Assessing the acidification risk in the Lake Baikal region

Abstract

Data from 3-year-long observations on the chemical composition of precipitation, atmospheric gases, aerosols, soils, and surface waters at three monitoring stations in the Baikal region are presented. The stability of terrestrial ecosystems and surface waters to acidification has been estimated quantitatively. It has been shown that, unlike soils, surface waters of the Baikal watershed are more sensitive to acid deposition. The permissible acidity load for soils and surface waters of the territory varied from 0.30 to 20.00 keq ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹, whereas the maximal contemporary acidity load attains 0.50 keq ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹.