Abstract
ABSTRACT Many waterzshed characteristics, either by themselves or in combination with acidic deposition, have been shown to influence the acidification of lakes. Correlations and linear regressions were calculated for pairs of watershed characteristics and water chemistry measurements to statistically test, using observational data, these relationships. The study included a subset of 46 headwater lakes in the Adirondack Mountain region of New York State that were common to both the National Surface Water Survey (providing water chemistry data) and the Adirondack Watershed Data Base (providing watershed attribute data). Wet deposition and lake elevation showed strong, negative relationships with both lake pH and alkalinity, although elevation may act as a surrogate variable for other factors, such as soil type, vegetation type, and deposition level. Conifer vegetation, historical fire activity, and wetlands, expressed as the percentage of watershed area, also showed significant, negative relationships with lake pH and alkalinity. Thus, several hypotheses concerning the association of watershed attributes with lake acidification are supported and should be given further consideration in research planning, field surveys, and assessment activities.
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