Kejimkujik calibrated catchments: A benchmark dataset for long‐term impacts of terrestrial and freshwater acidification

Abstract

AbstractDelays in forest recovery from terrestrial acidification combined with climate change are leading Acadian Forest ecosystems into new territory. The Kejimkujik Calibrated Catchments (KCC) Study Program was established in and adjacent to Kejimkujik National Park and Historic Site (KNP) in Southwest Nova Scotia (SWNS), Canada, in the late 1970s to study the impacts of acid precipitation on pristine and vulnerable ecosystems. The KCC now have one of the longest continuously monitored water chemistry records in North America, with data collection beginning in 1980. Its infrastructure includes three gauged streams with regular water chemistry sampling, 12 forest inventory plots, and an atmospheric deposition monitoring station. Recently, LiDAR data coverage was acquired for the study basins. Data collected at the KCC form part of the lake monitoring program of Environment and Climate Change Canada used in acidification, climate change, and mercury studies. Important characteristics of the KCC watersheds are their high sensitivity to acid deposition, high and increasing dissolved organic carbon (DOC) levels and lowland topography causing extensive wetlands. The KCC are also emerging as an important location for the study and protection of terrestrial and aquatic species‐at‐risk.