The climate change reckoning looms. As scientists try to discern what the Earth’s changing weather patterns mean for our future, Rachel Rothschild seeks to understand the current scientific and political debates surrounding the environment through the history of another global environmental threat: acid rain. The identification of acid rain in the 1960s changed scientific and popular understanding of fossil fuel pollution’s potential to cause regional—and even global—environmental harms. It showed scientists that the problem of fossil fuel pollution was one that crossed borders—it could travel across vast stretches of the earth’s atmosphere to impact ecosystems around the world. This unprecedented transnational reach prompted governments, for the first time, to confront the need to cooperate on pollution policies, transforming environmental science and diplomacy. Studies of acid rain and other pollutants brought about a reimagining of how to investigate the natural world as a complete entity, and the responses of policy makers, scientists, and the public set the stage for how societies have approached other prominent environmental dangers on a global scale, most notably climate change. Grounded in archival research spanning eight countries and five languages, as well as interviews with leading scientists from both government and industry, Poisonous Skies is the first book to examine the history of acid rain in an international context. By delving deep into our environmental past, Rothschild hopes to inform its future, showing us how much is at stake for the natural world as well as what we risk—and have already risked—by not acting.

various places of the world. Thus, it is hoped that this up-to-date subseries would increase the "awareness" of the world's citizens and encourage governments to devote more attention and resources to address this issue. The series editors thank the international panel of contributors for bringing this timely series into completion. We also wish to acknowledge the very insightful input of the following colleagues: Prof. A. L. Page ofthe University of California, Prof. T. C. Hutchinson of the University of Toronto, and Dr. Steve Lindberg of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. We also wish to thank the superb effort and cooperation of the volume editors in handling their respective volumes. The constructive criticisms of chapter reviewers also deserve much appreciation. Finally, we wish to convey our appreciation to my secretary, Ms. Brenda Rosier, and my technician, Ms. Claire Carlson, for their very able assistance in various aspects of this series. Aiken, South Carolina Domy C. Adriano Coordinating Editor Preface to Acidic Precipitation, Volume 4 (Advances in Environmental Science) Acidic precipitation and its effects have been the focus ofintense research for over two decades. Initially, research centered on the acidity status and acidification of surface waters and consequent impact on the status of sports fisheries; evidence suggested impacts on fisheries in Sweden and Norway, and in North America, in eastern Ontario, Quebec, and in the Adirondack Mountains of New York.

Presents an overview of the normal functioning of terrestrial ecosystems and up-to-date documentation on the effects of acid precipitation.

"awareness" of the world's citizens and encourage governments to devote more attention and resources to address this issue. The series editors thank the international panel of contributors for bringing this timely series into completion. We also wish to acknowledge the very insightful input of the following colleagues: Prof. A.L. Page of the University of California, Prof. T.C. Hutchinson of the University of Toronto, and Dr. Steve Lindberg of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. We also wish to thank the superb effort and cooperation of the volume editors in handling their respective volumes. The constructive criticisms of chapter review ers also deserve much appreciation. Finally, we wish to convey our appreciation to my secretary, Ms. Brenda Rosier, and my technician, Ms. Claire Carlson, for their very able assistance in various aspects of this series. Aiken, South Carolina Domy C. Adriano Coordinating Editor Preface to Acidic Precipitation, Volume 1 (Advances in Environmental Science) As a result of pioneering research in the 1960s and because of the perceived and acidic real environmental effects described during the ensuing years, the terms rain, acidic deposition, or acidic precipitation have become commonplace in the scientific and popular literature. In the last decade, governments throughout the world have responded to public pressure and to the concerns of the scientific community by establishing research programs on national and international scales.

countries accelerating to reach a consensus on the role that atmospheric emissions and acidic precipitation play in the environment, publication of this series is timely. The editors thank the contributors to this volume for their efforts in describing a wide array of atmospheric topics, all of which are important to an understanding of the acidic precipitation issue. Oak Ridge, Tennessee Steven E Lindberg Riverside, California Albert L. Page Orono, Maine Stephen A. Norton Contents Series Preface .................................................... v Preface... ....... ...... ..... ... .. ............................... .. vii Contributors ..................................................... xiii Sources of Acids, Bases, and Their Precursors in the Atmosphere . . . 1 Roger L. Tanner I. Introduction and Definitions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 II. Sources of Acids ............................................... 3 III. Sources of Acid-Neutralizing Substances (Bases) ................... 9 IV. Distribution of Atmospheric Acids and Bases ...................... 10 V. Gas-Aerosol Equilibria and Boundary Layer Mixing ................ 14 VI. Summary of Significant Acid-Formation Pathways.............. . .. . 15 References ................................•................... 17 Aerosol Sulfur Association with Aluminum in Eastern North America: Evidence for Solubilization of Atmospheric Trace Metals before Deposition ......... . . . . . . . . . . 21 . . .

This book presents the latest scientific information and analysis concerning the costs, benefits, and environmental effectiveness of the Acid Rain Program (ARP), a bipartisan mandate under Title IV of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments signed into law by President George H W Bush to reduce sulphur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions from electric generating sources. Notably, the SO2 program includes the use of a creative emissions cap-and-trade program that combines the best of American science, government, and market-driven innovation. This book focuses on emission reductions from power plants, summarises changes in deposition rates and environmental impacts, and evaluates the ecological effects expected to accompany future reduction in SO2 and NOx emissions.

'Acid rain' is a broad term used to describe several ways that acids fall out of the atmosphere. A more precise term is acid deposition, which has two parts: wet and dry. Wet deposition refers to acidic rain, fog, and snow. As this acidic water flows over and through the ground, it affects a variety of plants and animals. The strength of the effects depends on many factors, including how acidic the water is, the chemistry and buffering capacity of the soils involved, and the types of fish, trees, and other living things that rely on the water. Dry deposition refers to acidic gases and particles. About half of the acidity in the atmosphere falls back to earth through dry deposition. The wind blows these acidic particles and gases onto buildings, cars, homes, and trees. Dry deposited gases and particles can also be washed from trees and other surfaces by rainstorms. When that happens, the runoff water adds those acids to the acid rain, making the combination more acidic than the falling rain alone. Prevailing winds blow the compounds that cause both wet and dry acid deposition across state and national borders, and sometimes over hundreds of miles. This new book combines an excellent background article with over 900 abstracts and book citations. Easy access is provided by title, author, and subject indexes.