IS THERE MORE TO ACIDITY IN ORGANIC-RICH SURFACE WATERS THAN AIR POLLUTION? An Example from Northern Sweden,
Current practice in Swedish environmental policy treats most acid surface waters as likely cases of acidification resulting from acid deposition that are suitable objects for liming. That approach to the management of acidity in surface waters is based largely on the understanding of surface water acidification in the clear water lakes and streams of southern Scandinavia which have a relatively low concentration of dissolved organic carbon. The acidity of organic-rich surface waters has not been examined to the same extent, despite their widespread occurrence, especially in the north of Sweden. An autumn survey of 95 streams in the province of Västerbotten along a transect from the coast of the Gulf of Bothnia up to the mountains on the Norwegian border showed a negative correlation between sulfate and stream acidity in the most acid quartile of the samples. In the same set of samples there was a positive correlation between total organic carbon and stream acidity. “Complete abstract not presented.”