Geochemical and Sr-isotopic characteristics of stream and spring waters from small-forested catchments at Seto,central Japan

Hydrogeochemical processes controlling surface water chemistry were examined in five small (<1.5 km ²) forested catchments that have contrasting bedrock lithologies of granite, and conglomerate, and are distributed in the southeast of Seto district, central Japan. Watersheds developed on these two bedrocks differ in their ability to neutralize atmospheric acid (pH ~4.5) deposition. The study was conducted to (1) characterize the hydrogeochemical processes controlling surface water chemistry, and (2) to elucidate acidification of spring and stream waters using data from three sampling campaigns conducted from August to October 2000. Stream and spring water solutes fall into two general groups according to concentration: alkaline, relatively high pH (5.2–7.7) and high cation concentrations (HCO ₃ ^-, Cl ^-, base cations), and dilute, low pH (4.2–5.5) waters. Concentrations of trace metals (Al, Ba, Sr) showed a strong negative correlation with pH, suggesting the mobility of these metals in the dissolved load of catchments underlain by Tokai conglomerate. The strontium isotope ratio ( ⁸⁷Sr/ ⁸⁶Sr) of rock and soil, plant, precipitation, and surface water samples was used to identify different reservoirs within the ecosystem. Low Si concentrations in stream and spring waters from the conglomerate area, with a relatively high pool of SiO ₂, >90 (wt%), suggest slow chemical weathering. The dissolved solute concentrations are generally of similar magnitude in stream waters within the catchments of similar bedrock lithology. The high inverse correlation ( r ²=0.72) between pH and SO ₄ ^– concentrations and the high positive correlation ( r ² =0.90) between Ba and SO ₄ ^– concentrations in waters draining Tokai conglomerate suggest that barite (BaSO ₄) is being dissolved in an acidic environment. The three catchments were identified as being sensitive to acidic deposition because the bedrock conglomerate provided little capacity to buffer acidic inputs. The soils from the granite area have a high cation-exchange capacity (CEC an average of 868 µmol/kg), and are nearly ten times greater than the soils from the conglomerate area. Because ion exchange, besides weathering, is the main source that counteracts soil acidification, the sensitivity to further acidification may increase.