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Metals and acidification: An overview

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Abstract

Both upland soils and lake sediments appear to retain atmospherically deposited trace metals (e.g. Pb) even under acid conditions. The abundant, local, mineralogically derived metals (e.g. Al and Mn) are exported from upland soils under acidic conditions, but are usually retained by lake sediments. Acidification, however, reduces the extent of retention in lake sediments and soils, potentially inducing elevated metal levels in lake water. Only under conditions of extreme acidification and with the more mobile metals do lakes become net exporters of metals. Surface depletion of metals in sediment cores may not be the result of recent acidification.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dorset Research Centre, Ontario Ministry of the Environment, P.O. Box 39, POA 1EO, Dorset, Ontario, Canada

    Bruce LaZerte

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  1. Bruce LaZerte
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LaZerte, B. Metals and acidification: An overview. Water, Air, and Soil Pollution 31, 569–576 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00284213

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