EPA/60078fc-9070l8
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Acid Deposition,
Environmental Monitoring and
Quality Assurance
Washington DC 20460
EPA/600/M-90/018
September 1990
Research and Development
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 (EPA),
state agencies, and organizations involved in acidic deposition monitoring
activities, and
provide a mechanism to distribute available AERP information.
AQUATIC EFFECTS RESEARCH PROGRAM - A FINAL LOOK
This is the last issue of the status and as this year closes, the AERP will come to an
end. To the hundreds of individuals and numerous institutions that have in many
ways assisted the EPA's AERP and the Aquatic Effects Task Group of the National
Acid Precipitation Assessment Program (NAPAP), I offer my sincere appreciation.
Those who have been closely involved with this program and the efforts of the
NAPAP Task Group know our success would not have been possible without the
sincere dedication of those individuals who gave weeks, months, and, in some cases,
years of their lives to accomplish the programmatic objectives. Their combined
efforts in undertaking the challenging, unique, and worthwhile tasks achieved results
in a policy-relevant scientific arena that are unprecedented.
The AERP was conceived to perform relevant, quantitative, regional research for the
EPA on the effects of acidic deposition on aquatic ecosystems. This broad mandate
was accompanied by unprecedented and sustained support from the collective
efforts of many agencies. These efforts resulted in significant advances in the
approaches used to understand widespread environmental problems affecting
resources in multistate regions of the country. While EPA was the lead agency in
this research, our achievements would not have been possible without the
cooperation of the United States Geological Survey, United States Department of
Agriculture's Soil Conservation Service and Forest Service, United States Fish and
Wildlife Service, and other agencies and departments. State cooperation was
essential in allowing the AERP to deal effectively and knowledgeably with regional
environmental problems that follow ecological boundaries, not political ones.
Aside from the many peer reviews and shelves of reports, what legacy will this
program leave to the environmental sciences? How will this work be viewed in 50
years? I think that the main contribution will be the well documented data sets that
are currently housed (or soon will be) at the National Technical Information Service.
The data collected as part of the AERP have always been made available to scientific
users and the public as soon as practical. These data, referenced and interpreted in
hundreds of peer-reviewed publications, will not only in themselves be useful (if not
priceless) in the future but also will have set a standard for quantitative regional
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AERP status
environmental data. Future environmental concerns will transcend the regional scale
in which we have pioneered for approaches to understanding the functions and
responses of the global biosphere. Perhaps our efforts will be viewed as an
embryonic start toward the development of regional perspectives of ecological health
and will have some bearing on those future efforts.
On a more contemporary level, the results of the AERP have been used by both
houses of Congress to craft a reauthorization of the Clean Air Act. We set out to
produce information that would fill a tremendous void in our regional understanding
of surface water acidification and we have succeeded. This issue of the status is
designed to inform the reader about the current status of all remaining active
elements of the AERP and to direct those interested to the available information (e.g.,
data bases, reports, and peer-reviewed publications available using the order form
included in this status). Table 1 summarizes the present status of projects within the
AERP. While it appears that the EPA will support future aquatic monitoring in
support of the Clean Air Act, the exact dimensions of this work have not been
determined.
Tremendous controversy has surrounded the scientific issues relating to acidic
deposition and its ecological effects. Such controversy often has made it difficult to
persevere in performing the required science. For those of you who did persevere, I
offer a closing quotation from a bygone but perhaps similar era:
"It's not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the
strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done
better. The credit belongs to the man (or woman) who is actually in
the arena: whose face is marred by the dust and sweat and blood:
who strives valiantly: who errs and comes short again and
again...who knows great enthusiasms, great devotions, and spends
himself in a worthy cause: who, at best, knows in the end the
triumph of high achievement; and who, at the worst, if he fails, at
least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with
those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat."
Theodore Roosevelt
Gesdd luck/in ydur future scientific endeavors!
Ixon 1_anders
AERP Director
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AERP status
Project
National Surface Water Survey
National Lake Survey-Phase I (East and West)
National Lake Survey-Phase II (Northeast)
National Stream Survey-Phase I
Direct/Delayed Response Project
Northeast and Southern Blue Ridge Province
Mid-Appalachian Region
Watershed Processes and Manipulations
Watershed Manipulation Project
Watershed Recovery Project
Little Rock Lake Experimental Acidification Project
Episodic Response Project
Episodes
Regional Episodic and Acidic Manipulations Project
Temporally Integrated Monitoring of Ecosystems
Biologically Relevant Chemistry
Indirect Human Health Effect*
Design
Complete
Complete
Complete
Complete
Complete
Complete
Complete
Complete
Complete
Complete
Ongoing
Complete
Complete
Implementation
Complete
Complete
Complete
Complete
Complete
Ongoing
Ongoing
Ongoing
Complete
Complete
1991
Complete
Complete
Reporting
Complete
1990
Complete
Complete
Fall 1990
Dec. 1992
Fall 1990
Summer 1991
1990/1991
Complete
Annually
Complete
Fall 1990
Table 1. Present status and projected dates for stages of major AERP projects
CURRENT AERP ACTIVITIES
Direct/Delayed Response Project (DDRP)
The Direct/Delayed Response Project (DDRP) was
designed to examine critical scientific and policy
questions regarding potential future acidification [loss
of acid neutralizing capacity (ANC)] in eastern
watersheds (April 1989 status). The final report for
lakes in the Northeast (NE) and stream reaches of the
Southern Blue Ridge Province (SBRP) was released in
July 1989; major findings were reported in the July
status. The report, entitled Direct/Delayed Response
Project: Future Effects of Long- Term Sulfur Deposition
on Surface Water Chemistry in the Northeast and
Southern Blue Ridge Province, Volumes I-IV
(EPA/600/3-89/061a-d) is now available through the
order form at the back of this status.
Findings are now complete for the last DDRP region,
the Mid-Appalachian Region. Three scenarios of
atmospheric sulfur deposition were examined for this
region (Figure 1). Median sulfur retention for
watersheds in the region, at the present time, is <40
percent. This is greater than the median retention
c
o
0)
en
c
(0
o
TIME (years)
Figure 1. Sulfur deposition scenarios for the Mid-Appalachian
Region.
-3-
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AERP status
in the NE of approximately 0. but well below the
median for the SBRP of approximately 75 percent
retention. The Appalachian Plateau (the western-most
subregion), where sulfur deposition is greatest, has
median sulfur retention of approximately 3 percent.
This subregion also has more acidic stream reaches
(as found during the National Stream Survey) than the
Ridge and Valley Province (the adjoining subregion).
This pattern is consistent with the hypothesis that
atmospheric sulfur deposition is leading to increasing
fluxes of sulfate through soils into surface waters,
resulting in acidification of some surface waters to the
point of becoming acidic (ANC < 0). It is important to
remember that, because rates of atmospheric
deposition of sulfur are high in the Mid-Appalachian
Region, the steady-state concentrations of sulfate in
streams will be among the highest of any low ANC
surface waters (without significant internal sulfur
sources) in the eastern United States.
Median time to sulfate-steady state is approximately
37 years for the scenario of constant atmospheric
deposition. This is considerably shorter than the
projected median time of 60 years for the SBRP.
Watersheds in the Mid-Appalachian Region appear to
be in a transition period during which sulfur deposited
from the atmosphere is being retained on soils less
efficiently. Sulfate transported through soils to
surface waters is increasing and will reach a rate
equivalent to the rate of deposition (i.e., inputs =
outputs) sooner than in the SBRP. This will increase
the rate of leaching of basic and acidic cations to
surface waters in the region substantially.
For the scenario of atmospheric deposition decreased
to 50 percent of current levels, the final steady-state
sulfate concentrations in streams are projected to be
approximately 20 jueq/L lower than currently observed
concentrations.
Integrated Watershed Modeling
Of the 36 watersheds examined in the Mid-Appalachian
Region, the Model of Acidification of Groundwater in
Catchments (MAGIC) was calibrated successfully for
29 (about the same number as for the SBRP). These
represent 4,298 stream reaches totaling 11,246 km of
streams.
For the constant deposition scenario, the number of
stream reaches having ANC values <0 peq/L and <50
/jeq/L is projected to increase substantially in the
future. After 50 years, the number of acidic stream
reaches is projected to increase more than three-fold;
after 100 years the number could increase more than
seven-fold to about one fourth of all stream reaches in
the target population. This would be equivalent to
more than 1,800 km of stream reaches.
For the constant deposition scenario, the number of
stream reaches having ANC values <50 /jeq/L is
projected to increase substantially, totaling some 2,300
reaches by 50 years. This is equivalent to
approximately 5,800 km of streams or about 50
percent of the target population.
For the scenario of a 50 percent decrease in
deposition, projected changes in the number of stream
reaches with ANC <0 /veq/L or <50 /^eq/L are
indistinguishable to 100 years. Median ANC for the
stream reaches is projected, however, to increase
approximately 15 /jeq/L at 100 years. In contrast, for
the constant deposition scenario, the median stream
reach ANC is projected to decrease by more than 50
/;eq/L at 100 years.
Correction and Modification to the DDRP article in the
April 1990 status:
In the April 1990 status Table 2 (for the SBRP stream
reaches) showed 3 stream reaches (population
estimate) with ANC <50 /^eq/L. In actuality, there
were 3 stream reaches sampled'with ANC <50 /^eq/L,
leading to a population estimate of 58.
Tables 2 and 3 have been modified and now include
the calibrated numbers of lakes and stream reaches
from the MAGIC model for comparative purposes.
Figure 2 (referenced in footnote b of both tables) is
also presented here. The corrected values will appear
in the published version of the final report for the
DDRP and do not affect the conclusions and
discussion presented in the April 1990 issue.
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AERP status
Time from
Present
(year)
c
^calibrated
20°
50"
Constant
ANC <0
0
0%
0
0%
. 0
0%
129 (295)
10% (22%)
Number of Stream
Deposition"
ANC <50
58
4%
187
14%
187 (310)
14% (23%)
203 (333)
15% (25%)
Reaches*
Increased Deposition"
ANC <0 ANC <50
0 58
0% 4%
0 187
0% 14%
0 187 (314)
0% 14% (24%)
159 (291) 340 (359)
12% (22%) 26% (27%)
Projections are based on 30 stream/watersheds successfully calibrated by the Model of Acidification of Groundwater in Catchments
(MAGIC). Projections at 20 and 50 years are based on the MAGIC-calibrated values at year 0. The calibrated values at year 0 can vary
from the values observed by the National Surface Water Survey (NSWS) (see footnote d). If modeled changes in ANC are combined with
observed NSWS ANC values at year 0 (rather than with model-calibrated ANC at year 0), resulting projections of ANC in years 20 and 50
are obtained that sometimes differ from the values given here (for example, zero stream reaches [rather than 129] would be projected to
become acidic by year 50 under current levels of deposition; also, projections from the Integrated Lake Watershed Acidification Study
(ILWAS) model for median regional decreases in ANC over 50 years are comparable to those projected by MAGIC for the same
watersheds. ILWAS does not project any Southern Blue Ridge Province (SBRP) watersheds to become acidic by year 50). Projections
presented in this table, therefore, are best used to indicate the direction and relative magnitude of potential changes rather than absolute
numbers of systems with ANC values less than 0 or 50 peq/L.
Deposition scenarios are shown in Figure 2.
c Projected number of streams reaches and percent of the target population of 1,323 stream reaches from the NSWS Pilot Stream Survey.
Projected number of stream reaches and percent of the target population of 1,323 stream reaches as estimated from the MAGIC
calibrations to the NSWS Pilot Stream Survey.
() indicate 95 percent confidence estimates relative to NSWS estimates at year 0.
Table 2. Southern Blue Ridge Province Stream Reaches Projected to have ANC Values <0 and
<50/jeq/L for Constant and Increased Sulfur Deposition
Number of Lakes8
Constant Deposition"
Time from
Present
(year)
c
^calibrated
20°
50°
ANC <0
162
5%
161
5%
161 (245)
5% (8%)
186 (251)
6% (8%)
ANC <50
880
27%
648
20%
648 (319)
20% (10%)
648 (329)
20% (10%)
Decreased
ANC <0
162
5%
161
5%
136 (230)
4% (7%)
87 (237)
3% (7%)
Deposition
ANC <50
880
27%
648
20%
621 (313)
19% (10%)
586 (331)
18% (10%)
Projections are based on 123 lake/watersheds successfully calibrated by the Model of Acidification of Groundwater in Catchments
(MAGIC). Projections at 20 and 50 years are based on the MAGIC-calibrated values at year 0. The calibrated values at year 0 can vary
from the values observed by the National Surface Water Survey (NSWS) (see footnote d). If modeled changes in ANC are combined with
observed NSWS ANC values at year 0 (rather than with model-calibrated ANC at year 0), resulting projections of ANC in years 20 and 50
are obtained that sometimes differ from the values given here (for example, 248 lakes [rather than 186] would be projected to be acidic at
year 50 under current levels of deposition). Projections presented in this table, therefore, are best used to indicate the direction and
relative magnitude of potential changes rather than absolute numbers of systems with ANC values less than 0 or 50 pteq/L
Deposition scenarios are shown in Figure 2.
0 Projected number of lakes and percent of the 3,227 lakes in the NSWS Phase I target population.
d Projected number of lakes and percent of the target population of 3,227 lakes as estimated from the MAGIC calibration to the NSWS
Phase I sample.
() indicates 95% confidence estimates at year 0.
Table 3. Lakes in the Northeast Region Projected to have ANC Values <0 and <50/jeq/L for Constant and
Decreased Sulfur Deposition
-5-
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AERP status
o
A3
0)
U
V)
c
o
*«
'35
O
Q.
V
0
3
"5
V)
X
x
X
x
X
^ ' Current
\
\
\
\
i
SBRP* 20%
(Base Cai«]
NE 30%
1 ' 1 "
-1 4
-1.3
- 1 2
-1.1
-09
-OB
-06
10
40
20 30
Time (yr)
Figure 2. Sulfur deposition scenarios for the Northeast (NE) and
Southern Blue Ridge Province (SBRP) for analyses using
integrated watershed modeling. Ratio of total sulfur
deposition at time t (S,) to current total sulfur
deposition (Sc ).
Address inquiries concerning DDRP to:
M. 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
Watershed Processes and Manipulations
Watershed studies conducted as part of the AERP
used three approaches in the investigation of
processes that control the effects of acidic deposition
on surface waters. In the first, process-oriented
research on natural systems was designed to improve
our understanding of the nature and function of
specific watershed mechanisms that contribute to
surface water acidification. The second approach
used watershed manipulations to 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
approaches to help quantify the uncertainties
associated with projecting future surface water
chemistries with models.
Watershed Manipulation Project (WMP}»Process-
oriented research in the WMP was designed to
examine the quantitative and qualitative responses of
watershed soils and surface waters to altered levels
of acidic deposition. Manipulation studies have been
conducted at laboratory, plot, and catchment scales
located at the Bear Brook Watersheds in Maine (April
1989 status). Using a paired catchment approach, one
catchment was artificially acidified by applying
ammonium sulfate, with the other serving as a control.
The first manipulation occurred in November 1989; field
studies will continue through June 1992. Model runs
using MAGIC, the same model used in the DDRP, were
conducted on the WMP watershed prior to the first
manipulation, and these model results will be
compared to the observed response of the watershed.
The ammonium sulfate has a distinctive sulfur isotope
composition, allowing the sulfur to be traced.
Ammonium sulfate labeled with N15 will be used
throughout the 1991 growing season so that nitrogen
dynamics can be determined. The National Technical
Information Service (NTIS) will publish the WMP data
base in early 1994.
Address inquiries concerning WMP to:
Jeffrey J. Lee
WMP 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~~ft\Q
second and final year of acidification of the treatment
basin of Little Rock Lake to a pH of 4.7 began in April.
Below average precipitation in northern Wisconsin for
the past three years has isolated the bottom of this
seepage lake from the groundwater table. As a result,
no groundwater has entered the lake during this
period. The lake level has dropped about two feet,
and the reference basin ANC has declined from 26
/jeq/L to about 16 fjeqfL. The ANC of the treatment
basin is approximately 17 peq/L. Calcium in the
treatment basin has increased from 1 mg/L to 1.5 mg/L
and dissolved aluminum from 10 fjg/L to 35 jug/L.
Manganese and iron are several times higher than
preacidification and treatment basin levels. Water
transparency has increased and become more blue in
color; dissolved organic carbon concentrations are
about half of the reference basin levels. No trends are
evident in nutrient concentrations with increased
acidity, but decomposition of birch and oak leaves is
significantly reduced in the treatment basin.
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AERP status
Mougeotia algal masses are much more prevalent in
the acidified basin, although variable in density and
areal extent from year to year (April 1990 status).
Chlorophyllous pigment has increased in the treatment
basin hypolimnion, primarily due to chlorophyll a and
bacteriochlorophyll d. The net basin effect is an
increase in primary production, although species
richness has declined greatly.
Among pelagic zooplankton, copepods have been most
impacted, cladocerans less so, and rotifers the least.
Ten of 28 pelagic zooplankton species have decreased
drastically or disappeared, and 4 have increased in
abundance. Littoral zooplankton have been less
affected than pelagic forms and copepods were less
sensitive than cladocerans. The abundance of several
littoral zooplankton species has also corresponded
with the year-to-year fluctuations in benthic algae,
especially Mougeotia. Among the macroinvertebrates,
midges (Chironominiand Tanytarsinl) responded first
at pH 5.6; few additional reductions were observed
prior to the disappearance of mayflies (Caenis and
Leptophlebia] at pH 4.7. Leeches and the amphipod
Crangonyxwere reduced in the treatment basin at this
pH level. The damselfly Enallagma and caddisfly
Oxyethira have increased in abundance.
The most significant effect on fish at pH 4.7 was a
total mortality of largemouth bass and rock bass in
the early life stages prior to leaving their nests. These
observations are in close agreement with laboratory
results with the same life stages in simulated Little
Rock Lake water. Prior field data and complementary
laboratory studies had indicated that the number of
first-year bass that survived the winter pH level of 5.1
was greatly reduced. Field data for rock bass, which
are very hard to capture in their first year, indicate
they were also affected severely at pH 5.1. In situ
embryo and larval survival studies are underway with
these species to further document their sensitivity to
current lake water conditions. Yellow perch
populations continue to prosper and grow in both lake
basins.
During the course of this study, it was found that
drastic changes in the relative abundance of species
(mostly reductions) have occurred more frequently
than outright eliminations. In some cases where
species richness has been substantially reduced
(pelagic zooplankton and phytoplankton), sufficient
replacement has occurred to sustain functional group
contributions to the system (e.g., food, primary
production). Many different kinds of responses to
acidification have occurred (increases, decreases,
linear, precipitous, immediate, and delayed), and most
have been determined or hypothesized to be indirect
rather than direct. The major impact on two important
fish species (largemouth bass and rock bass) seems
directly related to water quality conditions (low pH and
Ca2+, elevated AI3+), although influenced by the length
of the growing season prior to their first winter.
Routine, acute, or even chronic laboratory bioassay
tests would underestimate the sensitivity of these
species in Little Rock Lake. This project has also
proved that a variety of experimental techniques (field
population monitoring, in situ experimentation, and
laboratory experimentation) is required to determine
response mechanisms. It is clear that the elucidation
of these mechanisms is important in attributing
responses for acidification.
Address inquiries concerning the Little Rock Lake
project to:
John Eaton
Little Rock Lake Experimental Acidification Project
Technical Director
EPA/Environmental Research Laboratory-Duluth
6201 Congdon Boulevard
Duluth, Minnesota 55804
(218) 720-5557
FTS: 780-5557
Watershed Recovery Project (WRP)»~ft\Q WRP is
studying the reversibility and dynamics of sulfate
adsorption by soils.
Wet and dry sulfate adsorption and desorption
isotherms have been determined for 100 soil samples,
obtained from 10 sites in the Northeast and 20 sites in
the Southern Blue Ridge Province. The samples have
been analyzed for other properties such as cation
exchange capacity, pH, exchangeable bases, organic
matter, and extractable iron and aluminum.
Regression models that predict the sulfate isotherm
parameters for moist soil from the measured
properties of dry soil have been developed. Laboratory
studies are being conducted to determine the
stoichiometry of sulfate absorption and desorption.
Address inquiries concerning WRP to:
Jeffrey J. Lee
WRP Technical Director
EPA/Environmental Research Laboratory-Corvallis
200 S.W. 35th Street
Corvalis, Oregon 97333
(503) 757-4666, ext. 318
FTS: 420-4666, ext. 318
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AERP status
Episodic Response Project (ERP)
Episodic acidification is the process by which lakes
and streams experience short-term decreases of ANC.
An episode is an occurrence of a short-term decrease
of ANC, usually during hydrological events (periods of
increased streamflow due to rainstorms or snowmelt)
and over time scales of hours to weeks. Typically,
changes in other water quality parameters such as pH,
base cations, or species of dissolved aluminum
accompany episodes. Changes in calcium and
aluminum can impact aquatic biota.
Most approaches to quantifying episodes have been
only partially successful in the past, due primarily to
the unpredictable nature of rainstorms and snowmelt.
As a result, the ERP is being conducted to answer key
questions about episodic acidification. The ERP goals
are to (1) quantify the occurrence of episodes in
several streams in each of three areas, the Northern
Appalachian Plateau in Pennsylvania and the
Adirondack and Catskill Mountains in New York state,
(2) describe biological responses to episodes, and (3)
develop and evaluate regionally applicable models of
episodic acidification.
Eastern Episodes~~tt\e second (final) year of field
research has been completed by cooperating research
groups in the Northern Appalachian Plateau of
Pennsylvania and the Adirondack and Catskill
Mountains of New York. Preliminary results from the
first year's data showed that there were significant
biological effects during some episodes in ERP study
streams in the Northeast. In the Adirondacks, up to
90-100% blacknose dace and 25-90% brook trout died
during in-situ bioassays (fish were caged and
resuspended in streams); in the Catskills, up to
40-50% brook trout died; and in Pennsylvania, up to
30-80% wild trout and sculpins died. Mortalities were
due to natural episodes. In addition, free ranging
trout monitored by radio tracking moved long
distances downstream during acidic episodes. In
some instances, trout that were unable to locate
habitable water perished. Both dissolved aluminum
concentration and duration of exposure to aluminum
appeared to be major factors in fish mortality. The
second year's data confirmed the first year's results,
although episodes in the study streams were not as
frequent. Data analysis will continue through the fall,
and a final report will be produced during the summer
of 1991.
Address inquiries concerning 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 Manipulations Project
(REAM}--REMA was designed to predict surface water
chemical changes in response to acidic deposition.
After manipulation of whole catchments by enhancing
acidic deposition, studies were undertaken to provide
data of its effects on surface water quality. Scientists
at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Forest Service at Fernow Experimental Forest near
Parsons, West Virginia, monitored the responses of
streams to acidification on both chronic and episodic
time scales.
Using a paired catchment approach, one catchment
was artificially acidified by applying ammonium
sulfate, with the other serving as a control.
Manipulations began in January 1989, followed by
subsequent applications in July and October. Rates of
sulfate approximately three times the seasonal
ambient rate were applied. Annual ambient sulfate
deposition at Fernow was about 790 eq/ha. The
monthly ambient sulfate deposition was about 25
eq/ha in January, followed by 150 eq/ha in July, and 40
eq/ha in October.
Both streams at the site have shown episodic
depressions in pH and increases in sulfate
concentrations associated with storms. For the most
part, these changes were not associated with the
manipulations. The applications of ammonium sulfate
caused transient increases in ammonium and sulfate
concentrations during the first storm following each
application. These changes were apparently caused
by runoff of ammonium sulfate and were an artifact of
the application methods. EPA involvement at this site
ends this year. It is possible, however, that the Forest
Service will continue the manipulations.
8-
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AERP status
Address inquiries concerning REAM to:
Jeffrey J. Lee
REAM 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
Long-Term Monitoring (LTM) and Temporally
Integrated Monitoring of Ecosystems (TIME)
Projects
The LTM project, initiated in 1983, was designed to
measure trends in the chemistry of soft-water lakes
and streams across a regional and national range of
acidic deposition. The project was described in detail
in the April 1990 issue of the AERP status and includes
monitoring of 81 lake sites and 4 stream sites in the
Northeast, the Mid-Atlantic, the Upper Midwest, and
the Southern Rockies. The sites studied in each area
were chosen by the respective investigators, so the
selection criteria differed among the various LTM
locations. Due to the existence of data collection prior
to LTM funding, data records extend back to 1981 or
1982 for many sites.
Short-term trends can be detected in the data
collected so far, indicating that the monitoring
schedule is sufficient to pick up trends of small
magnitudes. However, monitoring has not continued
long enough to determine if these trends are
persistent. Climatic and hydrologic variation may be
responsible for many of the trends currently detected
in the data.
The desire to determine trends on a regional basis has
prompted the design and implementation of the TIME
project. The objectives of the TIME project are to (1)
monitor current status and trends in indicators of
acidification in low alkalinity surface waters, (2) relate
regional changes in acidic deposition to regional
changes in surface water conditions, and (3) assess
the effectiveness of the Clean Air Act emissions
reductions in improving the acid-base status of
surface waters. The current TIME design combines
temporally intensive monitoring at a small number of
representative sites in each region with spatially
extensive, annual surveys of sites selected from a
statistical population frame. The LTM project will be
incorporated into the TIME project during 1991.
In 1989, both the LTM and TIME projects were
reassigned from the AERP to the Environmental
Monitoring and Assessment Program. EMAP has the
broad mission to provide periodic description of
environmental health across the United States,
assessing the effects of many stresses in addition to
acidic deposition, on all ecosystems, in addition to
surface waters. TIME and LTM will serve as a specific
acidic deposition component within the broader EMAP
context.
Address inquiries concerning the LTM/TIME projects
to:
John L Stoddard
LTM/TIME Technical Director
EPA/Environmental Research Laboratory-Corvallis
200 S.W. 35th Street
Corvallis, Oregon 97333
(503) 757-4666, ext. 439
FTS: 420-4666, ext. 439
SYNTHESIS AND INTEGRATION
ACTIVITIES
State-of-Science/Technology (SOS/T) f?eports~NAPAP
will publish the final State-of-Science/Technology
reports. The report series is an exhaustive wide-
ranging summation of 10 years of NAPAP research on
acidic deposition from emissions to economics. The
series includes seven aquatics reports documenting
AERP contributions to the understanding of acidic
deposition. Contributors have spent more than two
years revising, expanding, and updating each volume in
response to peer reviews, agency (non-EPA) reviews,
comments from the international scientific community,
and ongoing research. This series places results from
every major AERP project within the worldwide body of
knowledge on acidic deposition and its aquatic
effects.
The reports have already contributed to the shaping of
new Clean Air Act amendments before Congress; they
also serve as background documents for the NAPAP
Integrated Assessment (IA), which presents our best
current understanding of the acidic deposition issue in
a policy-relevant format. The SOS/Ts include sizable
literature reviews of published studies about the
United States, Canada, Great Britain, Germany,
Scandinavian, and other countries during the past 10
years - including the most current "in press" literature.
The aquatics SOS/Ts are a unique set of documents
addressing watershed-related problems affected by
solute transport, soil/water reactions, and transport
from watersheds to surface water systems. The
aquatics reports describe and list the changes from
historic to current status of aquatic resources and
present the techniques and tools used to project
future conditions. The reports also describe the
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AERP status
acidification process, the prospects for recovery, and
mitigation techniques.
The final reports will be bound into four volumes and
available directly from NAPAP through December 1990.
After December another distributor, as yet undecided,
will continue to fill orders. Prices have not been set,
but NAPAP is attempting to keep costs as low as
possible and will offer a casebound version and an
unbound version suitable for photocopying. Reprints
of separate reports may be available through an
alternative source; NAPAP will have information on this
option in a few weeks.
To order, write NAPAP, 722 Jackson Place,
Washington, DC 20503 (phone 202-395-5771). Volume
2 will include the following aquatics reports:
SOS/T 9 - Current Status, LA. Baker et al.
SOS/T 10 - Watershed Processes, R.S. Turner et al.
SOS/T 11 - Historical Changes, T.J. Sullivan
SOS/T 12 - Episodic Effects, P.J. Wigington, Jr. et al.
SOS/T 13 - Biological Effects, J.P. Baker et al.
SOS/T 14 - Projecting Future Changes, K.W. Thornton
et al.
SOS/T 15 - Mitigation Techniques, H. Olem
Volume 1 (Reports 1-8) will cover Emissions; Volume 3,
Materials Damage, Terrestrial Effects, Human Health
Effects, and Visibility Effects; and Volume 4 will
include Emissions Reduction, Future Forecasts, and
Economics.
Address inquiries concerning the Aquatics SOS/Ts and
contributions to the IA to:
Dixon H. Landers
Aquatic Effects Task Group Leader
EPA/Environmental Research Laboratory-Corvallis
200 S.W. 35th Street
Corvallis, Oregon 97333
(503) 757-4666, ext. 423
FTS: 420-4666, ext. 423
Regional Case Studies ^(^--Considerable research
has been conducted and hundreds of scientific papers
and several major books and reports have been
written on the potential for wide-scale and long-term
changes in water chemistry and the resulting loss of
aquatic biota, especially fish. However, until the RCS
project, the many and diverse studies completed by
state and federal agencies, universities, and other
organizations and individuals had not been thoroughly
analyzed and integrated on a regional or national
scale.
The major product of the RCS project is a book
entitled Acidic Deposition and Aquatic Ecosystems:
Regional Case Studies. The book is the first
comprehensive, integrated synthesis of available
information on the current and potential effects of
acidic deposition on lakes and streams in geographic
regions of the United States having significant
numbers of low-alkalinity surface waters. It presents
and evaluates data for entire regions and is national in
scope. Case study regions included in the analyses
are the Adirondack Mountains, Maine, the Catskill
Mountains, western Virginia, the Southern Blue Ridge
Province, northern Florida, the Upper Midwest
(northern Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan), the
Rocky Mountains, the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and
the Cascade Mountains. The book stresses the
current status of water chemistry and the processes
important in controlling water chemistry. The authors
have characterized these processes on a regional
basis by using, assessing, and comparing high-quality
data sets. These regional comparisons showed that
there is substantial diversity among regions with
respect to the nature of surface waters and the
processes affecting them.
Five introductory chapters provide background
information on the processes that affect water
chemistry and how to assess their importance, a
description of methods for assessing long-term trends
in water chemistry, an analysis of the effects on fish
and other biota, and the geography of the case study
regions. Two concluding chapters integrate and
summarize the information presented in the 11 case
study chapters.
The RCS book has now been submitted to Springer-
Verlag, with publication set for the last quarter of
1990.
Address inquiries concerning the RCS project to:
Donald F. Charles
RCS Technical Director
U.S. Environmental Research Laboratory-Corvallis
200 SW 35th Street
Corvallis, Oregon 97333
(503) 757-4666, ext. 428
FTS: 420-4666, ext. 428
Eastern Lake Survey - Phase II (ELS-II)
The primary focus of Phase II of the Eastern Lake
Survey (ELS-II) was on the northeastern United States
(ELS Region I). ELS-II involved the three seasonal
resurveys of a statistically selected subset of lakes
sampled in Phase I of the ELS (ELS-1) to determine
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AERP status
temporal chemical variability on a regional scale.
Particular attention was given to lakes considered
most susceptible to acidification (those with ANC
< 400 Aieq/L). Furthermore, within-lake variability was
examined to provide insight concerning the ability to
detect chemical changes over time and to estimate the
numbers of acidic lakes from the fall index values
measured in ELS-I. Thus, the primary objectives of
ELS-II were to (1) assess the temporal variability
associated with the ELS-I fall index sample and (2)
estimate the number of lakes with low ANC that are
not acidic in the fall but are acidic in other seasons.
The ELS-II sampled 145 lakes representing a target
population of 4,000 lakes in the Northeast. The three
major components of the ELS-II chemistry surveys
were:
Spring Survey. ELS-II Lakes were sampled once in the
spring of 1986 at the same location on the lake as the
fall index sample in ELS-I. Water samples were
collected only from the epilimnion.
Summer Survey. ELS-II Lakes were sampled once in
the summer of 1986 at the same location on the lake
as ELS-I. In addition to the epilimnetic sample,
hypolimnetic or bottom water samples were collected
from most lakes.
Fall Survey and Variability Study. A variability study
was conducted in the fall of 1986 along with the
regular seasonal survey to assess the within-season
and spatial variability in index chemistry. A subset of
50 lakes in the Adirondacks and Southern New
England was sampled at three different times in the
fall of 1986 at three different locations on the lake.
The second visit was made at the same location as
the ELS-I fall index sample. The remaining
nonvariability study ELS-II lakes were sampled only
once in the fall at the same location as the ELS-I
sample. Water samples were collected from the
epilimnion.
Based on these three seasonal surveys and the fall
1984 data from ELS-I, we can assess three aspects of
temporal variability in lake water chemistry: within
season (fall 1986), between season, and between year
(fall 1984/1986).
Results indicate that within season and between year
variability in pH and ANC was low in acidic (< 0
ueq/L) and very low ANC (< 50 A/eq/L) lakes. Results
also reveal that ANC and pH values were lower in the
spring than the fall and that there were 24% more
acidic lakes (424 versus 343) in the spring of 1986 than
the fall 1986. The final data report for ELS-II and the
three seasonal data bases will be available through
NTIS at the end of 1990.
Address inquiries concerning ELS-II to:
Alan Herlihy
EPA/Environmental Research Laboratory-Corvallis
200 S.W. 35th Street
Corvallis, Oregon 97333
(503) 757-4666, ext. 434
FTS: 420-4666, ext. 434
Technical Information Project~~\\\Q Technical
Information Project disseminates information on AERP
activities to state agencies, organizations, and other
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, National Stream Survey, and DDRP
are available through the mail order form in this
status.
Data Bases - Each data base consists of two
components: (1) a computer diskette or tape
containing the validated data base for a
particular AERP project and (2) a user's guide
with instructions on how to use the disk or
tape. Information about how the quality of the
data was assessed is included. Data bases for
the Eastern Lake Survey - Phase I and Western
Lake Survey are available through the mail order
form in this status. The National Stream Survey
data base request form is available through Jan
Aoyama (see order form in this status).
Handbooks - Handbooks are guidance
documents that contain procedures for field and
laboratory operations for surface water and soil
chemistry sampling. They are beneficial to
those organizations involved in designing and
implementing monitoring activities related to
acidic deposition.
Project Descriptors - These documents are a
compilation of AERP project descriptions for
activities to be performed in a given fiscal year.
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AERP status
Biennial Publications and Presentations - This
document compiles abstracts describing
presentations and publications authored or
coauthored by AERP-EPA and contractor
support personnel.
Address inquiries concerning the AERP Technical
Information Project to:
Daniel T. Heggem
AERP Technical Information Project
Technical Director
EPA/Environmental Monitoring Systems Laboratory
P.O. Box 93478
Las Vegas, Nevada 89193
(702) 798-2358
FTS: 545-2358
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READER
SECTION
California
This summer marked the beginning of field
activities for the newly funded projects
under the Atmospheric Acidity Protection
Program (AAPP), a five-year effort designed
by the California Air Resources Board.
Contractors from a number of University of
California campuses are currently monitoring
seven watersheds in the Sierra Nevada in an
attempt to regionalize the data on
watershed response to acidic inputs
collected during our intensive watershed
program at Emerald Lake, Sequoia National
Park. To improve our estimate of wet inputs
to high-elevation ecosystems, researchers
are collecting wet events at ten stations
located above 2,400 meters (including
samples to be analyzed for organic anions).
We are working with the U.S. EPA in the
design of a survey of fish and amphibian
populations throughout the Sierra Nevada.
The selection of survey locations is based
on a stratified random sample of 40 square
kilometer hexagon areas above 2,400
meters. Dose-response data for important
trout species in the Sierra (golden and
rainbow trout) are being collected by
researchers from the University of California
at Santa Barbara at their field facility, the
Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Laboratory
on the eastern slope. Biologists from the
University of California at Los Angeles are
conducting dose-response experiments with
different life stages of frog and toad
species found in the Sierra Nevada. This
work is particularly important in light of
recent reports of the decline of amphibian
species in high-elevation areas.
In early July, we conducted a watershed
research workshop to design experiments to
be conducted at the seven experimental
watersheds during the AAPP. Emphasis will
be placed on collecting information related
to the frequency, severity, and biological
impact of episodes in streams and lakes in
alpine areas of the Sierra Nevada. This field
program will be coordinated with research
activities proposed by federal agencies
under the Global Change Research Program.
The Sierra Nevada has been proposed as
the site for field work funded through the
National Aeronautics and Space
Administration's Earth Observing System
Program and the National Park Services
Global Change Research Program.
Address inquiries on the above information
to:
Kathy Tonnessen
Research Division
Air Resources Board
P.O. Box 2815
Sacramento, California 95812
(916) 324-1744
Florida
The Florida Department of Environmental
Regulation has been conducting studies to
consider the influence of acidic deposition
on Florida's surface waters. The Florida
Soft Water Lakes Study Project, completed
in the fall of 1989, evaluated the fish status
and water chemistry of 12 acidic soft water
lakes. The Florida Sensitive Lakes
Reassessment Survey Project is evaluating
whether historical water chemistry changes
have occurred among Florida lakes. This
project is being conducted through the
cooperative efforts of the Florida
Department of Environmental Regulation, the
USGS, U.S. EPA, the Florida Electric Power
Coordinating Group, the Electric Power
Research Institute, and Southern Company
Services. The Apalachicola Bay Estuary
Atmospheric Deposition Study Project was
recently initiated to examine the atmospheric
contribution of nutrients to a Florida estuary.
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AERP status
The recently completed Florida Soft Water
Lakes Study was conducted to characterize
fish populations and examine the water
chemistry of acidic soft water lakes in
Florida. Findings from the fishery aspect of
this project revealed that fish species
richness (Figure 3) and fish abundance, as
estimated by index netting with gill nets,
was reduced in Florida lakes where pH was
below 5.0. A lack of recruitment and no
reproduction among some species was
documented in several lakes where pH was
below 5.0. Largemouth bass, a top predator
and popular sport fish, were absent from
lakes where pH was less than 4.5. Findings
from the water chemistry aspect of this
project revealed that distinct regional
differences exist between acidic soft water
lakes located in the panhandle versus
peninsular Florida. Mean ANC and pH
(laboratory) were lower, and mean dissolved
organic carbon, sulf ate, and total monomeric
aluminum (Al) values were higher in
peninsular lakes. Spring and fall synoptic
survey findings revealed that, despite
measurable differences in base cation and
acid anion concentrations, laboratory pH,
ANC, and total monomeric Al values in low
pH, low ANC lakes were relatively consistent
across the two seasons. This suggests
that a fall index sample is a reasonable
approach for determining the acid-base
status of lakes in Florida.
Address inquiries on the above information
to:
Curtis E. Watkins
Florida Department of Environmental
Regulation
2600 Twin Towers Office Building
Tallahassee, Florida 32399
(904) 488-0782
Washington
Aquatic effects research and monitoring
conducted by the State of Washington
focuses on sensitive resources in alpine and
subalpine areas of the Cascade Mountains.
Dilute lakes in certain areas of the
Cascades have been found to be extremely
sensitive to acidic deposition, with ANC less
too
a
E
10
Color < 5 PI Co uoil!
O Cokx > 5 but < 20 PI Co unlu
A Cok» > 20 PI Co wills
A A O
O
O
A A
OO O A
0°
456789
pH
Figure 3. Relationship between the total number of
fish species and pH for lakes sampled
during the statewide study In Florida.
than 25 /jeq/L After initial reconnaissance-
level surveys were conducted between 1980
and 1983, scientists evaluated the extent
and distribution of sensitive lakes in
Washington. Since 1983, the Washington
State Department of Ecology's Acidic
Deposition Program has focused on key
indicator lake basins to provide an "early
warning system" for detection of acidic
deposition effects.
Three separate study areas, representing
the northern Cascades, central Cascades,
and southern Cascades, are the focus of
annual monitoring and research efforts.
Objectives of the alpine lake studies are to
conduct long-term monitoring of lake
chemistry and other indicators of acidic
deposition effects, study lake response to
changes in acid oxide air emissions, and
evaluate precipitation-watershed-lake
relationships. In the basic lakes monitoring
program, surface water samples are
collected during the ice-free period for
analysis of acid-base chemistry. Mountain
precipitation is sampled at three locations in
the Cascades to evaluate snow chemistry
and deposition rates for significant ions.
Significant snow melt-related effects on lake
chemistry have been documented,
particularly in fast-flushing lakes (flushing
rates exceeding 20 times per year).
10
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AERP status
Snowmelt episodes generally depress pH
and ANC values and reduce concentrations
of base cations. Sulfate levels remain
relatively constant. The seasonal effects
demonstrate the substantial degree to which
water quality conditions in the Cascade
lakes are influenced by precipitation
chemistry. The potential for episodic
acidification appears to be the greatest
pollution threat currently facing these
sensitive resources. It has not yet been
determined whether seasonal reductions in
pH and ANC are currently having any effect
on aquatic biota in the lake basins.
Acid oxide emissions, which may affect
sensitive alpine lakes in Washington, have
changed substantially from the early 1980s.
Data from a six-year study of the central
Cascades lakes indicate statistically
significant decreases in sulfate levels in the
lakes but no overall trend in alkalinity
associated with reductions in sulfur dioxide
emissions from two major sources (the
Mount Saint Helens volcano and a large
copper smelter). From 1983 to 1988, sulfate
levels decreased by an average of 3.6 jueq/L
(33%) in the slow-flush lakes and 6.5 ueq/L
(34%) in the fast-flush lakes.
A new project was undertaken during the
1990 field season to develop a biomonitoring
protocol using amphibians as indicator
organisms. Plans are to incorporate the
biomonitoring element into the long-term
monitoring program for lakes and streams
to complement the ongoing water chemistry
monitoring efforts.
Address inquiries on the above information
to:
Ed Rashin
Department of Ecology
Mail Stop LH-14
Olympia, Washington 98504
(206) 586-5291
Although this is the last issue of the AERP status due to the conclusion of NAPAP on 9-30-90, the publications
listed below will continue to be available to you at no cost through the Center for Environmental Research
Information (CERI) until their supplies have been exhausted. After that, they will be available at a cost from:
National Technical Information Service (NTIS)
5285 Port Royal Road
Springfield, Virginia 22151
(703) 487-4650
For the Eastern Lake Survey-Phase I (ELS-I) and Western Lake Survey (WLS) data bases, please send the order
form in this status to CERI to get the appropriate Data Base Request Form. The request form plus the disk(s) or
magnetic tape to which you wish to have the data copied should be sent to:
Jan Aoyama
Lockheed Engineering and Sciences Company (LESC)
1050 E. Flamingo Road, Suite 209
Las Vegas, Nevada 89119
(702) 734-3288
For the National Stream Survey (NSS) data base request form, please contact Jan Aoyama at the above address.
The data bases will be available at no cost until 9-30-90. After that date, they can be obtained through NTIS at a
cost.
I would like to thank our readers-contributors for their support in sending us information for inclusion in the AERP
status. Thank you to Andrea Tippett for her excellent word processing skills. I have enjoyed working with all of
you and wish you all the best in continuing your work toward a healthier environment.
fa~^
(/ Jan Aoyama
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A U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: IMO 74S-I5V2MC4
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AERP status
If you would like to receive any of the following
AERP 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 600/4-86/007
Volume I 600/4-86/007a
Volume II 600/4-86/007b
Volume III 600/4-86/007C
Quality Assurance Plan 600/4-86/008
Analytical Methods Manual 600/4-86/009
Field Operations Report 600/4-86/010
Quality Assurance Report 600/4-86/011
Western Lake Survey - Phase I
Major Report - Characteristics of Lakes in the Western United
States
Volumes MI (Volume I out of print) . . . 600/3-86/054
Volume II 600/3-86/0546
Quality Assurance Plan 600/8-87/026
Analytical Methods Manual 600/8-87/038
Field Operations Report 600/8-87/018
Quality Assurance Report 600/4-87/037
National Stream Survey - Phase I
Major Report - Characteristics of Streams in the Mid-Atlantic
and Southeastern United States
Volumes MI 600/3-88/021
Volume I 600/3-88/021a
Volume II 600/3-88/0216
Pilot Survey Major Report 600/4-86/026
Pilot Survey Field Operations Report .... 600/8-87/019
Quality Assurance Plan 600/4-86/044
Field Operations Report 600/4-88/023
Processing Laboratory Report 600/4-88/025
Quality Assurance Report 600/4-88/018
Direct/Delayed Response Project
*Major Report-Future Effects of Long-Term
Sulfur Deposition
Volumes I-IV 600/3-89/061 -
Volume I .
Volume II
Volume HI
Volume IV
600/3-89/061a
600/3-89/0616
600/3-89/061c -
600/3-89/061d
Quality Assurance Report
Southern Blue Ridge Province 600/8-88/100
Analytical Methods Manual 600/8-87/020
Quality Assurance Plan
Mid-Appalachian Region 600/4-89/031
Quality Assurance Report
Mid-Appalachian Region 600/4-90/001
Laboratory Operations and Quality Assurance
Report Mid-Appalachian Region 600/4-90/017
*Field Operations and Quality Assurance
Report Northeastern United States
Volumes MI
Volume I . . .
Volume II . .
Field Operations Report
Southern Blue Ridge Province
Volumes I-II
Volume I . . .
Volume II . .
600/4-87/030 -
600/4-87/0303 -
600/4-87/0306 -
600/4-87/041 -
600/4-87/0413
600/4-87/0416
'Publication listed for the first time.
Quality Assurance Plan 600/8-87/021
DATA BASES
Western Lake Survey - Data Base
(special order form will be sent) 600/4-87/027 -
Eastern Lake Survey - Phase I Data
Base (special order form will be sent) 600/4-88/032 -
'National Stream Survey Data Base
(special order form will be sent) 600/8-90/055 --
HANDBOOKS
Handbook of Methods for Acid Deposition
Studies, Laboratory Analysis for Surface
Water Chemistry 600/4-87/026 -
Handbook of Methods for Acid Deposition
Studies, Field Operations for Surface
Water Chemistry 600/4-89/020 --
'Handbook of Methods for Acid Deposition Studies,
Laboratory Analyses for Soil Chemistry 600/4-90/023
PROJECT DESCRIPTORS
Research Activity Descriptors, FY 1988 . . 600/9-88/006 -
Research Activity Descriptors, FY 1989 . . 600/9-89/059 -
ABSTRACTS
Biennial Publications and Presentations
1985-86 600/9-88/018 -
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AERP status
Name
Address
City/State/Zip.
Return to:
CERI, AERP Publications
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
26 W. Martin Luther King Drive
Cincinnati, Ohio 45268
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