Sensitivity of North American Ecosystems to Acid Deposition

Sensitivity of North American ecosystems to acid deposition 

Since the late 1970 s, precipitation monitoring programs have been placed in the USA 

Acid rain was recognized as a problem in the North America in the 1950s. Two decades later, scientists noted losses of fish populations in some highly acidified lakes of the East Coast of USA and Canada. The reason was related to acid rain caused by 

Acidic precipitation has been most recognized as a serous environmental problem in areas of granite rocks, namely Northern and Eastern Canada and the Northeastern United States, where the forests are under assault and the lakes have been becoming 

Sulfur dioxide emissions in both Canada and the USA peaked in the early 1970s and have declined ever since with year to year variability. Actions to reduce acid deposition have been focused mainly on SO2 emissions because they play generally a much higher role in rainfall acidification than nitrogen oxides. However, this is not the case in some areas of North America, like California, where nitrogen emissions are predominant and consequently contribute the major part in acidity as well. 

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