes, eutrophication of estuaries and coastal waters, and mercury bioaccumulation in aquatic food webs. In terrestrial ecosystems, the effects of air pollution on biogeochemical cycling are also very well documented, but the effects on most organisms and the interaction of air pollution with other stressors are less well understood. Nevertheless, there is strong evidence for effects of nitrogen deposition on plants in grasslands, alpine areas, and bogs, and for nitrogen effects on forest mycorrhizae. Soil acidification is widespread in forest ecosystems across the eastern United States and is likely to affect the composition and function of forests in acid-sensitive areas over the long term. Ozone is known to cause reductions in photosynthesis in many terrestrial plant species. For the most part, the effects of these pollutants are chronic, not acute, at the exposure levels common in the eastern United States. Mortality is often observed only at experimentally elevated exposure levels or in combination with other stresses such as drought, freezing, or pathogens. The notable exceptions are the acid/aluminum effects on aquatic organisms, which can be lethal at levels of acidity observed in many surface waters in the region. Although the effects are often subtle, they are important to biological conservation. Changes in species composition caused by terrestrial or aquatic acidification or eutrophication can propagate throughout the food webs to affect many organisms beyond those that are directly sensitive to the pollution. Likewise, sublethal 100Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences doses of toxic pollutants may reduce the reproductive success of the affected organisms or make them more susceptible to potentially lethal pathogens. Many serious gaps in knowledge that warrant further research were identified. Among those gaps are the effects of acidification, ozone, and mercury on alpine systems, effects of nitrogen on species composition of forests, effects of mercury in terrestrial food webs, interactiv...

show abstract

Section: Aquatic Ecosystemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Air Pollution on Ecosystems and Biological Diversity in the Eastern United States

Lovett

Tear

Evers

et al. 2009

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences

184

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…During base flow, hydrologic flowpaths largely occur through lower mineral soils and groundwater storage zones that produce water with higher values of ANC. During hydrologic events, more water maybe routed through upper soil horizons, which are more acidic because of natural soil development processes or acidic deposition (Chen et al, 1984;Wigington et al, 1992). Driscoll (1984) All samples were collected in plastic bottles, which had been previously acid washed and soaked in distilled deionized water for 24 h. Samples were stored at 4°C prior to analysis, which occurred within a few weeks.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The episodic acidification of a stream with elevated concentrations of dissolved organic carbon

Wellington

Driscoll

2004

Hydrological Processes

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Organic acids are generally thought to play a minor role in the episodic acidification of streams in the USA. In this study, we investigated the episodic acidification of a stream at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in New Hampshire with high concentrations of dissolved organic carbon and naturally occurring organic acids. We studied three events in 2001: spring snowmelt, which occurred from 6 April to 14 May and resulted in two distinct melt events; and two rain events, one on 17 June and the other on 17 July. During snowmelt events organic acids were a minor contributor to the short‐term acidification of stream water, with increases in NO3− and dilution of base cations being the dominant mechanisms. During summer rainfall events, however, increases in inputs of organic acids were the dominant mechanism of episodic acidification when soil water was the dominant contributor to stream discharge (59 to 66% of peak stream discharge). We also found that precipitation events occurring after relatively wet antecedent conditions (17 July event) resulted in more severe acid episodes than events that followed drier antecedent conditions (17 June event). The minimum acid neutralizing capacity (ANC) was only −19 µeq l−1 for the 17 June event, whereas the minimum ANC for the 17 July event was much lower (−62 µeq l−1) although the total rainfall amount was similar for the two events. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

show abstract

“…The associations between sugar maple basal area and high stream water high ANC and low stream water DOC indicates deep sub-surface hydrological flow paths through thick mineral soil layers and parent material (Fig. 6) (Chen et al, 1984;Mitchell et al, 2013;Driscoll and Peters, 1987). In general, sites with thick soil layers with relatively high soil pH and Ca concentrations are more likely to be colonized by sugar maple trees than other less suitable more acidic sites because of the relatively high nutrient demands of this tree species (Bailey et al, 2004;Burns and Honkala, 1990;Christopher et al, 2006;Van Breemen et al, 1997).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Acid-base characteristics of the Grass Pond watershed in the Adirondack Mountains of New York State, USA: interactions among soil, vegetation and surface waters

McEathron

Mitchell

Zhang

2013

Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. Grass Pond watershed is located within the southwestern Adirondack Mountain region of New York State, USA. This region receives some of the highest rates of acidic deposition in North America and is particularly sensitive to acidic inputs due to many of its soils having shallow depths and being generally base poor. Differences in soil chemistry and tree species between seven subwatersheds were examined in relation to acid-base characteristics of the seven major streams that drain into Grass Pond. Mineral soil pH, stream water BCS (base-cation surplus) and pH exhibited a positive correlation with sugar maple basal area (p = 0.055; 0.48 and 0.39, respectively). Black cherry basal area was inversely correlated with stream water BCS, ANC (acid neutralizing capacity) c and NO − 3 (p = 0.23; 0.24 and 0.20, respectively). Sugar maple basal areas were positively associated with watershed characteristics associated with the neutralization of atmospheric acidic inputs while in contrast, black cherry basal areas showed opposite relationships to these same watershed characteristics. Canonical correspondence analysis indicated that black cherry had a distinctive relationship with forest floor chemistry apart from the other tree species, specifically a strong positive association with forest floor NH 4 , while sugar maple had a distinctive relationship with stream chemistry variables, specifically a strong positive association with stream water ANC c , BCS and pH. Our results provide evidence that sugar maple is acid-intolerant or calciphilic tree species and also demonstrate that black cherry is likely an acid-tolerant tree species.

show abstract

Hydrologic analyses of acidic and alkaline lakes

Cited by 84 publications

References 6 publications

Effects of Air Pollution on Ecosystems and Biological Diversity in the Eastern United States

Effects of Air Pollution on Ecosystems and Biological Diversity in the Eastern United States

The episodic acidification of a stream with elevated concentrations of dissolved organic carbon

Acid-base characteristics of the Grass Pond watershed in the Adirondack Mountains of New York State, USA: interactions among soil, vegetation and surface waters

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About