Sulphate in bog waters: a comparison of ion chromatography with Mackereth's cation-exchange technique and a revision of earlier views on the cause of bog acidity

Sulphate was measured by ion chromatography and by Mackereth's cation-exchange technique in bog waters of variable colour and dissolved organic matter. Mackereth's technique yielded considerably higher concentrations and the difference in concentration between the two techniques correlated strongly with sample colour. The authors conclude that coloured organic anions are measured along with sulphate by Mackereth's technique, and that inferences made earlier by Gorham, concerning sulphuric acid as a major cause of acidity in pristine bogs, are invalid.