Introduction
Surface water chemistry is regulated by a complex suite of
processes and mechanisms operating at varying spatial and
temporal scales. Early work by lake ecologists focused on
the importance of geographic position as a strong predictor
of lake water chemistry. For instance, in the early 1900s,
Thienemann (1925) and Naumann (1932) developed lake
trophic classification schemes that basically recognized
differences between lowland, nutrient rich (eutrophic) and
alpine, nutrient poor (oligotrophic) ecosystems. Although
lake ecologists were early to appreciate the importance of
adjacent land type on lake-water chemistry, stream ecologists
have addressed the terrestrial–aquatic linkage concept
more formally, with streams being regarded as ‘‘open
systems that are intimately linked with their surrounding
landscapes’’ (e.g., Hynes 1975). However, lake ecologists
have recently revisited the landscape position hypothesis
and formalized paradigms that recognize more explicitly
the importance of landscape position and its significance
for describing among-lake variance (e.g., Kratz and others
1997; Soranno and others 1999; Riera and others 2000).
The surrounding landscape (catchment) with its distinct
geology, hydrology, and climate clearly influences the
physico-chemical features of a specific water body (e.g.,