Acid Rain and Natural Organic Matter (NOM)

Twentyfive years of research on the effects of acid rain on rivers and lakes has, to a very small extent, documented changes in the nature and properties of natural organic matter (NOM). In Western Norway, a "whole-watershed-artificial-acidification-experiment" took place in the period 1988–1996. The goals of this long-term experiment were to study the role of NOM in acidification of surface water and the effects of acid precipitation on the quality and properties of NOM. In the HUMEX project (Humic Lake Acidification Experiment) one half of a lake and the corresponding catchment was artificially acidified with H₂SO₄ and NH₄NO₃ over a period of 5 years. The other half of the lake and catchment served as a control. In addition to monitoring of the general chemical composition of the water from the two lake halves, a number of other chemical and biological characteristics were studied. Here, we report the results related to changes in the nature and chemical properties of NOM. During the first few years of acidification, a significantly lower concentration of NOM was recorded in the acidified half of the catchment, compared with the control. However, statistical analyses of all data (covering a 2-years pre-treatment period and 5 years of treatment) related to the concentration of NOM (TOC, colour, and UV absorbance) did not suggest any significant effect on the quantity of NOM. This apparent discrepancy between the initial decrease in the concentration of NOM and no effect when the whole 5-years period is considered, may be due to the results of two different simultaneous processes. The results suggest that there first was a reduction of TOC and colour, as a consequence of the acidification, followed by an increase, perhaps owing to increased fertilisation (nitrogen) and in addition to a general temperature increase during the period. In addition, short-term studies of the aquatic surface microlayers, lipophilicity of the NOM, content of organic sulfur, and molecular size indicate differences in the quality of the NOM between the two lake halves, which could affect light absorption.