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Relations between lake acidification and sulfate deposition in Northern Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan

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Abstract

From a level of 1 kg ha−1yr−1 in north central Minnesota, emission-related wet SO4 deposition increases across northern Wisconsin and northern Michigan to about 18 kg ha−1yr−1 in south central Michigan. Samples taken from 82 clearwater (low color) lakes across this region in the summer of 1984 showed a pattern of acidification in proportion to deposition. We found a linear increase in the difference between alkalinity and Ca+Mg and in lake SO4 concentration with increasing deposition. We developed a simple equation to predict the emission-related SO4 deposition levels that will cause the alkalinity of sensitive clear-water lakes to go to zero.

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Nichols, D.S., McRoberts, R.E. Relations between lake acidification and sulfate deposition in Northern Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. Water Air Soil Pollut 31, 197–206 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00630834

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