The effect of seasonal drying on sulphate dynamics in streams across southeastern Canada and the northeastern USA

Kerr, Jason G.; Eimers, M. Catherine; Creed, Irena F.; Adams, Mary Beth; Beall, F. D.; Burns, Douglas A.; Campbell, John L.; Christopher, S. F.; Clair, T. A.; Courchesne, François; Duchesne, Louis; Fernandez, Ivan J.; Houle, Daniel; Jeffries, D. S.; Likens, Gene E.; Mitchell, Myron J.; Shanley, James B.; Yao, Huaxia

doi:10.1007/s10533-011-9664-1

Cited by 29 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 70 publications

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“…Wetlands are an important feature of the region and represent on average 10% of the total land area (O'Connor et al , ). Previous research in the region has shown that wetlands have a strong influence on water quality (Eimers et al , ; Kerr et al , ), and this is reflected in differences between the two study streams in terms of the concentration of key constituents (NO 3 − , DOC and acidity) (Table ). In addition, because of greater groundwater input in the wetland stream, the upland stream has a moderately flashier flow regime (i.e.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 93%

Estimating stream solute loads from fixed frequency sampling regimes: the importance of considering multiple solutes and seasonal fluxes in the design of long‐term stream monitoring networks

Kerr

Eimers

Yao

2015

Hydrological Processes

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Abstract:Reduced sampling frequency is known to increase the error associated with estimates of stream solute load. However, the extent to which the magnitude of error differs among commonly measured solutes and across seasons is unclear. In this study, a high sampling frequency data set from two forested streams (one upland-draining and one wetland-draining stream) in south-central Ontario was systematically sub-sampled to simulate weekly, fortnightly and monthly fixed frequency sampling regimes for 12 stream solutes. We found that solutes which had a higher degree of temporal variation in concentration (i.e. higher %RSD) had poorer precision (C v ) in estimates of annual load relative to solutes with a lower %RSD. In addition, the magnitude and direction of bias varied considerably among solutes and were related to differences in spring concentration-discharge relationships (m [spring Q vs C] ) among the 12 solutes. Solutes which decreased in concentration with increases in spring flow (i.e. m [spring Q vs C] <0) exhibited positive bias in annual load while solutes which increased in concentration with increases in spring flow (i.e. m [spring Qvs C] >0) were negatively biased. In terms of differences between seasonal and annual load errors, precision was generally lower for estimates of seasonal load relative to annual load while bias varied in both magnitude and direction among seasons. When the root mean square error (RMSE) of load estimates was compared to a threshold of acceptable error (<15%), the proportion of solutes attaining acceptable levels of uncertainty ranged from 11/12 for annual load estimates at a weekly sampling frequency to only 4/12 at a monthly frequency when both annual and seasonal loads were considered. Our results demonstrate that commonly measured solutes do not behave uniformly in response to changes in sampling frequency and that estimates of seasonal loads are often less accurate than estimates of annual load. These findings provide important insights into the design of stream monitoring programs and the evaluation of existing long-term data sets.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 93%

Estimating stream solute loads from fixed frequency sampling regimes: the importance of considering multiple solutes and seasonal fluxes in the design of long‐term stream monitoring networks

Kerr

Eimers

Yao

2015

Hydrological Processes

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“…Our data suggest that the warmer and drier drought years could influence the DOC‐

{SO}_{4}^{2 -}

relationship by promoting the oxidation of S to

{SO}_{4}^{2 -}

and increasing export of

{SO}_{4}^{2 -}

from soils to lakes. The suppression of DOC concentrations that characterizes drought conditions has been attributed to increases in terrestrially derived

{SO}_{4}^{2 -}

(Clark et al, ; Kerr et al, ; Strock et al, ). Despite an overall positive correlation between mean annual temperature and DOC (Figure ), warm summer temperatures during 2001–2004 drought years reversed the correlation between DOC and temperature.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Only one other drought during the last century, spanning 1965 and 1966, had comparable severity to the drought of the early 2000s (Strock et al, ). Furthermore, the pulses of surface water

{SO}_{4}^{2 -}

that occur during droughts contribute to episodic acidification, which could hinder lake recovery from acidic deposition (Kahl et al, ; Kerr et al, ; Stoddard et al, ; Strock et al, ; Watmough et al, ). Defining the underlying mechanisms driving the linkage between weather variables and lake chemistry provides insight for understanding the intraannual and interannual variability in DOC concentrations and how different lake processes respond to both weather and long‐term climate trends (Raymond & Saiers, ; Strock et al, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Acidification and Climate Linkages to Increased Dissolved Organic Carbon in High‐Elevation Lakes

Gavin

Nelson

Klemmer

et al. 2018

Water Resources Research

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Increasing concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in the northeastern U.S. have been attributed to two potential mechanisms: recovery from acidification and changing climate. Maine's high‐elevation lakes (>600m) could potentially provide unique insight into the response of surface water chemistry to declining acidic deposition and interannual climate variability. The geochemical response in 29 lakes was analyzed during 30 years of change in sulfate ( SO42−) deposition and climate. All 29 lakes exhibited positive trends in DOC from 1986 to 2015, and 19 of 29 lakes had statistically significant increases in DOC throughout the study period. These results illustrate a region‐wide change from low‐DOC lakes (<5mg/L) to moderate DOC lakes (5–30mg/L). Increasing DOC trends for these high‐elevation lakes were more consistent than for lower elevation lakes in the northeastern U.S. A linear mixed effects model demonstrated that lake water SO42− and climate variables describe most of the variability in DOC concentrations (r2 = 0.78), and the strongest predictor of DOC concentration was an inverse relationship with SO42−. Due to SO42− concentrations trending toward preacidification levels and projections of a warmer, wetter, and more variable climate, there is uncertainty for the future trajectory of DOC trends in surface waters. Long‐term monitoring of Maine's high‐elevation lakes is critical to understand the recovery and response in surface water chemistry to a changing chemical and physical environment in the decades ahead.

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“…Increased precipitation would also increase the wetted surface area of soil minerals and therefore potentially contribute to increases in S mineral weathering rates. Wetting and drying cycles can also result in SO 4 2− mobilization of previously reduced S (Eimers et al , , , ; Kerr et al , ). Wetness also affects the connectivity of surface waters within watersheds to the contributing areas of various solute sources (Creed and Band, ; Inamdar et al , ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lake/watershed sulfur budgets and their response to decreases in atmospheric sulfur deposition: watershed and climate controls

Mitchell

Driscoll

McHale

et al. 2013

Hydrological Processes

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Abstract:Atmospheric sulfur (S) emissions peaked in North America in the early 1970s followed by declines in S deposition and sulfate (SO 4 2À ) concentrations in surface waters. Changes in S biogeochemistry affect the mobilization of toxic (Al +3 , H + ) and nutrient (Ca 2+ , Mg 2+ , K + ) cations, and the acid-base status of ecosystems. We focused on lake/watersheds in the Adirondack Mountains of New York, USA, one of the most acid-sensitive and acid-impacted regions in North America. We used 16 of the 17 original Adirondack Long-Term Monitoring Lakes from 1984 through 2010 and found significant declines (À2.14 mmol c l À1 year À1 ) in SO 4 2À concentrations. There were significant declines (À0.28 kg S ha À1 year À1 ) in total S deposition for all lake/watersheds. We constructed S mass balances for 14 lakes/watersheds from wet and dry S deposition and SO 4 2À loss from drainage and found a comparable decline (À0.26 kg S ha À1 year À1 ) in lake SO 4 2À export. There was a discrepancy (mean 2.34 kg S ha À1 year À1 ) between atmospheric S deposition and watershed S loss due to internal S sources. Using major solute chemistry including dissolved silica and watershed characteristics, it was evident that the watershed S budget discrepancy increased with thickness of surficial deposits. The annual discrepancies in S mass balances were strongly linked with annual watershed discharge. These results suggest that internal S sources are becoming increasingly important as atmospheric S inputs have declined. The internal SO 4 2À supply of watersheds decreased concomitantly with lake acid neutralizing capacity (ANC). These findings suggest that the limited contributions from internal sources of SO 4 2À will facilitate the recovery of ANC from those lake/watersheds with the lowest ANC. With long-term decreases in atmospheric S deposition, the effects of climate, especially increases in precipitation, will play an increasingly important role in regulating S budgets and the amount of SO 4 2À mobilized from internal watershed sources.

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The effect of seasonal drying on sulphate dynamics in streams across southeastern Canada and the northeastern USA

Cited by 29 publications

References 70 publications

Estimating stream solute loads from fixed frequency sampling regimes: the importance of considering multiple solutes and seasonal fluxes in the design of long‐term stream monitoring networks

Estimating stream solute loads from fixed frequency sampling regimes: the importance of considering multiple solutes and seasonal fluxes in the design of long‐term stream monitoring networks

Acidification and Climate Linkages to Increased Dissolved Organic Carbon in High‐Elevation Lakes

Lake/watershed sulfur budgets and their response to decreases in atmospheric sulfur deposition: watershed and climate controls

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