I am the lead author of a new paper titled “Watershed management and underlying geology in three lakes control divergent responses to decreasing acid precipitation,” which was published in the journal Inland Waters. The paper was a collaborative effort between SUNY New Paltz and the Mohonk Preserve. The manuscript included five SUNY New Paltz undergraduate co-authors, all funded through SUNY New Paltz Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activities (RSCA): David Charifson (Biology ’13), Bobbetta Davis (Biology ’16), Matthew Farragher (Environmental Geochemical Sciences ’16), Bryan Krebs (Biology ’15), and Brian Wilcove (Biology ’16).
We examined patterns of acidity in rain and three Sky Lakes on the Shawangunk Ridge (Lake Minnewaska, Lake Awosting, and Mohonk Lake). We found that rain water is improving over the last 40 years with decreasing acidity. However, the three lakes have had very different responses despite being close together. Lake Awosting is improving slowly – this matches decreasing rain acidity directly. Mohonk Lake has always been close to neutral because of exposed shale under the lake. Lake Minnewaska gone from acidic to almost neutral because of improving rain acidity and eroding shale recreational trails around the lake. In these lakes and around the world, the rate of recovery from acid rain can affect the return of acid-sensitive freshwater organisms.
Access the article online here for more information.