"SUMMARY The American Petroleum Institute sponsored a reconnaissance of Adirondack waters@ sediments@ soils @ and rocks during the early-fall wet-season of 1981. The purpose was to conduct a preliminary evaluation of the validity of several alternative processes which might result in effects popularly attributed to acid deposition. Everett Associates was the prime contractor. The fall wet-season was chosen to emphasize the effects of acid precipitation on surface-water chemistry. Water analyses used the modified Gran method for alkalinity determination and the Environment Canada protocol for other inorganic constituents . This report documents the work@ summarizes the investigators ' partial analysis of the results @ and summarizes the API's interpretation of their own and the investigators' analysis of the results. The results of this reconnaissance study suggest strongly that inorganic chemical processes@ with sulfate and nitrate input from atmospheric deposition and the absence of buffering from carbonate rock@ cannot simply account for either the pH or the aluminum concentrations observed in Adirondack surface waters. Instead@ organic acids originating from water flow through organic soil layers and wetlands are indicated as possible causes of increased acidity and aluminum concentrations. There are also indications that sulfides in bedrock and the sulfur utilized by vegetation may be important surface-water sulfate sources. Further@ in part of the Adirondacks@ weathering of calcium - containing non-carbonate aluminosilicate bedrock apparently keeps surface water from reaching "" critical "" acidity levels."
API PUBL 4371-1981 history
1981API PUBL 4371-1981 Acid-Rain Related Reconnaissance of Water@ Rock@ Soil@ and Sediment Chemistry in the Adirondacks during fall@ 1981