Paleoecological Investigation of Recent Lake Acidification (PIRLA), 1983--1985

The Paleoecological Investigation of Recent Lake Acidification'' (PIRLA) project, funded by the Electric Power Research Institute, is a broadly interdisciplinary paleoecological study of recent lake acidification. Approximately ten lakes are being studied in each of four low alkalinity regions in North America that are currently receiving acid deposition. The areas are the Adirondack Mountains (NY), northern New England, northern Great Lakes Region, and northern Florida. Sediment cores are being analyzed for diatom and chrysophyte remains to reconstruct acidification histories, including magnitude, rate, and timing of pH and alkalinity changes. Cores are dated using lead-210 and pollen and charcoal. Other sediment analyses include metals, sulfur, soot, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). These provide information on lake acidification histories, and the relative roles of natural acidification processes, watershed disturbance, and atmospheric deposition of strong acids. This interim report contains seven papers representing the status of project research as of March 1985. Results support the hypothesis that diatom and chrysophyte sediment stratigraphies can be used to determine the extent of past variations in the pH levels of lakes.