title: Forest land cover continues to exacerbate freshwater acidification despite decline in sulphate emissions.
abstract: Evidence from a multi-date regional-scale analysis of both high-flow and annual-average water quality data from Galloway, south-west Scotland, demonstrates that forest land cover continues to exacerbate freshwater acidification. This is in spite of significant reductions in airborne pollutants. The relationship between freshwater sulphate and forest cover has decreased from 1996 to 2006 indicating a decrease in pollutant scavenging. The relationship between forest cover and freshwater acidity (pH) is, however, still present over the same period, and does not show conclusive signs of having declined. Furthermore, evidence for forest cover contributing to a chlorine bias in marine ion capture suggests that forest scavenging of sea-salts may mean that the forest acidification effect may continue in the absence of anthropogenic pollutant inputs, particularly in coastal areas.
authors.affiliation: Department of Geography, Durham University, Science Laboratories, South Road, Durham DH1 4ET, UK. Robert.Dunford@ouce.ox.ac.uk
authors.forename: Robert W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Dunford
authors.forename: Daniel N M
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Donoghue
authors.forename: Tim P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Burt
mesh_terms: D015258:Acid Rain / Q000032:analysis* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D000397:Air Pollution / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D016468:Forestry; D005618:Fresh Water / Q000737:chemistry*; D058998:Remote Sensing Technology; D012606:Scotland; D012623:Seawater / Q000737:chemistry; D013431:Sulfates / Q000032:analysis*; D014197:Trees / Q000254:growth & development*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*; D060753:Water Quality
chemical_list: D015258:Acid Rain; D000393:Air Pollutants; D013431:Sulfates; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical