Acidity Partition Model

The components of acidity are varied and from both natural and anthropogenic sources. Carbon dioxide plays a major role in acidity as do sulfate and dissolved organic carbon (DOC), but to what degree these compounds determine the acidity in the Downeast river systems is largely unknown. As part of the ongoing effort to determine the influence of surface water chemistry on Atlanitic salmon health and smolt viability, varied types of sampling schemes have been employed and a large amount of data have been collected. We propose to use models developed by Kahl et al. 1989 and Hruska et al. 2001 to assess the contribution of HCO3, SO4 and DOC to the total acidity of river and stream systems in the DPS listed drainages, using data already collected as part of other projects. Resources and infrastructure already exist and funding is sought for research time. The model would be in such a form that resource managers can apply the model to other rivers, streams, and lakes as in published papers, and a GIS representation of the partitioning in the DPS systems (eg.: a map of the rivers and what is controlling the acidity and to what degree).