ABSTRACT
Battarbee et al. (1985) discuss the possible causes of lake acidification in a specific region of southern Scotland. They identified four possible causes of lake acidification for this part of southern Scotland: long-term natural acidification, afforestation, heathland regeneration and acid (humanly produced) precipitation. For each possible cause a plausible scenario could be developed linking effect to cause. Long-term natural acidification had already been identified in other temperate environments and may have been related to adjustment of the environment to the end of the last glacial. In this scenario acidification of lakes is likely to have increased little since 1800. Afforestation would alter the soil characteristics and increase the acidity of runoff to lakes. Heathland regeneration, specifically the increased dominance of Calluna vulgaris in Galloway in the wake of a decline in grazing, would again alter soil characteristics and so increase the acidity of the water reaching the lakes. Finally, acid rain from industrial and other activities would increase lake acidity by direct input from precipitation.
