The effect of acid rain and altitude on concentration, δ14S, and δ18O of sulfate in the water from Sudety Mountains, Poland

The analyses of sulfate content, delta S-34 and delta O-18 of dissolved sulfate, and delta O-18 of water were carried out in a 14 km(2) crystalline massif located in the Sudety Mountains (SW Poland) to 1) assess the amount of the sulfate delivered to the surface and groundwater systems by modem atmospheric precipitation, 2) determine the effect of altitude on these parameters, and 3) investigate their seasonal variations. In April and November of 2002, August 2003, and March and September of 2005, samples of water were collected from springs and streams of the massif. During these seasons, sulfate contents and delta O-18(SO42-) values varied from 5.80 to 18.00 mg/l and from 3.96 to 8.23 parts per thousand, respectively, showing distinctively higher values of delta O-18(SO42-) in wet seasons. The delta S-34(SO42-) values had a relatively narrow range from 4.09 to 5.28 parts per thousand and were similar to those reported for organic matter in soil and the canopy throughfall in the Sudety Mountains. Sulfate content, delta S-34(SO42-), delta O-18(SO42-), and delta O-18(H2O) values revealed a remarkable dependence on the altitude. The calculated altitude effects for five season averages of these parameters were -1.00 mg/l/100 m, -0.18 parts per thousand/100 m, -0.27 parts per thousand/100 m, and -0.17 parts per thousand/100 m, respectively. This dependence on the altitude resulted mainly from the mixing of sulfates of different origins such as anthropogenic sulfate, sulfate produced in the soil within the weathered zone of the massif, and that one from the tree canopy. The oxygen isotope mass balance indicates that, in the study area, about one third of the sulfate delivered to the surface and groundwater by modem precipitation comes from anthropogenic pollution. Further interaction of meteoric water within the weathered rocks causes a continuous decrease of delta O-18(SO42-) values resulting from biological transformation of the sulfate due to plant vegetation and decomposition of organic matter. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.