United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Modeling,
Monitoring Systems and
Quality Assurance
Washington DC 20460
EPA/600/M-89/005
April 1989
Research and Development
&EPA AERP status
The Aquatic Effects Research Program (AERP) status provides information on AERP projects
dealing with the effects of acidic deposition on U.S. surface waters. Our objectives are to:
• assist organizations involved in acidic deposition research to avoid duplication of efforts
and to make maximum use of related research,
• promote communication among the Environmental Protection Agency, state agencies,
and organizations involved in acidic deposition monitoring activities, and
• provide a mechanism to distribute available AERP information.
AQUATIC EFFECTS RESEARCH PROGRAM, AN OVERVIEW
In 1980, Congress passed the Acid Precipitation Act, thus establishing the Interagency Task
Force on Acid Precipitation. Given a 10-year mandate, the Task Force implemented the
National Acid Precipitation Assessment Program (NAPAP) to investigate the causes and
effects of acidic deposition. NAPAP includes task groups formed to study emissions and
controls, atmospheric chemistry, atmospheric transport, atmospheric deposition and air
quality, terrestrial effects, effects on materials and cultural resources, and aquatic effects.
The AERP, formed in 1983 as part of the NAPAP Aquatic Effects Task Group, is responsible
for assessing the effects of acidic deposition on aquatic ecosystems. Already, published
AERP reports have described the chemical characteristics of lake and stream resources in
regions of the United States potentially sensitive to acidic deposition. Complementing these
findings, a report summarizing correlative relationships between watershed and surface water
chemical characteristics in the Northeast and the Southern Blue Ridge Province will be
published by the spring of 1989. This report will also provide time scales over which surface
waters may become acidic at present levels of deposition. (For a complete listing of
published AERP documents, see the mail order form attached to this status.) Current AERP
field efforts focus primarily on watershed process studies and manipulations.
By 1990, the end of the 10-year mandate, Congress requires NAPAP to provide a full
assessment of the acidic deposition phenomenon. An important aspect of current AERP
efforts involves synthesizing results from past research and integrating them with new
findings. A group of AERP scientists is planning this task, which will provide valuable aquatic
information for the NAPAP report to Congress. A report on these activities can be found on
page 12.
Status of AERP Activities-This section provides information about recently published AERP
materials and projects in progress. Table 1 summarizes the present status of projects within
the AERP.
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AERP status
Project Design
National Surface Water Survey
National Lake
Survey, Phase I
(East and West) Complete
National Lake Survey,
Phase II (NE} Complete
National Stream
Survey, Phase I Complete
Direct/Delayed Response Project
NE and SBRP Soil Survey Complete
Mid-Appalachian
Soil Survey Complete
Watershed Processes and
Manipulations
Watershed Manipulation
Project Complete
Watershed Recovery
Project In Review
Little Rock Lake
Experimental
Acidification Project Ongoing
Episodic Response Project
Episodes Complete
Regional Episodic and
Acidic Manipulation
Project Complete
Temporally Integrated
Monitoring of Ecosystems Ongoing
Biologically Relevant Chemistry Ongoing
Indirect Human Health Effects Ongoing
Implementation
Complete
Complete
Complete
Complete
Ongoing
Spring 1987
ongoing
Fall 1988
Spring 1987
ongoing
1991
Ongoing
Ongoing
Reporting
Complete
1989
Complete
Summer 1989
Fait 1990
Fall 1989
Spring 1990
Annually
Winter 1989-90
Summer 1990
Annually
Winter 1988-89
Fall 1990
Table 1. Present status and projected dates for stages of
major AERP projects.
AERP FEATURE ARTICLE
An Overview of the Direct/Delayed Response Project
Much scientific interest and public debate surround the
effects of acidic deposition on freshwater ecosystems. The
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently
completed a comprehensive chemical survey (the National
Surface Water Survey or NSWS) of the lakes and streams in
the United States considered to be most vulnerable to
acidic deposition, i.e., those with the lowest acid
neutralizing capacity or ANC. Analysis of the survey data,
along with data on atmospheric deposition, clearly
indicates that long-term deposition of sulfur-containing
compounds originating from the combustion of fossil fuels
has acidified (decreased the ANC of) some surface waters
in the northeastern United States. Transport within
watershed soils of mobile anions (primarily sulfate) and
closely associated cation leaching are the likely
mechanisms for this acidification process.
That acidification of some surface waters has occurred
leads to critical scientific and policy questions as to
whether acidification is continuing in the regions noted,
whether it is just beginning in other regions, how extensive
the effects might become, and over what time scales
effects might occur. The EPA is examining these questions
through an effort called the Direct/Delayed Response
Project (DDRP). The DDRP draws its name from the
general question of whether future additional effects on
surface water chemistry might be immediate (or
immediately proportional to levels of deposition, i.e., direct),
or whether there are lags in time (delays) related to
important edaphic characteristics such as soil, vegetation,
and bedrock geology.
The DDRP is a very large effort involving numerous
participants. It was designed and implemented by the
Agency's Environmental Research Laboratory at Corvallis,
Oregon. It involves three other Agency laboratories (the
Environmental Monitoring Systems Laboratory at Research
Triangle Park, North Carolina; the Environmental
Monitoring Systems Laboratory in Las Vegas, Nevada; and
the Atmospheric Sciences Research Laboratory at
Research Triangle Park). The DDRP also is assisted by four
other federal agencies (U.S. Department of Agriculture
[including the National Office, two National Technical
Centers and 12 state offices of the Soil Conservation
Service], U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Forest Service, and
the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric
Administration). Two national laboratories (Oak Ridge
National Laboratory and Battelle-Pacific Northwest
Laboratories), five state and private universities and four
consulting firms also are involved in the project. In all, over
200 field, laboratory, data base management, scientific, and
management personnel are part of the effort.
Objectives - The DDRP addresses four important technical
objectives related to atmospheric, terrestrial, and aquatic
interactions:
• characterize the regional variability of soil and
watershed characteristics;
• determine which soil and watershed characteristics are
most strongly related to surface water chemistry;
• estimate the relative importance of key watershed
processes across the regions of concern; and
• classify a sample of watersheds with regard to their
response characteristics and extrapolate the results
from the sample of watersheds to the regions of
concern.
Study Regions - The project is underway in three regions of
the eastern United States where surface waters with low
levels of ANC exist and where levels of acidic deposition
are the greatest. These regions are the northeastern United
States, upland areas of the Mid-Atlantic region (termed here
the Mid-Appalachian region), and the mountainous section
of the Southeast (called the Southern Blue Ridge Province)
(Figure 1).
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AERP status
NORTHEAST
+ Initial DDRP Sites
A Additional Sites (mapping only)
O Intensively Studied Sites
MID-APPALACHIAN
REGION
SOUTHERN BLUE
RIDGE PROVINCE
Figure 1. Location of study regions and watersheds for the
Direct/Delayed Response Project.
Approach - For drainage lakes, reservoirs, and streams in
the Northeast, Upper Midwest, and Southern Blue Ridge
Province of the United States, a vast majority of surface
water ANC originates as a result of biogeochemical
processes within the surrounding watershed. Because of
the importance of watershed characteristics (especially
soils) in determining future aquatic effects, data on these
factors are required. Existing soils data bases did not
provide sufficient information on key characteristics; thus, a
major soil survey was designed to provide a new regional
soils data base. This effort was planned so that the specific
soils (and specific soil types) could be intimately linked to
the existing NSWS data bases on the chemistry of low-ANC
lakes and streams. The project design had the following
components:
• Watersheds selected as a high interest (low surface
water ANC) probabilistic subset of those lakes and
streams surveyed in the NSWS, thus allowing
extrapolation back to a population of interest.
Sufficient watersheds were selected to allow for
(1) reasonably broad regional coverage (where
warranted), (2) statistical examination of the
interrelationships of deposition and watershed
characteristics, and (3) appropriate regional
extrapolation of predicted watershed responses.
• Maps prepared for soils, vegetation, land use,
depth-to-bedrock, and bedrock geology for each
watershed at a scale of 1:24,000 with a minimum map
delineation of 2.5 to 4.2 hectares (6 to 10 acres).
• Sample class definitions based upon (1) expert
knowledge about soils of the regions and
(2) expectations of the potential responses of those
soils to acidic deposition.
• Soil sampling sites selected randomly within the
context of expert classification using a novel procedure
developed for this purpose.
• Sample analyses performed by independent soil
laboratories. Table 2 lists the types of analyses. A
rigorous quality assurance and quality control program
ensured comparability of the analyses.
• A variety of data analyses that include prediction of
future effects and regional extrapolations based on
these predictions.
Table 3 gives the schedule of the major field activities
(mapping and sampling) of the DDRP. Field mapping and
sampling were conducted by the U.S. Department of
Agriculture Soil Conservation Service.
Dafa Analyses - Three levels of data analyses within the
project are distinguished by the complexity and degree of
reliance upon knowledge, or hypotheses, of actual process
interaction within watersheds. For example, Level I
analyses presuppose the least knowledge of the way
watersheds operate, whereas Level III depends upon an
existing knowledge base or model of system behavior.
Level I includes a variety of data analyses. One set of
analyses focuses on the statistical evaluation of
interrelationships of atmospheric deposition, soil and
watershed characteristics, and current surface water
chemistry. One goal of these analyses is to verify, as best
possible, that the processes and relationships incorporated
in the Level II and Level III analyses reasonably represent
the systems under study. The Level I analyses are aided by
the regional watershed and soils information gathered by
the DDRP soil survey. The analyses are complicated,
however, by uncertainties about levels of atmospheric
deposition (especially dry deposition) and by the fact that
the analyses focus on a relatively narrow range of surface
water ANC (jueq/L).
A second set of Level I analyses focuses on determining
the amount of retention within watersheds of
atmospherically deposited sulfur, inasmuch as the leaching
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AERP status
Chemical Analyses
1. pH (distilled water; 0.01 M CaCI2;
0.002 N CaCI2)
2. Total carbon
3. Total nitrogen
4. Total sulfur
5. Cation exchange capacity
a. 1 N NH4OAc, pH 7.0
b. 1 N NH4CL, unbuffered
6. Exchangeable bases (Na, K, Mg, Ca)
a. extraction by 1 N NH4OAc, pH 7.0
b. extraction by 1 N NH4CL, unbuffered
7. Exchangeable acidity
a. BaCI2-TEA method, pH 8.2
b. 1 N KCI - total acidity, exchangeable Al
8. Extractable iron and aluminum
a. sodium pyrophosphate
b. ammonium oxalate
c. citrate-dithionate
9. Extractable sulfate
a. water soluble
b. phosphate extractable
10. Sulfate adsorption isotherms (six points)
11. Specific surface area
Physical Analyses
1. Particle size
2. Bulk density
Mineralogical Analyses
1. X-ray diffraction
2. Thin sections
3. Scanning electron microscopy/energy
dispersive x-ray diffraction
Table 2. Laboratory Analyses of DDRP Soil Samples.
of the mobile anion sulfate is considered to be a key
process in long-term acidification. In the sulfur retention
analyses, scientists are examining annual watershed
input-output budgets for sulfur (estimates of the amount of
sulfur deposited and released) based upon detailed studies
at a few sites (intensive approach) and relatively sparse
data from a large number of sites (extensive approach).
The characterization of regional responses of sulfate
mobility, as it relates to hypotheses of the acidification
process, is an important part of this work.
The Level II analyses entail the use of relatively restricted
models of the key processes that regulate the dynamics of
base cation supply and retention of atmospherically
deposited sulfur within watersheds. Project participants are
using the models to project how these processes might
control or affect conditions in the DDRP watersheds and
the surface waters that drain them under continuing or
altered future levels of atmospheric sulfur deposition. The
Activity
Northeast Region
Watershed Mapping
145 routine
4 special interest
Soil Sampling
306 routine pedons
20 special interest pedons
-2,000 samples
Southern Blue Ridge Province
Watershed Mapping
35 routine
3 special interest
Soil Sampling
110 routine pedons
1 5 special interest pedons
-1,000 samples
Additional Northeast Mapping (high interest
watersheds apparently retaining some
sulfur inputs)
45 watersheds
Mid-Appalachian Region
Watershed Mapping
37 watersheds
Soil Sampling
150 pedons
-1,000 samples
Date
April-June 1985
September-November 1985
October 1985-March 1986
April-June 1986
October 1987-August 1988
October 1987-August 1988
September-December 1988
Table 3. DDRP Soil Survey
models are run independently of one another and of other
watershed factors (e.g., forest accretion) that might affect
watershed response.
Level III analyses use integrated watershed models to
project future effects of atmospheric sulfur deposition on
surface water chemistry. Projections of changes in annual
surface water chemistry for up to 100 years will consider
two scenarios of atmospheric sulfur deposition for each
region: (1) current rates (for both regions) and (2) a
decrease in the NE and an increase in the SBRP.
Uncertainty and error propagation analyses are an
important part of all levels of analyses.
Geographic Information System (GIS) - Scientists are using
a GIS as an integral part of the DDRP. Initial GIS activities
in the project were data entry, display, and spatial analysis
of the watershed mapping data from the soil survey. This
role has been greatly expanded, however, to include
aggregation, analysis, and display of data and results at a
variety of scales and projections. The GIS should be
particularly useful in helping to communicate project results
to a variety of interested audiences, e.g., scientists, Agency
managers, and policymakers.
Preliminary Products and Results - One of the information
needs for the DDRP was standardized estimates of average
annual surface water runoff (as runoff depth) across the
eastern United States. In order to fill this data gap, the U.S.
Geological Survey produced annual runoff maps, for not
only the 1 -year periods just prior to the NSWS sampling of
the surface waters under study, but also the period from
1951 to 1980 to represent an average annual runoff.
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AERP status
At this time most data analyses for DDRP are still in
progress. Some early Level I analyses on watershed sulfur
input-output budgets, however, indicate that significant
differences in watershed sulfur retention exist between the
Northeast region and Southern Blue Ridge Province.
Whereas watersheds in the Northeast appear to be at a
steady state (sulfur outputs equal inputs), watersheds in the
Southeast are retaining much of the atmospherically
deposited sulfur (Figure 2). This result indicates that the full
effect of acidic deposition has not yet been realized in the
Southern Blue Ridge Province and that streams in this
region could suffer decreases in ANC in the future at
current (or even reduced) levels of deposition. The timing
of these potential changes is being evaluated in the
ongoing DDRP Level II and Level III analyses.
All levels of DDRP analyses continue at present. DDRP
findings will be available to the public in late 1989 for the
Northeast and Southern Blue Ridge Province and in late
1990 for the Mid-Appalachian region. Data collected during
the course of the surveys will be available slightly later.
Address inquiries concerning the DDRP to:
Robbins Church
DDRP Technical Director
EPA/Environmental Research Laboratory-Corvallis
200 S.W. 35th Street
Corvallis, Oregon 97333
(503) 757-4666, ext. 304
FTS: 420-4666, ext. 304
COMPLETED AERP ACTIVITIES
This section lists projects for which recently published
materials are available. These materials may be ordered by
filling in the order form at the end of this status. As
indicated on the form, it should be returned to the address
given for the Center for Environmental Research
Information (CERI).
Western Lake Survey - Phase I
The complete set of reports related to the Western Lake
Survey are available through the mail order form attached
to this status. During this survey, which was conducted in
1985, samples were collected from 752 lakes in the
Cascade Mountains of the Pacific Northwest; the northern,
central, and southern Rocky Mountains; and in the Sierra
Nevada Mountains in California. Survey data provide
baseline information about the current chemical status of
western lakes. Western Lake Survey reports available for
the first time in this status are described below.
1.0
o.oe
-100
-50 0 50
Percent Sulfur Retention
Figure 2. Cumulative distribution functions of curren,
annual percent sulfur retention (based on "long
term average" deposition and runoff) foi
watersheds of the target population of drainage
lakes and reservoirs in the Northeast (NE) Region
N=6,288), target population of drainage lakes am
reservoirs in the Southern Blue Ridge Province
(SBRP) (Region 3A. N-250), and target popula
tion of stream reaches in the NSWS Pilot Survey
(Region 2As, N=2,031).
The Western Lake Survey - Phase I Analytical Methods
Manual describes new and modified sample processing
procedures developed specifically for the Western Lake
Survey. This manual is a supplement to the analytical
methods manual for the Eastern Lake Survey - Phase I.
This supplement provides a general description of
analytical methods that were used by the field and
analytical laboratories; a detailed description of the
analytical methods appears in the analytical methods
manual for the Eastern Lake Survey - Phase I. The
supplement also describes new and modified sample
processing procedures that were developed specifically for
the West.
The Western Lake Survey - Phase I Field Operations Report
describes the planning and execution of the field sampling
and field laboratory operations for this survey.
The Western Lake Survey - Phase I Quality Assurance Plan
describes in detail the quality assurance requirements and
procedures for field operations that are unique to this
survey. Quality assurance requirements and procedures
that were adopted from Phase I of the Eastern Lake Survey
are referenced in this plan and discussed in detail in the
quality assurance plan prepared for that survey.
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AERP status
The Western Lake Survey - Phase I Quality Assurance
Report describes the results of the survey quality assurance
program. It provides data users with an evaluation of the
survey data base in terms of the survey objectives. For
future surveys the report recommends refinement of data
quality objectives and of the sampling design and suggests
refinements of procedures for lake sampling, field and
analytical laboratories, data management, and data
analyses.
The Western Lake Survey - Phase I Data Base includes
descriptions of the survey design and implementation as
well as findings from the 752 lakes sampled. To order the
data base, complete the order form in this status and return
it to CERI. CERI will send you a Data Base Request Form
that lists data base format options. Fill out this form and
return it to the address given (a contractor at the
Environmental Monitoring Systems Laboratory in Las
Vegas, Nevada) along with two blank disks or tapes as
specified on the Data Base Request Form.
National Stream Survey - Phase I
Several reports describing aspects of Phase I of the
National Stream Survey (see the October 1988 status) are
available for the first time through the mail order form
attached to this status. Field activities for the stream survey
took place in the spring of 1986; a pilot survey was
conducted in the spring of 1985. Conducted in four
Mid-Atlantic and five southeast subregions, this survey was
designed to (1) determine the percentage, extent, location,
and chemical characteristics of streams that are presently
acidic or that might become acidic due to acidic deposition
and (2) identify representative streams in each region for
more intensive study.
The two-volume set entitled Characteristics of Streams in
the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States describes
the design and results of National Stream Survey field
activities in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast during the
spring of 1986 and summarizes the current interpretation of
these results. Data obtained during the 1985 National
Stream Survey pilot survey in the Southern Blue Ridge
Mountains are discussed in a separate interpretive report
entitled National Surface Water Survey: National Stream
Survey, Phase I - Pilot Survey.
The National Stream Survey, Phase I - Pilot Survey: Field
Operations Report describes the activities required to plan
and conduct the field operations of the pilot survey
conducted in 1985.
The National Stream Survey - Phase I Field Operations
Report describes activities during the primary Phase I
survey in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast, as well as during
a pilot survey of episodes. This report describes survey
planning, protocol development, personnel requirements,
field operations, and logistics aspects. It also evaluates the
sampling activities conducted during episodic events and
provides recommendations for future consideration.
The Eastern Lake Survey - Phase II and National Stream
Survey - Phase I Processing Laboratory Operations Report
describes the centralized processing laboratory operations
associated with these two 1986 surveys. The main function
of the laboratory was to prepare and preserve water
samples received from the field and to ship prepared
aliquots to contracted analytical laboratories for
subsequent analyses.
The National Stream Survey - Phase I Quality Assurance
Plan describes the quality assurance plan for the Pilot
Survey, the Phase I survey, and the Episodes Pilot Survey.
This plan specifies the quality assurance requirements and
procedures that were designed to assure the data quality
objectives of the project were met.
The National Stream Survey - Phase I Quality Assurance
Report describes the major design and operational aspects
of the survey quality assurance program and provides an
evaluation of the survey data base in terms of the survey
objectives. It also describes sampling and analytical
problems that occurred during the survey and the
corrective actions that were implemented.
CURRENT AERP ACTIVITIES
Current AERP activities include acidic deposition research
projects either in progress or scheduled to begin by Spring
1989.
Watershed Processes and Manipulations
Watershed studies within the AERP are using three
approaches to further understand the effects of acidic
deposition on surface waters. Process oriented research
on natural systems aims to improve our understanding of
the nature and function of specific watershed mechanisms
that contribute to surface water acidification. Watershed
manipulations focus on understanding the integrated
response of the biogeochemical processes that operate
within a watershed and contribute to surface water quality.
Developing and testing surface water acidification models
combines current understanding of surface water
acidification with the results of the other two areas of
research to help quantify the uncertainties associated with
forecasting future surface water chemistries with models.
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AERP status
The Watershed Manipulation Project, Watershed Recovery
Project, and Little Rock Lake Acidification Project are
watershed studies currently in progress.
Watershed Manipulation Project (WMP) - At the Bear Brook
watersheds, located on Lead Mountain in southeastern
Maine (Figure 3), WMP scientists are assessing the
quantitative and qualitative responses of watershed soils
and surface waters to altered levels of acidic deposition.
Hypothesis testing at the southeastern Maine research site
is being conducted through an interdisciplinary approach
that involves the cooperative effort of a site team, six
scientific task teams, a modeling team, and an EPA
management team.
Installation of instruments at the site is nearing completion
as the ninth (and final) catchment reference plot has been
established in East Bear Brook, installation of the
throughfall collectors on all external (adjacent to Bear
Brook watersheds) and catchment reference plots has also
been completed, with sampling of throughfall and lysimeter
solutions now occurring biweekly. Stemflow plots have
been established adjacent to the southwest corner of all
reference plots, and trees have been fitted with stemflow
collars. Litterfall traps have been installed in all internal
plots (four per plot).
The U.S. Geological Survey has completed restoration of
areas adjacent to the weir that were disturbed during
construction. Deposition inputs to Bear Brook are now
being measured more intensively at two wet deposition
stations recently installed by EPA contractors from
Research Triangle Park. The dry deposition station located
at the mid-elevation level has been completed and weekly
sampling of filter packs is progressing. A third wet
deposition station established at the weir site at the bottom
of the catchment on East Bear Brook is now operational.
Various levels and combinations of deposition are being
simulated by sprinkler-applied acid treatments to a series of
eighteen experimental plots that represent the major soil
and vegetation types within the experimental catchments.
These plots are located outside the experimental
catchments. Successful field testing of the procedures for
sprinkler treatments in July yielded targeted coefficients of
uniformity ranging from 60 to 80 percent (60 to 80 percent
of the area receives the mean application). Irrigations
occurred weekly through October. The irrigation system
has been refined to include a flushing tank to apply a small
West
Bear Brook
Watershed
, External
Experimental
Plots
Figure 3. Watershed Manipulation Project at Bear Brook watersheds located on Lead Mountain in southeastern Maine.
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AERP status
amount of water to the plots prior to the treatments, thus
wetting plot vegetation. This in turn, flushes the treatment
acid from the pipes. In addition, a safety system designed
to drain the mixing tanks and pipes into a calcium
carbonate neutralization bed has been installed. Acidic
irrigations of an additional six mineral weathering plots
began in June and continued through October 1988.
Treatments were applied weekly, and soil solutions were
sampled monthly.
Recent seismic refraction investigations of the catchments
have been completed by the team from the State University
of New York at Pittsburgh. Soil depths-to-bedrock were
determined at 47 points selected by personnel from the
EPA Environmental Research Laboratory in Corvallis and
the Maine site team. Results indicate that soils are relatively
shallow, ranging from 1.3 to 5.2 meters.
Address inquiries concerning the WMP to:
Timothy C. Strickland
WMP Technical Director
EPA/Environmental Research Laboratory-Corvallis
200 S.W. 35th Street
Corvallis, OR 97333
(503) 757-4666, ext. 353
FTS: 420-4666, ext. 353
Watershed Recovery Project (WRP) - The WRP is focusing
on the question of how air drying affects the measured
sulfate adsorption and desorption isotherms of soils. A
regression equation(s) will be developed to allow
estimation of isotherms of moist soils from the isotherms
and other measured properties of air dried soils. The
results will be directly applicable to the Direct/Delayed
Response Project (DDRP) soils data base for the Northeast
(NE) and Southern Blue Ridge Province (SBRP). Thus, the
results will be useful in quantifying and reducing the
uncertainties in forecasts of watershed response times to
acidic deposition. The desorption isotherms will be
especially useful in predicting the possible rates of recovery
of acidified Northeast lakes and streams in response to
decreased acidic deposition.
Scientists from the EPA Environmental Research
Laboratory in Corvallis and Oregon State University (OSU)
conducted a pilot test the results of which show that the
sulfate isotherms do not need to be determined
immediately after sampling, but can be determined from
samples that have been shipped in refrigerated containers
to OSU. Subsequently, samples were taken at 10 sites in
the NE and are being analyzed at OSU. Sampling at 20
sites in the SBRP is planned to begin in March. Three soil
horizons are sampled at each site, for a total of ninety
samples.
Address inquiries concerning WRP to:
Jeffrey J. Lee
WRP Technical Director
EPA/Environmental Research Laboratory-Corvallis
200 S.W. 35th Street
Corvallis, Oregon 97333
(503) 757-4666, ext. 318
(FTS): 420-4666, ext. 318
Little Rock Lake Experimental Acidification Project - The
artificial acidification of Little Rock Lake (April 1988 status)
in northern Wisconsin offers researchers the chance to
study the responses of whole ecosystems to the effects of
acidification. In 1984 the two basins of the lake were
separated by a plastic and dacron fiber curtain to allow
gradual acidification of one basin. To guard against a loss
of acid-treated and untreated basin integrity in the final
stages of acidification and during recovery, a new sea
curtain was installed between the two basins in August
1988. A second year of sulfuric acid addition to obtain a pH
of 5.1 was completed in November and two more years at a
pH level of 4.5 remain in the project. Approximately 200 L
of acid were required to maintain a pH level of 5.1 in 1988,
or about half the amount required during the previous year.
Weather that was warmer and drier than normal for the
second consecutive year caused further declines in lake
water level and volume. Ail ground-water inputs to this
seepage lake have stopped during this period; only
precipitation remains.
Like the weather, a number of biological parameters have
demonstrated unexpected variability or anomalous
behavior during the past summer. For example,
largemouth bass young of the year grew faster than
normal, which could result in better survival rates in the
acidified basin this winter than during the previous three
years. A laboratory investigation is in progress to examine
the relationship between the condition of young bass, acid
stress, and overwinter survival. Another surprise compared
to the previous year was a substantially reduced, although
still obvious, Mougeotia algal mat at the same pH level of
5.1 both years. There were also less consistent differences
between the basins in epilimnetic chlorophyll
concentrations, water color, and transparency than in the
year before.
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STATE
INFORMATION
The AERP status provides a forum for states to exchange
information and updates about acidic deposition
monitoring activities. Highlighted state activities are
presented below.
Arkansas
The Arkansas Department of Pollution Control and Ecology
has been involved in acidic deposition studies since 1981.
Currently, the Department has monitoring sites at Little
Rock, North Little Rock, Oden, El Dorado, Forrest City, and
Buffalo Point.
During the past year, 185 samples were collected at the
various sites. The pH and conductivity were measured, and
the sample was then analyzed for selected anions and
cations. The average pH value was 4.58.
California
The Air Resources Board of the State of California released
a 30-page assessment of the impacts of acidic deposition
in the State. This report discusses in nontechnical terms
what is known about the extent of acidic deposition in
California and the potential for damage to human health,
materials, crops, and natural ecosystems. This assessment
contains a discussion of what has been discovered
regarding the sensitivity of high elevation lakes and streams
to acidification. This report, The Health and Welfare Effects
of Acid Deposition in California: An Assessment, is
available from the Research Division.
In September 1988, the California State Legislature passed
Assembly Bill 2930, the Atmospheric Acidity Protection Act.
The Governor signed the bill into law at the close of the
legislative session. This bill authorizes an extension of the
acidic deposition research and monitoring program that
has been in place since 1983. This new program began on
January 1,1989, and will continue for five years at a funding
level not to exceed $3 million per year. One of the priorities
for funding under this new program will be the long-term
monitoring of high-elevation watersheds in the Sierra
Nevada and the development of dose-response
relationships for aquatic vertebrate and invertebrate
populations in areas having dilute surface waters.
Florida
The Florida Department of Environmental Regulation is
conducting studies of Florida's sensitive lakes in order to
characterize their chemistry and biology and to evaluate
the factors contributing to their acid neutralizing capacity
(ANC). The Florida Soft Water Lakes Study project is
evaluating the water chemistry and status of fish
populations in twelve acidic soft water lakes. The Florida
Seepage Lake Study is evaluating the factors that regulate
ANC, including ground-water contributions. This project is
being conducted by a cooperative effort among the Florida
Department of Environmental Regulation, the U.S.
Geological Survey, the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, the Florida Electric Power Coordinating Group,
and the Electric Power Research Institute.
Maine
Two lake surveys were conducted in Maine during 1986-87
to characterize the chemistry of (1) all lakes at an elevation
greater than 600 meters (91 lakes) and (2) lakes
hydrologically associated with sand and gravel aquifers,
generally seepage lakes. These data sets were compared
to the statistical population estimates for Maine from the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 1984 Eastern Lake
Survey - Phase I (ELS-I). The lake population size
distributions differed due to selection criteria: ELS-I lakes
were restricted to those which are larger than 4 hectares;
the Maine case study lakes were selected from those which
are larger than 0.4 hectare.
High elevation lakes are chemically similar to ELS-I lakes,
but distributions of pH (Figure A) and acid neutralizing
capacity (ANC) are shifted towards lower values. While
about 1 percent of the ELS-I population is acidic (defined
as ANC less than zero), 12 percent of the high-elevation
lakes are acidic.
Seepage lakes have lower pH (Figure A) and ANC than
either ELS-I or high elevation lakes. Median sulfate
concentrations are only 60 percent of the median ELS-I
value. One third of the seepage lakes have ANC less than
zero (i.e., they are acidic). Dissolved organic carbon and
organic acid concentrations are high in seepage lakes,
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Maine Case Studies:
I | seepage lakes
F^B high elevation lakes
ELS-I lakes in Maine
4.0 4.5 5.0 5.5 6.0 6.5
pH Interval Midpoint
7.0
7.5
8.0
Figure A. Data from 1984 Eastern Lake Study-Phase I (ELS-I) and 1986-87 Maine Case Studies.
possibly due to lack of mineral soil contact. Seepage lakes
also have the lowest median and mean aluminum
concentrations of any of the three groups. Typically, the
lowest aluminum concentrations are found in the seepage
lakes with the lowest pH. This relationship is the reverse of
that found between pH and aluminum in either the ELS-I or
the high-elevation lakes.
The results indicate that both acidic deposition and organic
acidity are important acidification agents in these
subpopulations of Maine lakes. The seepage lakes are
more influenced by organic acids, whereas acidic
deposition is a more important factor in the acid-base
chemistry of the high elevation lakes. However, these
subpopulations represent less than 5 percent of all lakes in
Maine. The 60 known acidic lakes in the state of Maine
represent less than 0.5 percent of the total lake surface area
in Maine.
Minnesota
Activities in 1988 centered on the continuation of a
long-term lake monitoring program and the initiation of a
study to assess the impact of snowmelt on stream
chemistry and discharge characteristics.
Long-Term Monitoring (LTM) Lakes - Twelve lakes were
selected and sampled from May 9-11, August 15-17, and
October 10-12,1988. LTM lakes are characterized as low
alkalinity (< 100/^eq/L) seepage or drained bedrock
systems and were selected to provide regional distribution
throughout the established sensitive areas. The Acid
Precipitation Program has been monitoring water chemistry
on 35 lakes since 1981. The 12 LTM lakes represent a
partial subset of the original 35 lakes.
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Stream Study - Seven streams located in northeast
Minnesota were selected for inclusion in a
snowmelt/episodic acidification study. All streams are
identified and managed as brook trout fisheries and range
from first through third order systems at the point of
sampling and discharge measurement. Instruments were
installed at two streams to provide a continuous record of
stream stage and allow for point-in-time discharge
measurement through snowmelt. Water sampling was
initiated at all sites on March 14,1988, and continued on a
semiweekly schedule through April 30. Weekly samples
were collected in May, semimonthly samples in June, and
monthly samples through the end of 1988. Preliminary
plans for spring 1989 involve continued sampling at four of
the original seven sites with one stream equipped for
continuous discharge gauging and flow proportional
sampling.
New Mexico
The New Mexico Air Quality Bureau currently sponsors the
operation of two National Atmospheric Deposition Program
(NADP) acidic deposition monitoring stations by providing
funding for sample analysis and supplies. The actual sites
are operated by U.S. Forest Service and U.S. National Park
Service employee volunteers. Wet deposition samples are
collected weekly. If sample volume is sufficient, field
measurements for conductivity and pH are made before the
samples are shipped to the NADP contractor for analysis.
All sample analyses and data reporting are carried out by
the NADP contractor. Results are reported to the NADP
coordinator in Fort Collins, Colorado.
Pennsylvania
Limestone (CaCOa) has been applied to three lakes in
northeastern Pennsylvania to increase their acid
neutralizing capacity (ANC). One hundred tons of
limestone were applied on the ice to White Deer Lake
(20 hectares) in February 1985 following the collection for
one year of biological and chemical data. A smaller dose
(15 tons) of limestone slurry was added by barge in
October 1987 because the lake was starting to reacidify.
An intensive sampling program (eight times a year)
indicates significant increases (p < 0.01) in acid sensitive
organisms such as mayflies. A nearby reference lake,
which was similiar biologically and chemically to the treated
lake, became acidic during the 4-year study.
Two additional lakes (ANC<0.00) were treated with
limestone slurry in November 1988, following the collection
of background data. This research is being conducted at
Lehigh University and is funded by the Pennsylvania Power
and Light Co. in Allentown, Pennsylvania and Living Lakes,
Inc., Washington, D.C.
Texas
Texas has an ongoing acidic precipitation program which
includes monitoring, effects research, and emissions
control programs. Currently, Texas has three rainfall
monitoring networks operating at nineteen sites throughout
the State and effects research in East Texas (Figure B).
Monitoring results indicate that acidic precipitation occurs
throughout Texas on a routine basis but occurs more
frequently and with greater acidity in East Texas. Even in
West Texas with its alkaline dust, a major proportion of
rains are acidic.
MONITOR NETWORKS
O National Atmospheric Deposition
Program (NADP)/National Trends Network
• Texas Air Control Board (TACB)
Event Monitors
A TACP "NADP Protocol" Monitor
V Utility Acid Precipitation
Study Program
* Monitoring at the Odessa Site was discontinued after 1982
'W/ Sensitive area where acid deposition has been monitored
consistently
'-, Approximate demarcation line between more alkaline western
soils and less alkaline eastern soils
Figure B. Monitoring sites for acidic precipitation in Texa
and 1987 average pH values (the pH of norma
rain-5.6). (From J. A. Levy, ed.. Plan to Evaluat
Acid Deposition Issues in Texas, Volume I
Austin, Texas; Texas Energy and Natura
Resources Advisory Council, January, 1982.)
Acidic precipitation is not a problem of immediate concern
throughout most of Texas because of the strongly alkaline
soils characteristic of most of the State and the absence of
a snowpack melt common in more northern states. The
melt concentrates the acid in the first water from the
melting snowpack. However, in East Texas, where the
most acidic precipitation has been monitored, there are
areas that may potentially be susceptible to acidic
deposition effects because of sensitive vegetation and the
lack of buffering capacity of the soils.
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Studies by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and
the Texas Water Development Board indicate that Texas
does not currently have any identified environmental effects
linked to acidic precipitation. A study by the Texas A&M
Agricultural Experiment Station near Nacogdoches to
evaluate the effects of acidic precipitation and ozone on
seedling pine trees is currently underway.
Texas has major programs to limit sulfur dioxide and
nitrogen oxide emissions. Most of the new and existing
source control measures in Texas have been in effect since
the early 1970's.
Wisconsin
Since its inception in 1986, the Wisconsin Acid Deposition
Research Council (Council) has supported 13 acidic
deposition research and monitoring projects. Most of the
field work has been completed, but final analysis has not
yet been published.
The Council has issued three major reports: The Wisconsin
Acid Deposition Research Council Progress Report (July
1987), the Wisconsin Acid Deposition Research Council
Addendum Report (October 1987), and the Wisconsin Acid
Deposition Research Council Biennial Report (July 1988).
The latter report summarizes the status and significant
findings, where available, of the following acidic deposition
studies: mercury bioaccumulation/relationship to acidic
deposition, modeling mercury levels in walleyes, intensive
acidic lake studies, paleolimnological analyses, tree ring
study, white pine assessment, sugarbush survey,
permanent forestry plot network, Cooperative Maple
Decline survey, National Acid Precipitation Assessment
Program (NAPAP) North American Maple Decline Project,
atmospheric deposition monitoring, stream survey, and
lake monitoring.
In addition to these research and monitoring studies, the
Biennial Report gives the status of the nitrogen oxide
emission reduction cost study. Some significant findings
described in this report follow:
Mean mercury levels for each of three different length
classes of walleyes studied increased as lake pH, alkalinity,
calcium, conductivity, or chlorophyll en decreased. Low
values for these parameters are characteristic of most lakes
in northern Wisconsin. Mercury concentrations exceeded
the Wisconsin health standard of 0.5 /xg/g wet weight in all
sizes of walleyes from study lakes with pH less than 6.0; in
walleyes greater than 15 inches from lakes with pH of 6.0 to
6.9; and in walleyes greater than 20 inches from all lake pH
categories. The best model developed and tested to
predict mercury concentrations in a 17-inch walleye used
alkalinity and calcium as independent variables. The
mechanisms and sources involved in mercury
bioaccumulation are still not well understood; thus major
research on this phenomenon continues.
The historical pH of five sensitive Wisconsin lakes was
reconstructed through analysis of diatom remains in lake
sediment cores. Two lakes, McGrath and Bastile, appear to
have undergone cultural acidification in the last ten to
fifteen years. The other three lakes do not appear to show
cultural acidification.
As the result of the Regional Integrated Lake Watershed
Acidification Studies, a new criterion was proposed for the
sensitivity of seepage lakes to acidification in the Upper
Midwest. The established criteria of lake sensitivity in the
past [ANC (acid neutralizing capacity) < 200
microequivalents per liter ^ueq/L)] was based upon
drainage lakes in the Northeast U.S. and northern Europe.
For seepage lakes in the Upper Midwest, the proposed
sensitivity criterion is ANC of less than 40 jU,eq/L. The
important factors that control ANC in seepage lakes are:
(1) amount of ground-water contribution and (2) because of
the longer water residence time, sulfate reduction by
bacteria in the lake sediments.
Acidic precipitation continues to fall in Wisconsin. Sulfur
dioxide emissions have decreased by 33 percent from 1980
baseline levels. As emissions have been reduced in
Wisconsin, a decline in acidity of rainfall has also been
noted. The annual average pH gradient of wet precipitation
now measures from 4.5 along the eastern edge to 4.9 along
the western border of Wisconsin. Before 1985, the pH
gradient measured from 4.4 to 4.8 across the state.
Using EPA sensitivity criteria (ANC < 200yiieq/L), it appears
some Wisconsin streams may be sensitive to acidic
deposition. However, only a small number of Wisconsin
streams could be classified as extremely sensitive.
Monitoring of rainfall events indicates rainfall does have an
effect on stream water chemistry.
The Council will continue to review all relevant research and
monitoring activities related to acidic deposition in the area
of aquatics, forestry and baseline monitoring, soils,
materials, human health, and visibility in the state of
Wisconsin.
Address inquiries regarding state information to:
J. Y. Aoyama
AERP State Information Coordinator
1050 E. Flamingo, Suite 209
Las Vegas, Nevada 89119
(702) 734-3288
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AERP status
Interesting shifts in species diversity and abundance
continue to emerge as acidification progresses. Some
zooplankton have been greatly reduced during the first year
of each incremental pH change, while others do not
respond until the second year. Cladocerans (daphnids) as
a group continue to prosper under acidic conditions
although Holopedium gibberum, a supposedly
acid-tolerant species, was greatly reduced at the pH 5.1
level. The total abundance of rotifers has remained about
equal in the two basins of the lake, but species diversity is
reduced under acidic conditions.
A study sponsored by the National Science Foundation will
conduct an extensive food web analysis of fish and
invertebrate organisms in the lake. Many technical
manuscripts describing the projects at Little Rock Lake are
in preparation and presentations continue at national
professional meetings. An updated list of Little Rock Lake
project-related publications is available upon request from
the Technical Director at the address listed below.
Address inquiries concerning the Little Rock Lake
Experimental Acidification Project to:
John Eaton
Little Rock Lake Project Technical Director
EPA/Environmental Research Laboratory-Duluth
6201 Congdon Blvd.
Duluth, Minnesota 55804
(218)720-5557
FTS: 780-5557
Episodic Response Project
Several approaches to understanding acidic episodes in
surface waters have had only partial success for several
reasons. Both intensive studies and survey approaches
have been generally data-limited, primarily as a result of the
unpredictable nature of snowmelt and rainstorm events.
Most of these studies have employed manual sampling as
the principal field sampling approach, and thus episodes
that begin on weekends or at night are typically missed.
Survey approaches have had limited success because of
logistical difficulties associated with sampling unfamiliar
systems. Therefore, a more intensive approach is being
employed at 10-15 streams in Pennsylvania and New York.
Biological and chemical characterization will be conducted
during snowmelt and rainstorm events through means of
automated and manual sampling techniques. In addition, a
watershed manipulation experiment is being conducted in
West Virginia to examine the influence of altered acidic
deposition on chronic and episodic water acidification.
Eastern Episodes - Scientists within the Episodic Response
Project are working to quantify episodic acidification and
associated biological effects in streams of the Appalachian
Plateau of Pennsylvania and the Adirondacks and Catskills
of New York. A major effort of the ERP during the last
several months has been to complete the installation of
sophisticated continuous monitoring and automatic
sampling equipment at each of the study sites. Initial fish
population and benthic invertebrate surveys have been
completed. Also, wild fish captured in the study streams
have been marked and returned to the streams. Fish
movements in response to acidic episodes were monitored
during the fall rainy season by the use of fish traps and
repeated electroshocking surveys. In addition, wild fish
were placed in cages within the streams to determine the
toxicity of acidic episodes. Some streams now have fish
with implanted radio tags in order to study their behavioral
avoidance of episodes. Data collection for Phase I of the
ERP will continue, year-round, for the next two years.
Topics on the agenda for a meeting of ERP cooperating
scientists conducted in January at Pennsylvania State
University included a review of project accomplishments
and planning of new experiments for the upcoming
seasons.
Address inquiries concerning the ERP to:
Parker J. Wigington, Jr.
ERP Technical Director
EPA/Environmental Research Laboratory-Corvallis
200 S.W. 35th Street
Corvallis, Oregon 97333
(503) 757-4666, ext. 354
FTS: 420-4666, ext. 354
Regional Episodic and Acidic Manipulation Project
(REAM) - REAM is designed to provide data on the effects
of increased acidic input on surface water quality following
whole-catchment manipulation. The response of surface
waters to acidification is being monitored on both chronic
and episodic time scales at the Fernow Experimental Forest
near Parsons, West Virginia (Figure 4).
REAM project personnel completed installation of
zero-tension lysimeters in August. Project participants also
collected benchmark soil samples from each of two
watersheds, and a complete soil chemical characterization
is underway. Oregon State University cooperators
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AERP status
Fernow
xperimental Forest
Boundary
Elklick Run
Watershed
Boundary
Figure 4. Location of the control and experimental watersheds for the Regional Episodic and Acidic Manipulation Project
taking place at the Fernow Experimental Forest near Parsons, West Virginia.
completed installation of equipment for 15 N-labelled
ammonium chloride field tracer experiments. The field
experiments will remain in place for 12 months and will be
used to estimate rates of nitrification, biological ammonium
uptake, and nitrogen retention within watershed soils.
Plans call for the acidic manipulation of the watershed to
begin in early 1989.
Address inquiries concerning REAM to:
Timothy C. Strickland
REAM Technical Director
EPA/Environmental Research Laboratory-Corvallis
200 S.W. 35th Street
Corvallis, OR 97333
(503) 757-4666, ext. 353
FTS: 420-4666, ext. 353
Temporally Integrated Monitoring of Ecosystems
Project (TIME)
The conceptual plan for the TIME project, The Concept of
Time, was first distributed in the fall of 1987. Since that
time, the focus of the project has shifted from one that
emphasizes the regionally extensive probability sample in a
tiered, hierarchical design to one that emphasizes intensive
sampling at a smaller number of sites per region. The
Supplement to the Concept of TIME, which describes these
modifications to the TIME project, is now available for
distribution from the address given below. The supplement
also provides an update on additional research efforts and
workshops related to the development of the TIME
Research Plan. Implementation of the TIME project is
currently scheduled for spring 1991.
A major TIME objective is to identify trends in surface water
chemistry that may be related to acidic deposition. TIME
scientists have completed an internal report, "Detecting
Trends in TIME Data Series," that presents results from a
comparison of several statistical techniques for trend
detection tests using long-term water quality data. The
Seasonal Kendall Test, a nonparametric statistical
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AERP status
technique, was found to provide the best balance between
significance and power when applied to detection of
seasonal patterns in the data.
The shift in focus and a delay in implementing the TIME
project have allowed increased attention to be directed to
the EPA Long-term Monitoring (LTM) Project. The LTM
project has independent cooperators in six areas: lake sites
located in Maine, the Adirondacks, Vermont, the Upper
Midwest, and Colorado and stream sites in the Catskills.
Data management for the LTM Project was moved this year
to the Environmental Research Laboratory in Corvallis. The
data base is currently being validated for use in assessment
activities for the National Acid Precipitation Assessment
Program.
Address inquiries concerning the TIME project to:
Jesse Ford
Technical Director
TIME/Long-term Monitoring
EPA/Environmental Research Laboratory-Corvallis
200 S.W. 35th Street
Corvallis, Oregon 97333
(503) 757-4666, ext. 442
FTS: 420-4666, ext. 442
Distribution of Mercury in Fish in the Upper Peninsula
of Michigan
In the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and the extreme
northwestern portion of Wisconsin the EPA has been
conducting an investigation of the relationships between
fish and the chemical and physical attributes of lakes. The
study is a cooperative effort of EPA, Michigan State
University, and the Electric Power Research Institute. A
principal aspect of the study is the effort to determine the
relationship between fish mercury content and lake acidity.
A subset of 49 of the Eastern Lake Survey Phase I lakes
was resampled in the Upper Peninsula (Figure 5) to
characterize the fish species present and to determine the
concentration of mercury in their tissues. This sample is
directly related to a target population of 642 lakes in this
region. The data resulting from this project will be used to
relate mercury concentrations in fish to lake chemistry and
possibly to the acidity of deposition which forms an
increasing gradient across this area from west to east.
The mercury data will be analyzed to determine:
• the estimated number of lakes containing fish with high
levels (exceeding 0.5 ppm) of mercury in their tissue
and
• if an association exists between fish mercury levels and
water chemistry.
* s *,LAKE MICHIGAN , ;
» v * » % ».' •. ^J
Figure 5. Locations of the 50 lakes sampled for fish and fish tissue mercury concentrations in the upper Midwest during
Phase II of the National Lake Survey.
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AERP status
Currently, the data base for mercury content in fish is
complete and initial analyses have been performed by
subcontractors for this task. An oral presentation on the
results of this work was given at the Society of
Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry meeting in
November.
In an associated effort, water samples and sediment
samples were collected and analyzed by Battelle-Pacific
Northwest Laboratories to permit comparisons of mercury
content in fish with mercury concentrations in water and
sediments. These analyses are complete and the data
base is now being constructed.
The final report summarizing the key analyses made during
this project and presenting statistical estimates for lakes in
the entire Upper Peninsula of Michigan is expected to be
complete by June of 1989. Agency release of the report
and the data bases will follow.
Address inquiries concerning this project to:
D. H. Landers
Technical Director
EPA/Environmental Research Laboratory-Corvallis
200 S.W. 35th Street
Corvallis, Oregon 97333
(503) 757-4666,ext423
RS: 420-4666, ext. 423
SYNTHESIS AND INTEGRATION ACTIVITIES
1990 Report Activities - The National Acid Precipitation
Assessment Program (NAPAP) was created by Congress in
1980 as a 10-year program to provide scientific,
technological, and economic information on the causes
and effects of acidic deposition. NAPAP is required to
report its findings periodically to Congress and the
President. NAPAP concludes its program in 1990 with the
publication of a two-part comprehensive assessment. Part I
is the State of Science/Technology (SOS/T), 27 individual
reports containing comprehensive analyses and
discussions related to acidic deposition. Part II is the
Integrated Assessment (IA), a structured compilation of the
SOS/T results presented in a form that allows policymakers
and the public to evaluate the principal questions on the
causes and effects of, and strategies for controlling, acidic
deposition.
As the lead Agency for the NAPAP Aquatic Effects Task
Group, EPA is actively involved in producing both the
SOS/T Reports and the IA. Aquatics information will be
presented in a series of seven reports (numbers 9-15) that
will present the current state of knowledge regarding the
chronic and episodic effects of acidic deposition on aquatic
resources. Historical status and methods for forecasting
future change in status also will be addressed.
Report 9 will summarize the current chemical status of
surface waters in five regions of the United States, evaluate
the spatial distribution of their chemical characteristics, and
examine the associations of surface water chemistry with
watershed characteristics and wet deposition chemistry.
Results for the United States will be compared with those
for Canada, Norway, and other nations having temperate
climates.
Report 10 will focus on what is known about natural
watershed processes, both aquatic and terrestrial, that
affect chronic acid-base chemistry in lakes and streams.
Processes related to hydrology and biogeochemistry in
watersheds and in lakes and streams, and those associated
with changes in land use will be examined. How acidic
deposition interacts with these natural processes, and the
implications for surface water and soil acidification or
recovery, will be presented. Results from case studies of
soil and water acidification, conducted internationally and
in the United States, will be compared for natural systems
with and without acidic deposition and for a number of
experimentally acidified systems.
Report 11 will be an overview of the state of knowledge
regarding natural and anthropogenic factors that influence
the acid-base chemistry of surface waters and how these
factors might influence the occurrence and detection of
historical change. Methods for investigating historical
change (historical water chemistry measurements,
paleolimnological reconstructions, comparisons between
high and low deposition areas, and models) and their
associated uncertainties will be discussed. Results from
several distinct lines of investigation will be integrated to
provide historical estimates of change for lakes in the
Adirondacks, and possibly for drainage lakes in the
Northeast and Upper Midwest and seepage lakes in Florida.
The current understanding of episodic acidification of
surface waters will be summarized in Report 12. The
relationships of episodes to chronic acidification and the
hydrologic cycle, their chemical characteristics and
biological significance, and the processes that control them
will be discussed. The extent and severity of episodic
acidification will be presented, with data limitations clearly
identified, for the United States, and compared when
appropriate with European and Canadian information. This
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AERP status
report concludes with a discussion of modeling
approaches for regional estimates of the magnitude,
duration, frequency, and extent of episodes (and
associated uncertainties).
Report 13 will identify the chemical parameters that
influence the effects of changes in acid-base chemistry on
biological communities and processes. Methods for
quantitatively evaluating the relationship between changes
in acid-base chemistry and regional effects on fish
populations will be presented, along with associated
uncertainties. Qualitative discussions will include the
effects of surface water acidification on aquatic organisms
other than fish, e.g., benthic invertebrates, amphibians,
waterfowl, and mammals.
Methods for forecasting changes in acid-base chemistry of
surface waters and their associated uncertainties will be
presented in Report 14. Three general types of models -
steady-state, empirical time varying, and dynamic system
models - will be evaluated. Prior model applications in the
United States, other North American regions, and Europe
will be summarized. Each model will be discussed with
regard to its structure, assumptions and limitations,
sensitivity and behavioral analyses, and
verification/validation studies. Error analyses, linkages to
deposition estimates and inputs to biological models, and
procedures for extrapolation to obtain regional estimates
will be discussed.
The last report on aquatic effects (Report 15) will be an
evaluation of the mitigatK/e (surface water acid
neutralization) approaches to restore and protect surface
waters from acidification. This report will include a
description of previously applied mitigative strategies and
the effects of these mitigation techniques on ecosystem
structure and function.
Outlines for the SOS/T and IA were distributed for review in
October as part of the NAPAP Assessment Plan and
Schedule. This Plan and Schedule was the subject of a
public review meeting at which some 30 individuals
(representing the electric utility industry, various
environmental groups, and several state, federal, and
international government groups) presented comments.
The revised Plan is scheduled for release in January 1990
and will be available directly from the National Acid
Precipitation Assessment Program, 722 Jackson Place NW,
Washington, DC 20503. In December, AERP personnel
attended an authors' workshop sponsored by NAPAP. First
drafts of the reports will be submitted to NAPAP this spring.
Technical Information Project - The Technical Information
Project disseminates information on AERP activities to state
agencies, organizations, and technical audiences.
Distributed information includes the following items:
• Major Report with Companion Documents - These
document sets consist of a compilation of the manuals
and reports used during or prepared as a result of a
particular AERP project. Companion documents to
each major data report include field operations and
quality assurance reports, quality assurance plans, and
analytical methods manuals. Document sets for the
Eastern Lake Survey - Phase I, Western Lake Survey,
and the National Stream Survey are available through
the mail order form in this status.
• Data Bases - Each data base consists of two
components: a computer diskette or tape containing
the validated data base for a particular AERP project
and a user's guide with instructions on how to use the
disk or tape and information about how the quality of
the data was assessed. Data bases for the Eastern
Lake Survey - Phase I and the Western Lake Survey are
available through the mail order form in this status. The
National Stream Survey data base will be available
through the order form in a future issue of the status.
• Handbooks - The handbooks are guidance documents
that contain procedures for field operations, laboratory
operations, and quality assurance for surface water and
soil chemistry sampling. They are beneficial to those
organizations involved in designing and implementing
monitoring activities related to acidic deposition. One
handbook, Laboratory Analyses for Surface Water
Chemistry, is available through the mail order form in
this issue of the status. A second handbook, Field
Operations for Surface Water Chemistry, will be
available through the mail order form in the next issue
of the status.
• Project Descriptors - This document is a compilation of
AERP project descriptions for activities to be performed
in a given fiscal year.
• Biennial Publications and Presentations - This
document is a compilation of abstracts describing
presentations and publications authored or
co-authored by AERP-EPA and contractor support
personnel. The first issue, with abstracts for 1985 and
1986, is available through the mail order form in this
status.
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AERP status
Address inquiries concerning the AERP Technical
Information Project to:
Daniel T. Heggem
Technical Director
AERP Technical Information Project
EPA/Environmental Monitoring Systems Laboratory -
Las Vegas
P.O. Box 93478
Las Vegas, Nevada 89103-3478
(702) 798-2358
(FTS): 545-2358
AERP ANNOUNCEMENTS
Acidic Deposition Impacts on Aquatic Systems
A one day session during the 32nd Annual Conference of
the International Association for Great Lakes Research
(May 30 - June 2, Madison, Wisconsin) will deal with Acidic
Deposition Impacts on Aquatic Systems. The session will
be co-hosted by John Codey as Canadian representative
and John Eaton as U.S. representative. The program
currently consists of 20 invited papers dealing with effects
on various ecosystem components, and deposition and
mercury relationships, and ecosystem recovery. Posters
and a few oral presentations will be added as a
consequence of the general call for papers. For more
information contact:
John G. Eaton
Environmental Protection Agency
Environmental Research Laboratory-Duluth
6201 Congdon Boulevard
Duluth, Minnesota 55804
(218) 720-5557
FTS: 780-5557
Site Selection for TIME (Temporally Integrated
Monitoring of Ecosystems)
Scientists at the EPA Corvallis, Oregon, laboratory are
entering the final phase of selecting sites that will be
sampled quarterly or monthly by the TIME project (see
Current AERP Activities, page 6). They are seeking to
finalize the list of candidate sites and are particularly
interested in low-ANC streams and lakes with existing data
bases and those that are unlikely to have experienced
anthropogenic disturbances other than atmospheric
deposition. If you know of sites that you believe are not yet
in the pool of candidate sites, please contact Jesse Ford or
Bob Hughes at the EPA Corvallis laboratory (503-757-4666,
FTS-420-4666) as soon as possible. We will mail you the
necessary forms to ensure that your candidate sites are
considered.
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AERP statu*
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products, please check the appropriate box(es) and
fill in your name and address below.
MAJOR REPORT/COMPANION DOCUMENTS
Eastern Lake Survey - Phase I
Major Report - Characteristics of Lakes in the Eastern United
States
Volumes Mil 4007
Volume 1 4007a
Volume II 4007b
Volume III 4007C
Quality Assurance Plan 4008
Analytical Methods Manual 4009
Reid Operations Report 4010
Quality Assurance Report 4011
Western Lake Survey - Phase I
Major Report - Characteristics of Lakes in the Western United
States
Volumes l-ll 3054
Volume I 3054a
Volume II 3054b
Quality Assurance Ran 8026
Analytical Methods Manual 8038
Reid Operations Report 8018
Quality Assurance Report 4037
* Publications listed for the first time.
National Stream Survey - Phase I
Major Report - Characteristics of Streams in the Mid-Atlantic and
Southeastern United States
Volumes l-ll 3021
Volume 1 3021a
Volume II 3021b
Pilot Survey Major Report 4026
* Pilot Survey Reid Operations Report 8019
Quality Assurance Plan 4044
Reid Operations Report 4023
* Processing Laboratory Report 4025
* Quality Assurance Report 4018
DATA BASES
Western Lake Survey - Phase I Data Base
(Special order form will be sent) 4027
Eastern Lake Survey - Phase I Data Base
(Special order form will be sent) 4028
HANDBOOKS
Handbook of Methods for Acid
Deposition Studies, Laboratory Analyses
for Surface Water Chemistry 3026
PROJECT DESCRIPTORS
Research Activity Descriptors, FY 1988,
October 1987-September 1988 9006
ABSTRACTS
Biennial Publications and Presentations
Journal, 1985-86 9007
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