In 1997, as part of a national program to determine and map critical loads, a lake survey was carried out in the Republic of Ireland. In total 200 lakes were sampled, which represents approximately 3.3% of the total lake population. The majority of lakes were situated in remote, high-altitude, acid-sensitive areas along the coastal margins of the country. Lake chemistry was dominated by marine inputs. Approximately 50% of the lakes had DOC > 5 mg L−1 due to the presence of organic soils in a large proportion of the catchments. Nonmarine sulfate concentrations were at background levels (< 20 µeq L−1) in 50% of the lakes. Exceedance of critical load was observed in 7% of the sampled lakes (13 lakes). However, there are uncertainties in the critical load calculations due to the interference of sea salts and organic acids; accurate estimation under such conditions requires long-term lake and deposition chemistry.
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1 September 2002
A Survey of Lakes in the Republic of Ireland: Hydrochemical Characteristics and Acid Sensitivity
Julian Aherne,
Mary Kelly-Quinn,
Edward P. Farrell
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AMBIO: A Journal of the Human Environment
Vol. 31 • No. 6
September 2002
Vol. 31 • No. 6
September 2002
