Water-quality genesis in a mountain catchment affected by acidification and forestry practices

AbstractEffects of changes in air pollution and forest cover on the acid atmospheric deposition and runoff were studied in the Jizerka experimental catchment (Czech Republic), a sensitive mountain environment of low buffering capacity. From 1982 to 2015, resident scientists and volunteers measured water quality of precipitation, fog, and stream samples at the watershed level. Archived LANDSAT imagery was used to reconstruct changes in forest composition in the watershed based on a detailed ground inventory done in 2010 to 2012. Spatial interpolation was used to approximate atmospheric deposition of water and SO42−, NO3−, and NH4+ over the watershed area. The open-field load of S peaked in 1987 to 1988 and dropped substantially in the 1990s, but inorganic N did not show a significant trend. The N∶S deposition ratio increased from 0.37 to 2.83. Mean annual stream-water pH increased from 4.2 to 5.9, and concentrations of SO42− and NO3− decreased by 55 and 53%, respectively. Seasonal acidification of stream w...