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Abstract
The acidification of precipitation is an accomplished fact. The only question that remains is whether the present trend of acidification is to continue into the future, and if so, to what degree. A related question is, are the consequences of acid precipitation reversible and to what extent, or over what time period? Research conducted over the last twenty years has been addressed to the problem of monitoring the composition of rainfall (and precipitation in general) (e.g. Cogbill and Likens, 1974). Except for the rather obvious and blatant examples of the effects of acid precipitation such as the dissolving of much of the inscription on Cleopatra's needle in Central Park, New York City (cited in many introductory geology texts) and the etching of surfaces in metropolitan areas, the more subtle and long term effects of acidified precipitation have been more elusive. Only recently have workers begun to appreciate the longer term effects that are occurring. Some of these effects may in fact be irreversible within the time span of modern "civilized" man.
Parent Publication
Citation
Norton, Stephen A. 1976. Changes in chemical processes in soils caused by acid precipitation. In: Dochinger, L. S.; Seliga, T. A., eds. Proceedings of the first international symposium on acid precipitation and the forest ecosystem; Gen. Tech. Rep. NE-23. Upper Darby, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Forest Experiment Station. 711-724
