Hydrology of Two Headwater Lakes in the Adirondack Mountains of New York

1989 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 268-276 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ward W. Staubitz ◽  
Phillip J. Zarriello

Cranberry Pond and Woods Lake are small, acidic headwater lakes in the west-central Adirondack region of New York State. The lakes differ in size and depth but have similar watershed characteristics. Both watersheds contain thin eolian and sandy till deposits overlying granitic gneiss and have limited capacity to store and transmit groundwater. Total lake inflow was calculated as a residual of a monthly hydrologic balance based on measured precipitation, lake outflow, change in lake storage, and estimated evaporation; surface-water and groundwater inflow to each lake also were estimated. Results indicate that the lakes are hydrologically similar and are dominated by surface-water systems with highly variable runoff that responds rapidly to precipitation. Groundwater, which constituted about 16% of the total inflow to Cranberry Pond and from 31 to 38% of the total inflow to Woods Lake in 1984–86, moves through a shallow flow system that provides little stabilizing influence on the hydrology or water chemistry of the lakes. Error analysis of the hydrologic balance indicated that total annual inflow, calculated as a residual of the hydrologic balance, is accurate to within 12%. Calculated monthly inflow values are subject to greater potential error that ranges up to 46%.

1983 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
John L. Confer ◽  
Thomas Kaaret ◽  
Gene E. Likens

Ten small headwater lakes in the Adirondack Mountains of New York State and 10 in the White Mountains of New Hampshire were examined for possible effects of acidification on zooplankton. The results showed that acidification, or some close correlate, had a significant negative effect on zooplankton diversity and biomass. A loss of 2.4 species of zooplankton and 22.6 mg dry wt/m2 was correlated with each unit decrease in pH. These results, in contrast to some previous work, show a continuous decrease in diversity and biomass over the entire range of pH in the sampled lakes, 4.5–7.2. Cladocera, with the exception of Holopedium and Polyphemus, and Epischura lacustris, Mesocyclops edax, and Cyclops scutifer, were abundant at higher pH values but rare or absent at pH values less than 5. Diaptomus minutus was predominant at pH values less than 5.Key words: acid rain, lakes, Adirondack Mountains, White Mountains, zooplankton, Cladocera, Epischura, Mesocyclops, Cyclops, Diaptomus


1987 ◽  
Vol 44 (9) ◽  
pp. 1595-1602 ◽  
Author(s):  
James N. Galloway ◽  
George R. Hendrey ◽  
Carl L. Schofield ◽  
Norman E. Peters ◽  
Arland H. Johannes

The surface and outlets of two headwater lakes acidified during the 1978, 1979, and 1980 spring snowmelt periods. The decrease in pH was accompanied by an increase in nitrate whereas the other strong acid anion, SO42−, remained relatively constant. Chemical mass-balance calculations, using data from the Integrated Lake–Watershed Acidification Study, indicate that the peak in acidification observed in the Adirondack Mountains in the spring is caused by (1) a dilution of base cations (Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, and K+) and associated alkalinity by snowmelt, (2) an increase in NO3− concentration in the acidified portion of the lakes, and (3) the constant elevated concentration of SO42−. At Woods Lake, the NO3− that accumulated in the snowpack plus that deposited from the atmosphere during snowmelt was sufficient to account for the increased NO3− in and transported from the lake. At Panther Lake, an additional source of NO3− was needed and was believed to be contributed by nitrification in the upper soil horizons. If atmospheric deposition of sulfur is reduced, low-alkalinity systems like Woods and moderate-alkalinity systems like Panther will be less likely to develop strong acidity during spring acidification.


2014 ◽  
Vol 80 (16) ◽  
pp. 4814-4820 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa A. Jones ◽  
Randy W. Worobo ◽  
Christine D. Smart

ABSTRACTIn the United States, surface water is commonly used to irrigate a variety of produce crops and can harbor pathogens responsible for food-borne illnesses and plant diseases. Understanding when pathogens infest water sources is valuable information for produce growers to improve the food safety and production of these crops. In this study, prevalence data along with regression tree analyses were used to correlate water quality parameters (pH, temperature, turbidity), irrigation site properties (source, the presence of livestock or fowl nearby), and precipitation data to the presence and concentrations ofEscherichia coli,Salmonellaspp., and hymexazol-insensitive (HIS) oomycetes (PhytophthoraandPythiumspp.) in New York State surface waters. A total of 123 samples from 18 sites across New York State were tested forE. coliandSalmonellaspp., of which 33% and 43% were positive, respectively. Additionally, 210 samples from 38 sites were tested for HIS oomycetes, and 88% were found to be positive, with 10 species ofPhytophthoraand 11 species ofPythiumbeing identified from the samples. Regression analysis found no strong correlations between water quality parameters, site factors, or precipitation to the presence or concentration ofE. coliin irrigation sources. ForSalmonella, precipitation (≤0.64 cm) 3 days before sampling was correlated to both presence and the highest counts. Analyses for oomycetes found creeks to have higher average counts than ponds, and higher turbidity levels were associated with higher oomycete counts. Overall, information gathered from this study can be used to better understand the food safety and plant pathogen risks of using surface water for irrigation.


1989 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 287-294 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah A. Roberts ◽  
Charles W. Boylen

The biovolume and species composition of algae on the sediment along a depth gradient were determined before and after liming of acidic (pH 4.9), oligotrophic Woods Lake in the Adirondack Park in New York State (Herkimer Co., NY, USA). The epipelic algal community was dominated by diatoms and cyanobacteria prior to and following liming. Distinct depth zonation patterns of community composition were evident and unaffected by CaCO3 addition. Treatment with calcite increased pH from 4.9 to above 9.0, caused ANC to rise from 0 to >400 μeq∙L−1, and immediately reduced overall water clarity which subsequently improved during the summer. There was a significant decrease (p <0.001) in total algal biovolume after liming corresponding to a significant reduction in biovolume of Hapalosiphon pumilus at the deepest sites. Total diatom biovolume was not significantly changed as a result of the addition of calcite; however, a shift in community composition from dominance by Navicula tenuicephala and Fragilaria acidobiontica to dominance by Achnanthes microcephala and Anomoeoneis vitrea was observed following liming.


1985 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 141-153 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. L. Klemperer ◽  
L. D. Brown ◽  
J. E. Oliver ◽  
C. J. Ando ◽  
B. L. Czuchra ◽  
...  

COCORP deep seismic reflection profiling in the Adirondack Mountains of northern New York State has revealed a prominent zone of layered reflectors in the lower crust of the east-central Adirondacks. The strong, layered reflectors (here termed the Tahawus complex) occur between 18 and 26 km depth, beneath the sparsely reflective, granulite-grade, surface terrane, which has been uplifted from depths greater than 20 km. The Tahawus complex apparently represents layered rocks of some type in the lower crust of the Adirondacks. Possibilities include gneissic layering, cumulate igneous layering, a layered sill complex, and underthrust sedimentary strata, The Tahawus complex may be spatially coincident with a previously detected, high-conductivity zone in the lower crust, suggesting that either unusual mineralogies or interstitial electrolytes are present in the Tahawus complex. In contrast to layered reflections discovered in the lower crust of the east-central Adirondacks and southeast of the Adirondacks, cross-cutting and discontinuous reflections are recorded from the upper crust on all the COCORP Adirondack lines, including lines in both the Adirondack Highlands and Lowlands. Available three-dimensional control suggests that reflections in the upper crust of the central Adirondacks are parallel to, and hence may be related to, the folded gneisses mapped at the surface. Shallow events are also observed on a COCORP profile close to the epicenter of the 7 October 1983 magnitude 5.2 earthquake in the central Adirondacks, but their relation to the earthquake is uncertain.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document