Analysis of Trends in the Chemistry of Surface Waters of the United States. Annual Report for NAPAP Projects E1-8 and E2-11. Final Report for IAG No. DW89930347-01-0. Volume 1

摘要

The Acidification Chemistry Information Database (ACID) was established to analyze regional and national effects of acid deposition on surface waters. Linear trend analysis of the data showed SO sub 4 and H concentrations declining and alkalinity increasing in the New England-New York region. These data are from the 1970's when regional emissions were declining and support the hypothesis that water chemistry trends are associated with acid deposition. National trends show SO sub 4 declining in the northeast and midwest and increasing in the southeast. This agrees with emissions trend data for the regions. Average SO sub 4 concentrations from New England-New York in 1970 and emission data from 1967 to 1970 correlate. Other calculations based on mass balance support the correlation between emissions and regional surface water SO sub 4 . In one approach, emissions for the region dissolved into precipitation yielded concentrations slightly less than those observed in surface waters. While this ignores soil processes and transport out of the region, it suggests a causal relationship when taken together with the close temporal tracking of emissions by surface water sulfate. In a second approach, wet deposition for 1980 was doubled to estimate total deposition and dissolved into water runoff for each state. The average result equalled 91% of observed sulfate in surface waters with an R exp 2 of 0.69 and p = 0.02. These three independent analyses indicate that atmospheric deposition of sulfur may be the dominant factor regulating both the total concentration and temporal pattern of SO sub 4 in surface waters of the New England-New York region. 58 references, 22 figures, 11 tables. (ERA citation 09:038449)