A new scientific study of streams in the western region of the Adirondack Mountains has found that two-thirds of them have been harmed by acid rain produced by the burning of fossil fuels. This equates to 450 miles of acidified streams. The western Adirondacks receive some of the highest levels of acidic deposition in the United States
This study is the first-ever regional assessment of Adirondack streams since the early 1980s and the only assessment conducted in the United States to characterize episodic acidification on a regional level. For this study, 200 headwater streams were sampled in five surveys conducted from 2003 to 2005.
Streams are more acidic than lakes because of the water they receive from shallow rivulets, which often cannot neutralize acids. In addition, streams cannot dilute periodic acid deposits with less-acidic water the way that lakes can. Streams also are more directly affected than lakes by nearby vegetation and soil processes.
The study, conducted jointly by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), the Adirondack Lakes Survey Corporation, and the University of Texas at Arlington, also showed the negative effects of acidic episodes on aquatic insects. Findings confirm that healthy macroinvertebrate communities are not likely to be found in headwater streams of the western Adirondack Mountains, where acidic deposition has resulted in long-term chronic and/or episodic stream acidification. Generally, species richness decreases, with certain acid-sensitive species replaced by more tolerant species.
This study is the first-ever regional assessment of Adirondack streams since the early 1980s and the only assessment conducted in the United States to characterize episodic acidification on a regional level. For this study, 200 headwater streams were sampled in five surveys conducted from 2003 to 2005.
Streams are more acidic than lakes because of the water they receive from shallow rivulets, which often cannot neutralize acids. In addition, streams cannot dilute periodic acid deposits with less-acidic water the way that lakes can. Streams also are more directly affected than lakes by nearby vegetation and soil processes.
The study, conducted jointly by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), the Adirondack Lakes Survey Corporation, and the University of Texas at Arlington, also showed the negative effects of acidic episodes on aquatic insects. Findings confirm that healthy macroinvertebrate communities are not likely to be found in headwater streams of the western Adirondack Mountains, where acidic deposition has resulted in long-term chronic and/or episodic stream acidification. Generally, species richness decreases, with certain acid-sensitive species replaced by more tolerant species.
