AbstractThe paper describes three episodes of short‐lived streamwater acidification for a remote site in southwest Scotland. During the third of these storms stream pH decreased from 5.5 to 4.4. The apparent mechanism for acidification is one of ion‐exchange within the catchment soil following precipitation inputs heavily laden with sea‐salt. Verification of such a process is provided by a series of soil experiments. Comparison of data from three catchments under differing land‐use indicates the additional role land management can play in streamwater acidif