1 DECEMBER 1999
QUESTION:
I am a student from Bradley University, IL and I am doing research on
brine shrimp. I need to know how they are affected by acid rains and also by bases.
Amelie Rodrigue
E-mail : amelirod@hotmail.com.
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COMMENTS 1:
I have personally collected Artemia in waters with a pH of < 6 and above 10 but have not personally seen any publications on acid rain effects.
Howard W. Newman
Inve Aquaculture, Inc
Artemia task-force div.
E-mail: Bshrimp@aol.com
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COMMENTS 2 :
Given that most Artemia are in medium to high alkalinity waters (which usually goes with high salinity), the impact of acid rain would be minimal. In these systems pH will be controlled by the carbonate chemistry through additions and removals of CO2 (organic decomposition, algae production and air/liquid mass transport) and small amounts of acid won't have much of an impact.
I have only read about significant impacts of acid rain in very low alkalinity waters which is what one would expect from basic water chemistry.
Small amounts of bases would only increase the alkalinity which would intern impact the carbonate chemistry. If you didn't go above pH 10, the water would pick up CO2 from the atmosphere and the pH would decrease to a more normal level.
Recommended reading "Aquatic Chemistry -- An Introduction Emphasizing Chemical Equilibria in Natural Waters" by Werner Stumm & James Morgan, Wiley-Inerscience Publications. From the data and equations in the above, you can calculate all the impacts.
Dallas E. Weaver, Ph.D.
Scientific Hatcheries
5542 Engineer Dr.
Huntington Beach, CA 92649
USA
Tel: 714-890-0138
Fax: 714-890-3778
E-mail: deweaver@gte.net