Department of Hydrology, Institute of Geography and Spatial Management, Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Gronostajowa 7, 30-387 Kraków, Poland.
Department of Forest Ecology and Reclamation, Institute of Forest Ecology and Silviculture, Faculty of Forestry, University of Agriculture in Krakow, Al. 29-go Listopada 46, 31-425 Kraków, Poland.
Sci Total Environ. 2016 Oct 15;568:1044-1053. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.06.123. Epub 2016 Jun 28.
The purpose of the study was to identify the factors affecting stream water chemistry in the small mountain catchments deforested to varying degrees, from 98.7 to 14.1%, due to long-term acid deposition. Water samples were collected monthly in 2013 and 2014 from 17 streams flowing across three distinct elevation zones in the Skrzyczne massif (Poland): Upper, Middle and Lower Forest Zone. Chemical and physical analyses, including the pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total mineral content (Mt), water temperature, and the concentrations of Ca(2+), Mg(2+), Na(+), K(+), HCO3(-), SO4(2-), Cl(-), and NO3(-), were conducted. Based on Principal Component Analysis (PCA), the most important factor affecting water chemistry was human impact associated with changes in pH, SO4(2-) concentration, and the concentration of most of the main ions. The substantial acidity of the studied environment contributed to the exclusion of natural factors, associated with changes in discharge, from the list of major factors revealed by PCA. All of the streams were characterized by very low EC, Mt, and low concentrations of the main ions such as Ca(2+) and HCO3(-). This is the effect of continuous leaching of solutes from the soils by acidic precipitation. The lowest parameter values were measured for the streams situated in the Upper Forest Zone, which is associated with greater acid deposition at the higher elevations. In the streams located in the Upper Forest Zone, a higher percentage of SO4(2-) occurred than in the streams situated in the Middle and Lower Forest Zones. However, the largest share of SO4(2-) was measured in the most deforested catchment. The saturation of the studied deforested catchment with sulfur compounds is reflected by a positive correlation between SO4(2-) and discharge. Hence, a forest acts as a natural buffer that limits the level of acidity in the natural environment caused by acidic atmospheric deposition.
本研究的目的是确定在受长期酸沉降影响而不同程度（98.7%至 14.1%）砍伐森林的小山区流域中，影响溪流水质的因素。在 2013 年和 2014 年期间，每月从斯克里尼茨基山脉（波兰）的三个不同海拔区（上森林区、中森林区和下森林区）的 17 条溪流中采集水样。进行了化学和物理分析，包括 pH 值、电导率 (EC)、总矿物质含量 (Mt)、水温以及 Ca(2+)、Mg(2+)、Na(+)、K(+)、HCO3(-)、SO4(2-)、Cl(-) 和 NO3(-)的浓度。基于主成分分析 (PCA)，影响水质的最重要因素是与 pH 值、SO4(2-)浓度和大多数主要离子浓度变化相关的人为影响。研究环境的高酸度使得与流量变化相关的自然因素被排除在 PCA 揭示的主要因素之外。所有溪流的 EC、Mt 和主要离子（如 Ca(2+)和 HCO3(-)）浓度都非常低。这是由酸性降水持续淋溶土壤中的溶质所致。在以上森林区的溪流中，测量到的参数值最低，这与较高海拔处的酸沉降量较大有关。在上森林区的溪流中，SO4(2-)的比例高于中森林区和下森林区的溪流。然而，在受森林砍伐最严重的流域中，SO4(2-)的比例最大。研究中受森林砍伐的流域中硫化合物的饱和反映在 SO4(2-)与流量之间存在正相关关系。因此，森林作为一种天然缓冲体，可以限制因酸性大气沉降而导致的自然环境酸度水平。
