An Evaluation of the Technical Report for Management: Water Resource Baseline Data and Assessment of Impacts from Acidic Precipitation, Acadia National Park, Maine
Kahl JS, Andersen JL, Norton SA. 1985. An Evaluation of the Technical Report for Management: Water Resource Baseline Data and Assessment of Impacts from Acidic Precipitation, Acadia National Park, Maine. Technical Report Number 16. United States. National Park Service. North Atlantic Region. Boston, MA
Executive Summary (excerpts)"The aquatic chemistries of 18 lakes and ponds, and 23 first- andsecond-order streams at Acadia National Park (ANP) were studied during1982-1984 to ascertain present chemical status and to estimatepotential Impacts of acidic deposition. ANP Is situated primarily onbiotite and hornblende granites. Topography Is steep to moderate, andthe soils are thin and poorly buffered, or non-existent, except on thevalley floors. The mean weighted pH of precipitation is about 4.4,with wet sulfate (SO 4) deposition of 15-20 kg/ha/year. Th I>sdeposition of both hydrogen ion and S04 Is In excess of the amountthought to produce effects In other regions of the world receivingacidic precipitation. The lakes are poorly buffered, have lowspecific conductance, and are very clear waters; these three factorsgenerally indicate that a lake is sensitive to the effects of acidicprecipitation. This study indicates the existence of surface waters at ANP thatare very sensitive to acidic precipitation. Sargent Mountain Pond Isthe only acidic site, although indirect evidence suggests that it hasbeen acidic for over 200 years. A number of small brooks have lowermodern pH and alkalinity than chemical modeling predicts should haveexisted previously. Compared to the results of other surveys In NewEngland and the Adirondacks, the pH and alkalinity distribution of ANPwaters are typical of the region, with acidic waters generallyrestricted to small, high elevation sites. The rate of change ofchemical parameters at ANP, if any, is unknown. Current trends cannotbe determined unequivocally until future work is compared to thisbaseline data."
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Kahl, Jeffrey; Andersen, Janet; Norton, Stephen
- Date of Issue
- 1985-06
- Publisher
- United States. National Park Service. North Atlantic Region
- Units
- ACAD
- Keywords
- Acid Rain, Air Quality, Alkalinity, Aluminum (Al), Bear Brook Pond, Breakneck Brook, Bubble Pond, Canon Brook, Cromwell Brook, Duck Brook, Eagle Lake, Echo Lake, Gilmore Brook, Hadlock Brook, Halfmoon Pond, Heath Brook, Hodgdon Pond, Hunters Brook, Iron (Fe), Isle Au Haut, Jordan Pond, Kebo Brook, Lake Wood, Little Harbor Brook, Little Long Pond, Long Pond, Long Pond, Lower Hadlock Pond, Manganese (Mn), Mount Desert Island, Parkman Brook, Penobscot Brook, pH, Precipitation, Reservoir, Round Pond, Sargent Mountain Pond, Seal Cove Pond, Silica (SiO2), Stanley Brook, The Bowl, The Tarn, Upper Hadlock Pond, Vegetation Types, Water Color, Water Quality, Water Quality, Water Temperature, Witch Hole Pond, Zinc (Zn)