Acid episodes in the Allt a'Mharcaidh, Scotland: an investigation based on sub-hourly monitoring data and climatic patterns.

• Main Authors: Bonjean, M. C., Hutchins, M. G., Neal, Colin
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2007
• Subjects: Hydrology; North Atlantic; North Atlantic oscillation
• Online Access: http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/2127/; https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/2127/1/Bonjeanhess-11-340-2007.pdf; http://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/11/340/2007/hess-11-340-2007.html

Stream waters in the Allt a'Mharcaidh catchment (Cairngorms, Scotland) have been monitored for flow, conductivity and pH at sub-hourly resolution; and for a range of chemical, biological and physical parameters, less intensively, since the mid-1980s. The Allt a'Mharcaidh stream is subject to acidic events (pH<5.5) triggered by both hydrology and sea-salt inputs from the atmosphere. This paper investigates the drivers of these acidic events using variables derived from sub-hourly monitored data. It also examines the influence of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) on episode severity. Sub-hourly datasets are used to derive multiple regression models expressing stream H+ concentration as a function of the sea-salt conductivity and the peak instantaneous flow rate amongst other explanatory variables. The relationship between sea-salt conductivity and the NAO is significant but hidden due to issues such as time lags and the influence of atmospheric patterns other than the NAO.