Lake surveys conducted in 1987–88 and 2018–19 show changes in the chemical and optical properties of Adirondack lakes recovering from acidification. Among chronically acidified lakes (1980s pH < 5.5, ANC < 0 µeq L⁻¹), increases in pH and reductions in monomeric Al were accompanied by significant increases in light attenuation, DOC, and CDOM. DOC-specific dissolved color (CDOM:DOC) doubled over the 30-year span, and is the likely factor accounting for loss of water clarity in Adirondack lakes during recovery from acidification. Monitoring data (1994–2002) from a subset of these lakes show that reductions in light attenuation were accompanied by stronger thermal stratification and greater hypolimnetic oxygen depletion. Lakes most affected by acidification experienced greater loss of water clarity during recovery relative to moderately acidified lakes. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that lake acidification resulted in a reduction in light attenuation by CDOM resulting in greater water clarity in acidified lakes, and that this process has been reversed following regional declines in sulfate deposition.

在1987–88年和2018–19年进行的湖泊调查显示，从酸化中恢复的阿迪朗达克湖泊的化学和光学性质发生了变化。在长期酸化的湖泊中（1980年代pH <5.5，ANC <0 µeq L ^-1），pH值的增加和单体Al的减少伴随着光衰减，DOC和CDOM的显着增加。在30年的时间里，特定于DOC的溶解色（CDOM：DOC）翻了一番，这可能是造成阿迪朗达克湖从酸化过程中水清澈度下降的原因。这些湖泊中的一个子集的监测数据（1994-2002年）表明，光衰减的减少伴随着更强的热分层和更大的次低氧耗竭。与中度酸化的湖泊相比，受酸化影响最大的湖泊在恢复过程中损失了更多的水透明度。这些发现与以下假设相吻合：湖泊酸化导致CDOM减少了光衰减，从而导致酸化湖泊中水的透明度更高，