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Chemistry of high mountain lakes in siliceous chatchments of the Central Eastern Alps

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Abstract

Alpine lakes in siliceous catchments of Tyrol and Carinthia (Austria) show signs of acidification. About 9% of the studied lakes have no alkalinity, more than 20% are below pH 6. About two thirds of all lakes have acid neutralizing capacities below 100 μeq 1−1. In spite of moderate precipitation acidity, some lakes show considerable concentrations of dissolved reactive aluminum during or shortly after snowmelt. High altitude lakes of the Alps are definitely more acidic than high mountain lakes in remote areas. Large differences in water and soil chemistry of nearby situated lakes were attributed to heterogeneities of bedrock geology. Paleolimnological investigations on former pH values of five lakes, based on diatom assemblages in the sediment, showed different developments: recent and past acidification, stable conditions, and alkalinization.

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  1. Institute of Limnology, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Gaisberg 116, A-5310, Mondsee, Austria

    Roland Psenner

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Psenner, R. Chemistry of high mountain lakes in siliceous chatchments of the Central Eastern Alps. Aquatic Science 51, 108–128 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00879298

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