The causes and consequences of acid rain are subjects of widespread concern and controversy. However the effects of acid deposition on the chemistry of lakes and streams, and on the survival of fish and other aquatic life, have been greatly clarified by the results of a recent Anglo-Scandinavian surface waters research program. This book presents a concise, nonspecialist account of the results and their implications by the director of the program. Based on studies conducted throughout the United Kingdom and northern Europe, the book includes chapters on emissions, transport, and deposition of acid pollution; hydrochemical studies in catchments; catchment process studies; catchment manipulation experiments; the role of hydrology and soil chemistry; palaeolimnological studies; the toxic effects of acidification on fish and other aquatic life; and catchment modelling studies. The highly interdisciplinary nature of the research should appeal to a wide range of scientists and to policy-makers interested in acid rain and its consequences. It is also aimed at postgraduates and third-year undergraduate students in the environmental sciences.

The ocean has absorbed a significant portion of all human-made carbon dioxide emissions. This benefits human society by moderating the rate of climate change, but also causes unprecedented changes to ocean chemistry. Carbon dioxide taken up by the ocean decreases the pH of the water and leads to a suite of chemical changes collectively known as ocean acidification. The long term consequences of ocean acidification are not known, but are expected to result in changes to many ecosystems and the services they provide to society. Ocean Acidification: A National Strategy to Meet the Challenges of a Changing Ocean reviews the current state of knowledge, explores gaps in understanding, and identifies several key findings. Like climate change, ocean acidification is a growing global problem that will intensify with continued CO2 emissions and has the potential to change marine ecosystems and affect benefits to society. The federal government has taken positive initial steps by developing a national ocean acidification program, but more information is needed to fully understand and address the threat that ocean acidification may pose to marine ecosystems and the services they provide. In addition, a global observation network of chemical and biological sensors is needed to monitor changes in ocean conditions attributable to acidification.

Acid rain has changed the face of the Adirondacks, created political tensions between the Northeast and the Midwest, and served as both a harbinger of global climate change and a "fire drill" for public- and private-sector responses to environmental crises. The history of acid rain research is a striking case in which a large-scale and long-term environmental problem was addressed in part through scientifically motivated changes in public policy. In the 1970s, acid rain was viewed as a simple problem that was limited in scope and characterized by "dead," fishless lakes. Scientists now have broader insights into the processes by which acid rain sets off a cascade of adverse effects in ecosystems as its components move through air, soil, vegetation, and surface waters. Written and designed to appeal to both scientists and lay readers, this book is a landmark example of scientific communication that provides a comprehensive scientific history of the phenomenon, from its discovery to the full understanding of the scope of its effects and the ultimate responses that have mitigated some of the damage to the region's lakes and forests. This book is published in association with the Adirondack Lakes Survey Corporation with the support of the Wildlife Conservation Society, United States Environmental Protection Agency, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.

Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Study Institute, Aussois, France, September 4-15, 1985

In order to provide meaningful information for evaluating environmental consequences of alternative control strategies of air pollutant emissions, scientists have recently initiated numerous studies aiming at collecting and making use of regional data. New kinds of mathematical models have been developed that no longer are calibrated just for individual stands or catchments but can be applied on a large regional scale. Such regional models and data were reviewed at a meeting" Models to describe the geographic extent and time evolution of acidification and air pollution damage", organized by the Finnjsh Research Project on Acidification (HAPRO), and held in Aulanko, Hiimeenlinna, Finland, July 5-8, 1988. This volume is based on the outcome of that meeting. The chapters of the volume are written by leading scientists in the field. The main objective of this volume is to discuss the potential of regional models to analyze the geographic extent of acidification as well as the environmental damage and the time evolution of:the responses of the environment. First, in Part I of the volume, sensitivity distributions of ecosystems, forest soils and surface waters are described. The focus of interest is therefore extended from the most sensitive ecosystems to sensitive and moderately sensitive parts of the environment. When formulating national and interna tional targets, it is of crucial importance to know the whole distribution of critical loads within the area, and not only the level the most sensitive ecosystem can tolerate.