Chemical Tests: Selected Results
� pH
�Measures relative acidity of water
�Neutral= pH of 7
�September mean=7.1
�
� Alkalinity
�Measures ability of water to buffer against pH changes
�September mean=42.5
�Higher than average Maine lakes
Now I will discuss selected test results from our chemical measurements
pH: reflects how acidic or basic the water is
-measured on a scale of 1 to 14, with 7 being neutral
-organisms are highly sensitive to pH changes in the water,  therefore pH determine which organisms are present in the lake
-Maine lakes range from about 4 to 9.5
-TMP is neutral, indicating a comfortable env for most organisms
-normal:most me lakes not subject to acid rain
Alkalinity:
-measures the ability of a body of water to buffer against pH changes
-influenced by the concentrations of carbonate, bicarbonte, and other ions in the water column
-indicates the lakes store of inorganic carbon which can tell how well the lake will support algal growth
-Alkalinity is a precusor test to pH, and a poor alkalinity will indicate a decline in lake health before pH would be affected
-TMP has a higher alkalinity than the average alk for Me lakes, but this is a healthy level

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