Author(s): T. Watanabe; R. Yasutomi; K. Imada; H. Ida; M. Iwata
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Keywords: Snow melt water; PH; Hokkaido; Salmon; Serum Na+
Abstract: Acid snow of a pH range between 4.38 and 5.13 was observed in a watershed of Shokanbetsu River in northwestern Hokkaido in 2001-2003. The pH of the stream water decreased to 6.74 in the mainstream of Shokanbetsu River and 6.28 in the tributary during the spring melt runoff. The acidity of the snow is neutralized when snow melt water trickles from the ground surface and when flowing from the tributary to the mainstream. Although salmon juveniles regulated their serum Na+ levels in acid water of a pH 5, the serum Na+ levels decreased in the smoltification season. The acidity of the stream water in Shokanbetsu River was not lethal to salmonids in Hokkaido.
Year: 2006