Battarbee, RW; Flower, RJ; (1985) Palaeoecological evidence for the timing and causes of lake acidification in Galloway, South West Scotland. (PRU Research Report 8 ). Palaeoecology Research Unit, UCL Environmental Change Research Centre: London, UK.

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Abstract

During the contract period sediment cores from six lakes, three with non-afforested and three with partially afforested catchments, were analysed to enable lake water acidity (pH) to be reconstructed over approximately the past 200 years. The sites are all situated on granitic rocks in the Galloway Hills of S.W. Scotland. The results of diatom analysis show that five of the six lakes have become considerably more acid over this time period and that the acidification process is mainly independent of catchment afforestation effects. {210}^Pb dating of the sediment shows that there has been little change in sediment accumulation rates at sites with non-afforested catchments, but there has been significant increases in accumulation rate at afforested sites associated with erosion caused by pre-planting catchment ploughing. Pollen analysis indicates that no major vegetation change has occurred at the non-afforested sites whilst trace metal analysis of L. Enoch (not funded by this contract) shows elevated levels of Pb, Cu, and Zn 1n the upper, post 1800 sediments. It is concluded that acid precipitation is the most likely cause of acidification at these sites.

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