Which mechanism alters stream flow acidity after acid rain due to surface runoff?

💡 Explanation

When acid rain occurs, cation exchange in soil buffers the initial acidity; however, prolonged exposure saturates exchange sites, reducing buffering capacity via runoff, leading to decreased stream pH. Therefore cation exchange dominates, rather than weathering, photosynthesis, or thermal stratification effects at typical acid runoff timescales.

• Which mechanism explains anomalously deep fjord depths compared to adjacent continental shelf areas?
• Which consequence results when wind-deposited loess deposits experience prolonged saturation?
• Which outcome results when transform fault motion is impeded?
• Which phenomenon primarily causes uplift along a reverse fault zone?
• Which effect develops in surface topography adjacent to a strike-slip transform fault?
• Which long-term outcome results when glacial melt decreases the settling velocity in meltwater streams?