What causes pH level to increase in lakes?

Answer 1

There are several things that cause changes in levels of pH in lakes. 1 Photosynthesis affects levels of pH In the morning, pH levels are low with higher amounts of CO2 content in the water, which form carbonic acid. As the sun comes up, increasing the occurance of photosynthesis, O2 levels increase and the pH goes up during the day. 2 Pollutants Carbondioxide is the chief pollutant. It doesn't seem like this necessary element should be such a huge problem, but it is. The problem is that there are not enough plants to use up all of the excess CO2. The excess CO2 results in acid water. The excess CO2 comes from the CO released from our cars, manufacturing plants and a plethora of other places. It is released into the atmosphere. It comes down as rain. It washes it down into our lakes. Contaminates the fish, the water we drink, ect. It' not just carbon dioxide either. It's also fertilizers! Farming, gardening. The question you have asked would take a mouth full to answer! I just took a class last fall on this very topic and there is still much more to say about it!

Answer 2

An increase in pH levels in lakes can be caused by factors such as acid rain neutralization, algal blooms leading to photosynthesis, and the introduction of agricultural runoff containing basic compounds like lime or calcium carbonate. These processes contribute to higher pH levels by reducing the acidity of the water body.