We hypothesize that both streams and lakes are strongly
linked to the surrounding landscape, and that spatial variation
in surface water chemistry is regulated by nonmutually
exclusive factors acting on various hierarchical
scales depending on landscape type and/or geographic position.
Here, we study the effect of regional and local-scale
factors on three commonly measured water chemical variables.
Acid neutralizing capacity (ANC) was selected to
indicate the effect that catchment geology and weathering
might have on buffering capacity. Total phosphorus (TP)
was selected for its key role in driving ecosystem productivity
and because it is biologically active (i.e., is expected
to decrease along, e.g., lake chains). Finally, total organic
carbon (TOC) was used as a surrogate measure of the