Spatial Distribution of Acid-sensitive and Acid-impacted Streams in Relation to Watershed Features in the Southern Appalachian Mountains

A geologic classification scheme was combined with elevation to test hypotheses regarding watershed sensitivity to acidic deposition using available regional spatial data and to delimit a high-interest area for streamwater acidification sensitivity within the Southern Appalachian Mountains region. It covered only 28% of the region, and yet included almost all known streams that have low acid neutralizing capacity (ANC ≤20 μeq l^?1) or that are acidic (ANC ≤0). The five-class geologic classification scheme was developed based on recent lithologic maps and streamwater chemistry data for 909 sites. The vast majority of the sampled streams that had ANC ≤20 μeq l^?1 and that were totally underlainby a single geologic sensitivity class occurred in the siliceous class, which is represented by such lithologies as sandstone and quartzite. Streamwater acid-base chemistry throughout the region was also found to be associated with a number of watershed features that were mapped for the entire region, in addition to lithology and elevation, including ecoregion, physiographic province, soils type, forest type and watershed area. Logistic regression was used to model the presence/absence of acid-sensitive streams throughout the region.     

Assessment of the Extent to Which Intensively-studied Lakes are Representative of the Adirondack Region and Response to Future Changes in Acidic Deposition

Many lakes in the Adirondack Mountains, New York, have acidified over the past century due to acidic atmospheric deposition. More recently, most monitored lakes have shown signs of chemical recovery (increase in acid neutralizing capacity) as sulfur deposition levels have declined in response to the Clean Air Act and other emissions control legislation. We used measured and modeled trends in past lakewater acidification and projections of future recovery from acidification to extrapolate results from judgment samples of intensively studied lakes to the population of acid-sensitive Adirondack lakes. Simulations were developed for 70 watersheds using the Model of Acidification of Groundwater in Catchments (MAGIC) to classify lakes according to their sensitivity to change in atmospheric S and N deposition. MAGIC simulations suggested that the modeled Adirondack Long-Term Monitoring Project (ALTM) and Adirondack Effects Assessment Project (AEAP) lakes were largely among the lakes in the population that had acidified most between 1850 and 1990. Most of the modeled ALTM/AEAP lakes were within the top 36% of acid sensitivity, based on model projections of past acidification and future chemical recovery, compared with the 1,829 Adirondack lakes in EPA’s Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP) statistical frame. Results of this research will allow fuller utilization of data from on-going chemical and biological monitoring and process-level studies by providing a basis for regionalization of findings and developing/refining relationships among watershed characteristics, chemical change, and biological responses to changing levels of acidic deposition.     

在艰苦时期保持士气高涨

无可否认,目前局势比较艰难,特别是对于专业的地板零售商而言尤其如此。动员员工不仅是好事,而且也很关键。即便负面新闻见诸报纸和资产负债表,但是振奋士气作为最重要的策略之一实际上确实是不用付费的。     

Modeling fate and transport of sulfate and alkalinity in an acidified lake

Acid mine drainage from Contrary Creek flows into an entire arm of Lake Anna. Much of the acid inflow is neutralized by bacterial sulfate reduction in the lake sediments. We developed a simple model to track the seasonal fate and mass transport of sulfate and alkalinity along the acidified arm. The loss of sulfate from the water column was characterized by a first-order decay reaction. A gain in alkalinity due to sulfate removal was also incorporated in the model. In addition, CO₂ acidity and pH in the water column were calculated. The model was calibrated with data collected in 1983 and 1984. Model sensitivity runs were conducted to demonstrate the importance of sulfate reduction in the system.     

Regional estimates of acid mine drainage impact on streams in the mid-atlantic and Southeastern United States

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency conducted the National Stream Survey (NSS) to provide unbiased estimates of the numbers and distribution of acidic and low acid neutralizing capacity streams in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States. The NSS employed a probability sample of 500 stream reaches to represent a target population of 64,300 stream reaches in the study area. All NSS samples were screened for acid mine drainage (AMD) influences, and population estimates of the regional extent of AMD impacts were made. Almost 10% of the stream reaches in the Northern Appalachians subregion were acidic during spring baseflow due to AMD. In the entire NSS, an estimated 4590 km (± 1670) of streams (2% of the total NSS length) were acidic due to AMD and another 5780 km (± 2090) of streams were strongly impacted, but not acidic. In subregions of the NSS with observed mine drainage effects, roughly the same number of streams were acidic during spring baseflow due to AMD as due to acidic deposition. The population estimates of mine drainage impact made in the NSS were similar to estimates made in previous surveys that attempted to census all of the streams in coal producing areas. These results demonstrate that a statistically based stream survey is a useful tool for evaluating regional water quality.     

The Relationship Between Stream Chemistry and Watershed Land Cover Data in the Mid-Atlantic Region,U.S.

In order to investigate the relationship between stream chemistry and watershed land cover at the regional scale, we analyzed data from 368 wadeable streams sampled in the mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. during spring 1993-1994. Study sites were selected using a probability sample and the digitized version of the 1:100,000 scale USGS map stream network as the sample population. Both classified Thematic Mapper (TM) and USGS Land Use/Land Cover (LULC) data were used to quantify land cover in the study watersheds. On average, the most common land cover was forest (77%) followed by agriculture (20%), and urban (1%). Multiple regression analysis showed that concentrations of Cl-, nutrients, acid neutralization capacity, and base cations were the analytes most strongly related to watershed land cover. Despite large differences in resolution and age of the TM and LULC data sources, similar results were obtained with the two sources. Using a greater number of land cover subclasses did not greatly improve the land cover-chemistry relationships. Ecoregions with predominantly forested land cover had weaker relationships than ecoregions with more agricultural and/or urban land cover. In studies or databases without land cover information, Cl- concentration is a good surrogate indicator for general human disturbance in the watershed.     

Organic matter extracted with 0.01 M CaCl2 or with 0.01 M NaHCO3 as indices of N mineralisation and microbial biomass

A pot experiment was carried out with three soils at ambient temperature in which temporal changes in fractions of soil organic matter that were extractable with either 0.01 M CaCl₂ or 0.01 M NaHCO₃ were compared with changes in N mineralisation and microbial biomass C. UV spectral analysis of soil extracts was also carried out on sub-samples taken at the beginning of the experiment. The objective was to quantify the fractions of extractable soil organic matter and determine whether these could be used to estimate the mineralisable organic N content of the soils. The results suggested that part of the NaHCO₃-extractable organic matter originated in the microbial biomass but that non-biomass material was also present. The non-biomass material was not identified directly, but was composed of compounds with high UV absorbance. In the case of CaCl₂, the results suggested that extracellular proteins were contained in the extract and that some material released from the actively growing microbial biomass may also have been present. A supplementary study with 16 soils was carried out to determine the ability of the organic matter solubilised by either extractant to predict soil N uptake by barley seedlings. A significant relationship (P<0.01) was found between N uptake and CaCl₂-extractable material only.     

Distribution of nitrifying and heterotrophic microorganisms in cutover peats

The distribution of chemoautotrophic nitrifiers, heterotrophic bacteria, actinomycetes and fungi was studied in raised peats and compared with a mineral garden soil. Nitrosomonas was not detectable but a few Nitrobacter were counted 350 cm below the surface of undrained peat, in the surface areas of drained non-cutover peat and in an area cutover before sampling. After only 3 y cultivation and cropping the average numbers, over 12 monthly samplings, of Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter had risen to 1.25 × 10⁶ and 32.7 × 10⁶, respectively.The possible reasons for the anomalously high proportion of Nitrobacter are discussed, including the effect of media composition. A NaHCO₃ medium gave lower numbers of Nitrosomonas and higher numbers of Nitrobacter than a CaCO₃ medium.The proportional increase in the heterotrophs was lower than that of the autotrophs. This suggested that low availability of organic substrate and not the physical environment was the limiting factor. Only fungi showed a definite seasonal variation.     

A Synoptic Survey of Nitrogen and Phosphorus in Tributary Streams and Great Rivers of the Upper Mississippi, Missouri, and Ohio River Basins

We combined stream chemistry and hydrology data from surveys of 436 tributary stream sites and 447 great river sites in the Upper Mississippi, Missouri and Ohio River basins to provide a regional snapshot of baseflow total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) concentrations, and to investigate the relationships between land use and stream chemistry. Catchments in the Upper Mississippi River basin had more land in agricultural uses (51%) than the Missouri or Ohio River basin catchments (25% and 29%, respectively). The difference in agriculture is reflected in the TN concentrations in tributary streams and the great rivers: 5,431 and 2,112 ??g L^?1 for the Upper Mississippi, 1,751 and 978 ??g L^?1 for the Missouri, and 1,074 and 1,152 ??g L^?1 for the Ohio River basins. This agricultural effect was not as evident for tributary stream or great river TP concentrations: 165 and 181 ??g L^?1 in the Upper Mississippi, 177 and 171 ??g L^?1 in the Missouri, and 67 and 53 ??g L^?1 in the Ohio River basins. We set reference thresholds based on the 75th percentile TN and TP concentrations at our least disturbed sites. The TN threshold was exceeded for 50?C63% of the tributary stream and 16?C55% of great river lengths, with the greatest proportion in the Upper Mississippi River basin. The TP threshold was exceeded in 32?C48% of tributary stream and 12?C41% of great river lengths. Tributary stream N/P ranged from 67:1 (Ohio) to 210:1 (Upper Mississippi); river N/P ranged from 20:1 (Missouri) to 60:1 (Ohio). N/P indicated that potential N-limitation occurred in 10?C21% of total tributary stream length and in 0?C46% of great river length; potential P-limitation ranged from 60?C83% of cumulative tributary stream length and from 21?C98% of cumulative great river length. Total N flux (concentration × discharge) was highest in the Upper Mississippi River basin; TP flux was lowest in the Ohio River basin. River TN yields and TP yields for both tributary streams and great rivers, was not significantly different between the sub-basins. Our study empirically links catchment land use and stream chemistry, and demonstrates using monitoring data for estimating nutrient yields at a large regional scale.