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Acid Sensitivity of Lakes in Nova Scotia, Canada: Assessment of Lakes at Risk

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Abstract

The sensitivity of surface waters to acidic deposition is governed by the interaction of catchment geology, soils, topography, land use, climate and atmospheric deposition. Accordingly at the landscape scale, catchment attributes may be used to predict lake chemistry (for example, acid neutralising capacity (ANC), pH, calcium (Ca2+) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC)). Empirical (multiple linear regression) models based on average measured chemistry (2000–2006) for 204 lakes in Nova Scotia (NS) Canada, and their catchment attributes, were used to predict chemistry for all lakes in NS (n = 6104). Damage to aquatic biota, such as loss of species and/or reduced biodiversity has been widely evaluated using critical chemical thresholds commonly based on pH, ANC and Ca2+. The proportion of sensitive lakes in NS (that is, the stock at risk) was estimated as lakes with ANC less than 20 μeq l−1, pH below 6, and Ca2+ less than 75 μeq l−1 (13, 73 and 74%, respectively). Many lakes in NS are characterized by high DOC (>7 mg l−1); in these lakes organic acids contribute to total acidity, making anthropogenic influences difficult to discern. To account for the potential contribution of organic acidity, all lakes with pH below 6 (and DOC < 7 mg l−1) and lakes below a threshold for ANC adjusted for organic acids were quantified; 63% of the lakes fell below either of these thresholds. Despite substantial reductions in sulphur emissions in North America since the 1980s, many lakes in NS remain at risk to acidic deposition.

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Acknowledgments

This work was funded by an NSERC Strategic Grant awarded to P.J. Dillon, and in part, by funding from the Canada Research Chairs Program and an NSERC Discovery grant. We greatly acknowledge Tom Clair (Environment Canada) for providing water quality data and knowledge of the study area. We thank all individuals who contributed to this research, as well as all land owners that allowed access to their property for sampling. The authors appreciate Clinton Ferrey’s assistance in delineation of catchment boundaries. The authors gratefully acknowledge the Canadian National Atmospheric Chemistry (NAtChem) Precipitation Database and its data contributing agencies for the provision of the data sets used in this publication. The agencies responsible for data contributions to the NAtChem/Precipitation Database include Environment Canada and the Province of Nova Scotia.

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  1. Environmental and Resource Studies, Trent University, 1600 West Bank Drive, Peterborough, ON, K9J 7B8, Canada

    Marta B. Wolniewicz, Julian Aherne & Peter J. Dillon

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  1. Marta B. Wolniewicz
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  2. Julian Aherne
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  3. Peter J. Dillon
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Correspondence to Marta B. Wolniewicz.

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Author Contributions

M.B.W. conceived and designed the study, performed research, data analysis, and wrote the paper; J.A. and P.J.D. contributed to study conception, intellectual content and assisted in writing the paper.

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Wolniewicz, M.B., Aherne, J. & Dillon, P.J. Acid Sensitivity of Lakes in Nova Scotia, Canada: Assessment of Lakes at Risk. Ecosystems 14, 1249–1263 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-011-9479-x

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