Assessment of the Effect of Acidic Deposition on Canadian Lakes: Determination of Critical Loads for Sulphate Deposition

Abstract

The operational definition of the “critical” load for wet SO4 deposition is that which does not increase the regional percent of lakes having pH≤6 for the portion of the population that historically had pH>6. Reviews of the effects of acidic deposition on aquatic biota show that the pH=6 threshold used to determine the critical load is sufficient to protect most organisms. It is inappropriate to specify a single critical load for the whole of eastern Canada due to variability in terrain sensitivity. The Atlantic provinces and easterr Quebec generally have very low critical loads (<8 kg. ha−1.yr−1). The terrain characteristics of this area dictate a critical load very close to background deposition. Lakes in southwestern Quebec and Ontario have critical loads of <8 to >20 kg.ha−1.yr−1 reflecting the wide range in terrain sensitivities that exist in each province.