Reversal of acidification in upland waters of the English Lake District

Water chemistry data are reported for five high-altitude standing waters in the English Lake District, with current average pH values in the range 5–7. The waters show long-term increases in pH, ranging from 0.3 to 0.8 pH units, between 1974 and 1997. The pH of Devoke Water, which was acidified only mildly, has returned to values estimated for the pre-industrial period (1850 and earlier). Alkalinity in Devoke Water increased from ca 20 μeq litre−1 in the early 1980s to ca 70 μeq litre−1 in the 1990s, and alkalinities in three of the other waters have increased by ca 20 μeq litre−1 since the 1970s. For the two intensively monitored sites (Devoke Water and Levers Water), significant decreases in the concentration of non-marine sulphate are demonstrated, which have taken place concurrently with decreases in the atmospheric deposition of pollutant sulphur. Approximate calculations suggest that the catchment of Levers Water was a sink for sulphur in the 1970s, and that the catchment of Devoke Water may currently be a source of sulphate. For neither Devoke Water nor Levers Water is there evidence of a long-term decrease in the concentration of non-marine base cations

Sustainability, the Next Generation Science Standards, and the Education of Future Teachers

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) emphasize how human activities affect the Earth and how Earth processes impact humans, placing the concept of sustainability within the Earth and Space Sciences. We ask: how prepared are future teachers to address sustainability and systems thinking as encoded in the NGSS? And how can geoscientists support them? Most future teachers receive their Earth Science preparation in a single introductory geoscience course, but the content and delivery methods of these courses are not well matched to the NGSS knowledge and skills they will teach. We implemented a nationwide survey in undergraduate courses that addressed sustainability to some extent in order to assess career interests, behaviors, and motivations. Matched pre- and postdata (n = 1,125) respondents were divided into three groups: those very likely (22%), those somewhat likely (22%), and those not likely (56%) to become teachers. The very likely group resembles the current STEM teacher workforce in gender but is more diverse than the current workforce and the population currently enrolled in teacher preparation programs. The very likely group has higher rates of sustainable behaviors, is motivated by family and friends more than other groups, and is more likely to envision using their knowledge about sustainability in their careers. However, their understanding of key concepts, such as systems thinking, is limited. We suggest that curricular materials that address sustainability through concepts in introductory geoscience courses, such as those presented here, provide a means of reaching this group and better preparing future teachers to teach the NGSS