Sample records for acid rain deposition

  1. Acid Rain

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Bricker, Owen P.; Rice, Karen C.

    1995-01-01

    Although acid rain is fading as a political issue in the United States and funds for research in this area have largely disappeared, the acidity of rain in the Eastern United States has not changed significantly over the last decade, and it continues to be a serious environmental problem. Acid deposition (commonly called acid rain) is a term applied to all forms of atmospheric deposition of acidic substances - rain, snow, fog, acidic dry particulates, aerosols, and acid-forming gases. Water in the atmosphere reacts with certain atmospheric gases to become acidic. For example, water reacts with carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to produce a solution with a pH of about 5.6. Gases that produce acids in the presence of water in the atmosphere include carbon dioxide (which converts to carbonic acid), oxides of sulfur and nitrogen (which convert to sulfuric and nitric acids}, and hydrogen chloride (which converts to hydrochloric acid). These acid-producing gases are released to the atmosphere through natural processes, such as volcanic emissions, lightning, forest fires, and decay of organic matter. Accordingly, precipitation is slightly acidic, with a pH of 5.0 to 5.7 even in undeveloped areas. In industrialized areas, most of the acid-producing gases are released to the atmosphere from burning fossil fuels. Major emitters of acid-producing gases include power plants, industrial operations, and motor vehicles. Acid-producing gases can be transported through the atmosphere for hundreds of miles before being converted to acids and deposited as acid rain. Because acids tend to build up in the atmosphere between storms, the most acidic rain falls at the beginning of a storm, and as the rain continues, the acids "wash out" of the atmosphere.

  2. Acid Rain.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Openshaw, Peter

    1987-01-01

    Provides some background information on acid deposition. Includes a historical perspective, describes some effects of acid precipitation, and discusses acid rain in the United Kingdom. Contains several experiments that deal with the effects of acid rain on water quality and soil. (TW)

  3. Acid Rain

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Bricker, Owen P.; Rice, Karen C.

    1993-01-01

    Acid deposition, or acid rain as it is more commonly referred to, has become a widely publicized environmental issue in the U.S. over the past decade. The term usually conjures up images of fish kills, dying forests, "dead" lakes, and damage to monuments and other historic artifacts. The primary cause of acid deposition is emission of S02 and NOx to the atmosphere during the combustion of fossil fuels. Oxidation of these compounds in the atmosphere forms strong acids - H2SO4 and HNO3 - which are returned to the Earth in rain, snow, fog, cloud water, and as dry deposition.Although acid deposition has only recently been recognized as an environmental problem in the U.S., it is not a new phenomenon (Cogbill & Likens 1974). As early as the middle of the 17th century in England, the deleterious effects of industrial emissions on plants, animals, and humans, and the atmospheric transport of pollutants between England and France had become issues of concern (Evelyn 1661, Graunt 1662). It is interesting that well over three hundred years ago in England, recommendations were made to move industry outside of towns and build higher chimneys to spread the pollution into "distant parts." Increasing the height of smokestacks has helped alleviate local problems, but has exacerbated others. In the U.S. the height of the tallest smokestack has more than doubled, and the average height of smokestacks has tripled since the 1950s (Patrick et al 1981). This trend occurred in most industrialized nations during the 20th century and has had the effect of transforming acid rain from a local urban problem into a problem of global scale.

  4. Acid Rain

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Bricker, Owen P.; Rice, Karen C.; Dietrich, W.E.; Sposito, Garrison

    1997-01-01

    Acid deposition, or acid rain as it is more commonly referred to, has become a widely publicized environmental issue in the U.S. over the past decade. The term usually conjures up images of fish kills, dying forests, "dead" lakes, and damage to monuments and other historic artifacts. The primary cause of acid deposition is emission of S02 and NOx to the atmosphere during the combustion of fossil fuels. Oxidation of these compounds in the atmosphere forms strong acids - H2SO4 and HNO3 - which are returned to the Earth in rain, snow, fog, cloud water, and as dry deposition.Although acid deposition has only recently been recognized as an environmental problem in the U.S., it is not a new phenomenon (Cogbill & Likens 1974). As early as the middle of the 17th century in England, the deleterious effects of industrial emissions on plants, animals, and humans, and the atmospheric transport of pollutants between England and France had become issues of concern (Evelyn 1661, Graunt 1662). It is interesting that well over three hundred years ago in England, recommendations were made to move industry outside of towns and build higher chimneys to spread the pollution into "distant parts." Increasing the height of smokestacks has helped alleviate local problems, but has exacerbated others. In the U.S. the height of the tallest smokestack has more than doubled, and the average height of smokestacks has tripled since the 1950s (Patrick et al 1981). This trend occurred in most industrialized nations during the 20th century and has had the effect of transforming acid rain from a local urban problem into a problem of global scale.

  5. USGS Tracks Acid Rain

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Gordon, John D.; Nilles, Mark A.; Schroder, LeRoy J.

    1995-01-01

    The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has been actively studying acid rain for the past 15 years. When scientists learned that acid rain could harm fish, fear of damage to our natural environment from acid rain concerned the American public. Research by USGS scientists and other groups began to show that the processes resulting in acid rain are very complex. Scientists were puzzled by the fact that in some cases it was difficult to demonstrate that the pollution from automobiles and factories was causing streams or lakes to become more acidic. Further experiments showed how the natural ability of many soils to neutralize acids would reduce the effects of acid rain in some locations--at least as long as the neutralizing ability lasted (Young, 1991). The USGS has played a key role in establishing and maintaining the only nationwide network of acid rain monitoring stations. This program is called the National Atmospheric Deposition Program/National Trends Network (NADP/NTN). Each week, at approximately 220 NADP/NTN sites across the country, rain and snow samples are collected for analysis. NADP/NTN site in Montana. The USGS supports about 72 of these sites. The information gained from monitoring the chemistry of our nation's rain and snow is important for testing the results of pollution control laws on acid rain.

  6. Acid Rain: What's the Forecast?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bybee, Rodger

    1984-01-01

    Discusses various types of acid rain, considered to be a century-old problem. Topics include: wet and dry deposition, effects on a variety of environments, ecosystems subject to detrimental effects, and possible solutions to the problem. A list of recommended resources on acid rain is provided. (BC)

  7. Characterization of heavy metal desorption from road-deposited sediment under acid rain scenarios.

    PubMed

    Zhao, Bo; Liu, An; Wu, Guangxue; Li, Dunzhu; Guan, Yuntao

    2017-01-01

    Road-deposited sediments (RDS) on urban impervious surfaces are important carriers of heavy metals. Dissolved heavy metals that come from RDS influenced by acid rain, are more harmful to urban receiving water than particulate parts. RDS and its associated heavy metals were investigated at typical functional areas, including industrial, commercial and residential sites, in Guangdong, Southern China, which was an acid rain sensitive area. Total and dissolved heavy metals in five particle size fractions were analyzed using a shaking method under acid rain scenarios. Investigated heavy metals showed no difference in the proportion of dissolved fraction in the solution under different acid rain pHs above 3.0, regardless of land use. Dissolved loading of heavy metals related to organic carbon content were different in runoff from main traffic roads of three land use types. Coarse particles (>150μm) that could be efficiently removed by conventional street sweepers, accounted for 55.1%-47.1% of the total dissolved metal loading in runoff with pH3.0-5.6. The obtained findings provided a significant scientific basis to understand heavy metal release and influence of RDS grain-size distribution and land use in dissolved heavy metal pollution affected by acid rain. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  8. Acid rain attack on outdoor sculpture in perspective

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Livingston, Richard A.

    2016-12-01

    A major concern motivating research in acid rain materials effects has been the potential for damage to cultural heritage, particularly outdoor marble and bronze sculpture. However, a combination of field and laboratory studies has failed to show a correlation between rain pH and loss of materials. In order to understand this counterintuitive lack of acid rain effect, an aqueous geochemical modeling approach was used to analyze rain runoff chemistry for the relative importance of acid rain neutralization, dry deposition, and in the case of marble, natural carbonate dissolution. This approach involved the development of pH - SO42- phase diagrams for marble (calcium carbonate) and bronze (copper) under ambient environmental conditions. This then enabled reaction path modeling of the acid neutralization process using the pH range typically found in wet deposition (3.5-6). The results were for marble that the theoretical maximum amount of Ca2+ ion that could be lost due acid rain neutralization would be 0.158 mmol/l compared to 10.5 mmol/l by dry deposition, and for bronze, the Cu2+ ion losses would be 0.21 mmol/l and 47.3 mmol/l respectively. Consequently dry deposition effects on these materials have the potential to dominate over wet deposition effects. To test these predictions the geochemical models were applied to examples of data sets from mass balance (runoff vs rainfall) studies on a marble statue in New York City and some bronze memorial plaques at Gettysburg PA. Although these data sets were collected in the early 1980s they remain valid for demonstrating the mass balance method. For the marble statue, the mean Ca2+ losses by dry deposition was about 69% of the total compared 0.3% for acid rain neutralization, which was less than the natural carbonate dissolution losses of 0.8%. For the bronze, the mean Cu2+ losses were 70.6% by SO42- dry deposition and 23% by NO3- dry deposition compared to 6.4% by acid rain neutralization. Thus for both cases the wet

  9. Further emissions cuts needed for speedier acid rain recovery

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Showstack, Randy

    Some people may have thought that the problem of acid deposition, commonly referred to as acid rain, had been solved in the United States with the passage of the Acid Deposition Control Program under Title IV of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments (CAAA).Although that legislation has helped to dramatically limit emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide—gases that can react in the atmosphere and form acidic compounds, including fine particles of sulfates and nitrates— much steeper cuts are needed for a quicker recovery from acid rain in the north-eastern United States, according to a new scientific appraisal of the effectiveness of measures called for in that law. The appraisal was issued on March 26 and is entitled “Acidic Deposition in the Northeastern United States: Sources and Inputs, Ecosystem Effects, and Management Strategies.”

  10. Acid rain and its environmental effects: Recent scientific advances

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Burns, Douglas A.; Aherne, Julian; Gay, David A.; Lehmann, Christopher M. B.

    2016-12-01

    The term 'acid rain' refers to atmospheric deposition of acidic constituents that impact the earth as rain, snow, particulates, gases, and vapor. Acid rain was first recognized by Ducros (1845) and subsequently described by the English chemist Robert Angus Smith (Smith, 1852) whose pioneering studies linked the sources to industrial emissions and included early observations of deleterious environmental effects (Smith, 1872). Smith's work was largely forgotten until the mid-20th century when observations began to link air pollution to the deposition of atmospheric sulfate (SO42-) and other chemical constituents, first near the metal smelter at Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, and later at locations in Europe, North America, and Australia (Gorham, 1961). Our modern understanding of acid rain as an environmental problem caused largely by regional emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) stems from observations in the 1960s and early 1970s in Sweden by Svante Odén (Odén, 1976), and in North America by Gene Likens and colleagues (Likens and Bormann, 1974). These scientists and many who followed showed the link to emissions from coal-fired power plants and other industrial sources, and documented the environmental effects of acid rain such as the acidification of surface waters and toxic effects on vegetation, fish, and other biota.

  11. Understanding Acid Rain

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Damonte, Kathleen

    2004-01-01

    The term acid rain describes rain, snow, or fog that is more acidic than normal precipitation. To understand what acid rain is, it is first necessary to know what an acid is. Acids can be defined as substances that produce hydrogen ions (H+), when dissolved in water. Scientists indicate how acidic a substance is by a set of numbers called the pH…

  12. Acid rain and its environmental effects: Recent scientific advances

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Burns, Douglas A.; Aherne, Julian; Gay, David A.; Lehmann, Christopher M.B.

    2016-01-01

    The term ‘acid rain’ refers to atmospheric deposition of acidic constituents that impact the earth as rain, snow, particulates, gases, and vapor. Acid rain was first recognized by Ducros (1845) and subsequently described by the English chemist Robert Angus Smith (Smith, 1852) whose pioneering studies linked the sources to industrial emissions and included early observations of deleterious environmental effects (Smith, 1872). Smith's work was largely forgotten until the mid-20th century when observations began to link air pollution to the deposition of atmospheric sulfate (SO42−) and other chemical constituents, first near the metal smelter at Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, and later at locations in Europe, North America, and Australia (Gorham, 1961). Our modern understanding of acid rain as an environmental problem caused largely by regional emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) stems from observations in the 1960s and early 1970s in Sweden by Svante Odén (Odén, 1976), and in North America by Gene Likens and colleagues (Likens and Bormann, 1974). These scientists and many who followed showed the link to emissions from coal-fired power plants and other industrial sources, and documented the environmental effects of acid rain such as the acidification of surface waters and toxic effects on vegetation, fish, and other biota.

  13. A Demonstration of Acid Rain and Lake Acidification: Wet Deposition of Sulfur Dioxide.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Goss, Lisa M.

    2003-01-01

    Introduces a science demonstration on the dissolution of sulfuric oxide emphasizing the concept of acid rain which is an environmental problem. Demonstrates the acidification from acid rain on two lake environments, limestone and granite. Includes safety information. (YDS)

  14. Effects of acid rain and sulfur dioxide on marble dissolution

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Schuster, Paul F.; Reddy, Michael M.; Sherwood, Susan I.

    1994-01-01

    Acid precipitation and the dry deposition of sulfur dioxide (SO2) accelerate damage to carbonate-stone monuments and building materials. This study identified and quantified environmental damage to a sample of Vermont marble during storms and their preceding dry periods. Results from field experiments indicated the deposition of SO2 gas to the stone surface during dry periods and a twofold increase in marble dissolution during coincident episodes of low rain rate and decreased rainfall pH. The study is widely applicable to the analysis of carbonate-stone damage at locations affected by acid rain and air pollution.

  15. Acid rain in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Rice, Karen C.; Deviney, Frank A.; Olson, Gordon

    2007-01-01

    Visitors to Shenandoah National Park (SNP) enjoy the animal and plant life and the scenery but may not realize how vulnerable these features are to various threats, such as invasion of exotic plants and insects, improper use of park resources by humans, and air and water pollution. The National Park Service strives to protect natural resources from such threats to ensure that the resources will be available for enjoyment now and in the future. Because SNP has limited influence over the air pollution that envelops the region, acidic deposition--commonly known as acid rain--is one of the more challenging threats facing park managers. With the help of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists, park managers can understand how acid rain interacts with ground- and surface-water resources, which enables them to explain why reductions in air pollution can help preserve park resources. Such understanding also provides essential insight into ecosystem processes, as managers strive to unravel and resolve other environmental problems that are interrelated to acid rain.

  16. Acid Rain Study Guide.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hunger, Carolyn; And Others

    Acid rain is a complex, worldwide environmental problem. This study guide is intended to aid teachers of grades 4-12 to help their students understand what acid rain is, why it is a problem, and what possible solutions exist. The document contains specific sections on: (1) the various terms used in conjunction with acid rain (such as acid…

  17. The Acid Rain Reader.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stubbs, Harriett S.; And Others

    A topic which is often not sufficiently dealt with in elementary school textbooks is acid rain. This student text is designed to supplement classroom materials on the topic. Discussed are: (1) "Rain"; (2) "Water Cycle"; (3) "Fossil Fuels"; (4) "Air Pollution"; (5) "Superstacks"; (6) "Acid/Neutral/Bases"; (7) "pH Scale"; (8) "Acid Rain"; (9)…

  18. Pollen selection under acid rain stress

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Zhang, Y.

    To investigate whether acid rain stress induces pollen selection in nature, three different approaches were used, based on the assumption that the response of pollen grains to acid rain is controlled by an acid sensitive gene product. Germination of pollen from homozygous and heterozygous individuals under acid rain stress was examined to detect any differences in rate of germination between populations of homogeneous and heterogeneous pollen grains. In vitro and in vivo bulked segregant analysis using RAPDs was used to search for differences in DNA constitution between the survivors of acid rain stressed and non-acid rain stressed pollen populations inmore » vitro and between the progenies of acid rain stressed and non-acid rain stressed populations during pollination, respectively. No evidence for the pollen selection under acid rain stress was obtained in any of the test systems. Inhibition of protein synthesis using cycloheximide led to significant reduction of tube elongation at 4 hr and had no effect on pollen germination at any time interval tested. Total proteins extracted from control and acid rain stressed pollen grain populations exhibited no differences. The reduction of corn pollen germination in vitro under acid rain stress was mainly due to pollen rupture. The present data indicates the reduction of pollen germination and tube growth under acid rain stress may be a physiological response rather than a genetic response. A simple, nontoxic, and effective method to separate germinated from ungerminated pollen grains has been developed using pollen from corn (Zea mays, L. cv. Pioneer 3747). The separated germinated pollen grains retained viability and continued tube growth when placed in culture medium.« less

  19. Acidic deposition: A review of biological effects

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Sparling, Donald W.; Hoffman, David J.; Rattner, Barnett A.; Burton, G. Allen; Cairns, John

    1995-01-01

    The problem of acidic deposition and its possible effects on habitats, organisms, materials, and human health has been recognized for centuries. Earliest accounts date to Cicero (about 100 B.C.), who linked structural damage to buildings and statues in Rome to the smokey rains of wood and charcoal burning.3 Based on estimated of human demographics and centers of population, problems caused by acidic deposition may extend back to 400 to 500 B.C., but were not fully manifested until the mid-1800s with the rise of the Industrial revolution. the term "acid rain" was apparently first coined by R.A. Smith in 1972.4

  20. The impacts of ;urban-induced heavy rains; on the distribution of deposition fluxes of inorganic acidic substances in the Tokyo metropolitan area in summer

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Uchiyama, Ryunosuke; Okochi, Hiroshi; Kamiya, Junichi; Asai, Daisuke; Kaneko, Chiho; Ogata, Hiroko; Katsumi, Naoya

    2018-02-01

    We analyzed the trends in rainfall amounts and the number of heavy rain events with hourly rainfall amounts over 30 mm at the inland section of the 23-ward Tokyo metropolitan area (nine wards and ten sites) in the warm season (July to September) from 1978 to 2008. Heavy rain events in the Nerima Ward occurred nine times during decade I (1978-1987; 0.90 times/yr), 13 times during decade II (1988-1997; 1.3 times/yr), and 23 times during decade III (1998-2008; 2.1 times/yr). The annual average number of heavy rain events was 1.43 times/yr in Nerima from 1978 to 2008, while it was 0.98 times/yr on average at nine locations excluding Nerima. The frequency of extremely strong heavy rain events with hourly rainfall amounts greater than 50 mm during decade III was the highest in Nerima (six times) among ten sites. These data suggest that the frequency of heavy rain events has increased at Nerima during the past 30 years. Bulk precipitation data were collected biweekly by filtration-type collectors at 14 sites around Nerima from 2008 to 2010 to determine the impacts of urban-induced heavy rains (hereafter UHR), defined as a heavy rain event other than typhoons and frontal heavy rains, on the distribution of deposition fluxes of inorganic acidic substances. The NO3- and nss-SO42 - concentrations in bulk precipitation were higher during the periods including UHR than those not including UHR. The deposition fluxes of NO3- and SO42 - showed clear differences at the center of UHR (NO3-: 231 μeq/m2/d, SO42 -: 234 μeq/m2/d) and its surrounding area (NO3-: 76.4 μeq/m2/d, SO42 -: 86.1 μeq/m2/d). Our results suggest that large amounts of inorganic acidic substances are deposited locally by UHR in urban areas in summer.

  1. Acidification and Acid Rain

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Norton, S. A.; Veselã½, J.

    2003-12-01

    endangers the existing biota. Concerns about acid (or acidic) rain in its modern sense were publicized by the Swedish soil scientist Svante Odén (1968). He argued, initially in the Swedish press, that long-term increases in the atmospheric deposition of acid could lower the pH of surface waters, cause a decline in fish stocks, deplete soils of nutrients, and accelerate damage to materials. By the 1970s, acidification of surface waters was reported in many countries in Europe as well as in North America. The late twentieth-century rush to understand the impact of acid rain was driven by: (i) reports of damaged or threatened freshwater fisheries and (ii) damaged forests. Perhaps the earliest linkage between acidic surface water and damage to fish was made by Dahl (1921) in southern Norway. There, spring runoff was sufficiently acidic to kill trout. It was not until the 1970s that a strong link was established between depressed pH, mobilization of aluminum from soil, and fish status ( Schofield and Trojnar,1980). The relationship between acidification of soils and forest health started with hypotheses in the 1960s and has slowly developed. Acid rain enhances the availability of some nutrients (e.g., nitrogen), and may either enhance or diminish the availability of others (e.g., calcium, magnesium, potassium, and phosphorus). Damage to anthropogenic structures, human health, and visibility have also raised concerns. The history of these early developments was summarized by Cowling (1982). Since the 1970s, sulfur and nitrogen emissions to the atmosphere have been reduced by 50-85% and 0-30%, respectively, both in North America and Europe. The emission reductions have occurred as a consequence of knowledge gained and economic factors. While recovery of water quality is underway in some areas, problems of acidification persist, and are now complicated by the effects of climate change ( Schindler, 1997).

  2. Rain pH estimation based on the particulate matter pollutants and wet deposition study.

    PubMed

    Singh, Shweta; Elumalai, Suresh Pandian; Pal, Asim Kumar

    2016-09-01

    In forecasting of rain pH, the changes caused by particulate matter (PM) are generally neglected. In regions of high PM concentration like Dhanbad, the role of PM in deciding the rain pH becomes important. Present work takes into account theoretical prediction of rain pH by two methods. First method considers only acid causing gases (ACG) like CO2, SO2 and NOx in pH estimation, whereas, second method additionally accounts for effect of PM (ACG-PM). In order to predict the rain pH, site specific deposited dust that represents local PM was studied experimentally for its impact on pH of neutral water. After incorporation of PM correction factor, it was found that, rain pH values estimated were more representative of the observed ones. Fractional bias (FB) for the ACG-PM method reduced to values of the order of 10(-2) from those with order of 10(-1) for the ACG method. The study confirms neutralization of rain acidity by PM. On account of this, rain pH was found in the slightly acidic to near neutral range, despite of the high sulfate flux found in rain water. Although, the safer range of rain pH blurs the severity of acid rain from the picture, yet huge flux of acidic and other ions get transferred to water bodies, soil and ultimately to the ground water system. Simple use of rain pH for rain water quality fails to address the issues of its increased ionic composition due to the interfering pollutants and thus undermines severity of pollutants transferred from air to rain water and then to water bodies and soil. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. What Is Acid Rain?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Likens, Gene E.

    2004-01-01

    Acid rain is the collective term for any type of acidified precipitation: rain, snow, sleet, and hail, as well as the presence of acidifying gases, particles, cloud water, and fog in the atmosphere. The increased acidity, primarily from sulfuric and nitric acids, is generated as a by-product of the combustion of fossil fuels such as coal and oil.…

  4. Spatial characterization of acid rain stress in Canadian Shield Lakes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tanis, Fred J.

    1987-01-01

    The acidification of lake waters from airborne pollution is of continental proportions both in North America and Europe. A major concern of the acid rain problem is the cumulative ecosystem damage to lakes and forest. The number of lakes affected in northeastern U.S. and on the Canadian Shield is though to be enormous. How seasonal changes in lake transparency are related to annual acidic load was examined. The relationship between variations in lake acidification and ecophysical units was also examined. The utility of Thematic Mapper based observations to measure seasonal changes in the optical transparency in acid lakes was investigated. The potential for this optical response is related to a number of local ecophysical factors with bedrock geology being, perhaps, the most important. Other factors include sulfate deposition, vegetative cover, and terrain drainage/relief. The area of southern Ontario contains a wide variety of geologies from the most acid rain sensitive granite quartzite types to the least sensitive limestone dolomite sediments. Annual sulfate deposition ranges from 1.0 to 4.0 grams/sq m.

  5. Is There Scientific Consensus on Acid Rain? -- Excerpts from Six Governmental Reports.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Environmental Education Report and Newsletter, 1986

    1986-01-01

    Compiles a series of direct quotations from six governmental reports that reflect a scientific consensus on major aspects of acid deposition. Presents the statements in a question and answer format. Also reviews the sources, extent, and effects of acid rain. (ML)

  6. Photosynthesis and oxidative stress in the restinga plant species Eugenia uniflora L. exposed to simulated acid rain and iron ore dust deposition: potential use in environmental risk assessment.

    PubMed

    Neves, Natália Rust; Oliva, Marco Antonio; da Cruz Centeno, Danilo; Costa, Alan Carlos; Ribas, Rogério Ferreira; Pereira, Eduardo Gusmão

    2009-06-01

    The Brazilian sandy coastal plain named restinga is frequently subjected to particulate and gaseous emissions from iron ore factories. These gases may come into contact with atmospheric moisture and produce acid rain. The effects of the acid rain on vegetation, combined with iron excess in the soil, can lead to the disappearance of sensitive species and decrease restinga biodiversity. The effects of iron ore dust deposition and simulated acid rain on photosynthesis and on antioxidant enzymes were investigated in Eugenia uniflora, a representative shrub species of the restinga. This study aimed to determine the possible utility of this species in environmental risk assessment. After the application of iron ore dust as iron solid particulate matter (SPM(Fe)) and simulated acid rain (pH 3.1), the 18-month old plants displayed brown spots and necrosis, typical symptoms of iron toxicity and injuries caused by acid rain, respectively. The acidity of the rain intensified leaf iron accumulation, which reached phytotoxic levels, mainly in plants exposed to iron ore dust. These plants showed the lowest values for net photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, transpiration, chlorophyll a content and electron transport rate through photosystem II (PSII). Catalase and superoxide dismutase activities were decreased by simulated acid rain. Peroxidase activity and membrane injury increased following exposure to acid rain and simultaneous SPM(Fe) application. Eugenia uniflora exhibited impaired photosynthetic and antioxidative metabolism in response to combined iron and acid rain stresses. This species could become a valuable tool in environmental risk assessment in restinga areas near iron ore pelletizing factories. Non-invasive evaluations of visual injuries, photosynthesis and chlorophyll a fluorescence, as well as invasive biochemical analysis could be used as markers.

  7. Acid Rain: What We Must Do.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gorham, Eville

    1983-01-01

    Addresses questions about the nature, source, and history of acid rain. In addition, discusses the questions: Why is acid rain a problem? Is acid rain getting worse? What is the threat of further problems? Concludes that it is time to act on the problem and recommends an appropriate course of action. (JN)

  8. A Demonstration of Acid Rain

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fong, Man Wai

    2004-01-01

    A demonstration showing acid rain formation is described. Oxides of sulfur and nitrogen that result from the burning of fossil fuels are the major pollutants of acid rain. In this demonstration, SO[subscript 2] gas is produced by the burning of matches. An acid-base indicator will show that the dissolved gas turns an aqueous solution acidic.

  9. Acid Rain, pH & Acidity: A Common Misinterpretation.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Clark, David B.; Thompson, Ronald E.

    1989-01-01

    Illustrates the basis for misleading statements about the relationship between pH and acid content in acid rain. Explains why pH cannot be used as a measure of acidity for rain or any other solution. Suggests that teachers present acidity and pH as two separate and distinct concepts. (RT)

  10. Effects of acid rain on grapevines

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Forsline, P.L.; Musselman, R.C.; Dee, R.J.

    1983-01-01

    Mature vineyard-growing Concord grapevines were sprayed with simulated acid rain solutions ranging from pH 2.5 to 5.5 both as acute treatments at anthesis and chronically throughout the season in 1980 and 1981. In 1981, 8 additional varieties were also treated with simulated acid rain solutions at pH 2.75 and 3.25. With Concord in 1981, few foliar lesions on leaves were visible at pH 2.75. In contrast, many leaf lesions with decreased fruit soluble solids were observed at pH 2.5 in 1980. The relationship between acid-rain and oxidant stipple, chlorosis, and soluble solids in the absence of acid rain leaf lesionsmore » at pH>2.5 remains unclear. Acute sprays (pH2.75) at anthesis reduced pollen germination in four grape cultivars. However, fruit set was reduced in only one of these. Grape yields were not influenced by acid rain treatments. There was no evidence that acid-rain at ambient pH levels had negative effects on grape production or fruit quality.« less

  11. Acid Rain: What It Is -- How You Can Help!

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Wildlife Federation, Washington, DC.

    This publication discusses the nature and consequences of acid precipitation (commonly called acid rain). Topic areas include: (1) the chemical nature of acid rain; (2) sources of acid rain; (3) geographic areas where acid rain is a problem; (4) effects of acid rain on lakes; (5) effect of acid rain on vegetation; (6) possible effects of acid rain…

  12. An Umbrella for Acid Rain.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Randal, Judith

    1979-01-01

    The Environmental Protection Agency has awarded several grants to study effects of and possible solutions to the problem of "acid rain"; pollution from atmospheric nitric and sulfuric acids. The research program is administered through North Carolina State University at Raleigh and will focus on biological effects of acid rain. (JMF)

  13. Acid rain and its ecological consequences.

    PubMed

    Singh, Anita; Agrawal, Madhoolika

    2008-01-01

    Acidification of rain-water is identified as one of the most serious environmental problems of transboundary nature. Acid rain is mainly a mixture of sulphuric and nitric acids depending upon the relative quantities of oxides of sulphur and nitrogen emissions. Due to the interaction of these acids with other constituents of the atmosphere, protons are released causing increase in the soil acidity Lowering of soil pH mobilizes and leaches away nutrient cations and increases availability of toxic heavy metals. Such changes in the soil chemical characteristics reduce the soil fertility which ultimately causes the negative impact on growth and productivity of forest trees and crop plants. Acidification of water bodies causes large scale negative impact on aquatic organisms including fishes. Acidification has some indirect effects on human health also. Acid rain affects each and every components of ecosystem. Acid rain also damages man-made materials and structures. By reducing the emission of the precursors of acid rain and to some extent by liming, the problem of acidification of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem has been reduced during last two decades.

  14. The erosion of carbonate stone by acid rain: Laboratory and field investigations

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Baedecker, P.A.; Reddy, M.M.

    1993-01-01

    One of the goals of research on the effects of acidic deposition on carbonate stone surfaces is to define the incremental impact of acidic deposition relative to natural weathering processes on the rate of carbonate stone erosion. If rain that impacts carbonate stone surfaces is resident on the surface long enough to approach chemical equilibrium, the incremental effect of hydrogen ion is expected to be small (i.e., 6% for a rain of pH 4.0). Under nonequilibrium (i.e., high flow rate) conditions, kinetic considerations suggest that the incremental effect of hydrogen ion deposition could be quite significant. Field run-off experiments involving the chemical analysis of rain collected from inclined stone slabs have been used to evaluate stone dissolution processes under ambient conditions of wet and dry deposition of acidic species. The stoichiometry of the reaction of stone with hydrogen ion is difficult to define from the field data due to scatter in the data attributed to hydrodynamic effects. Laboratory run-off experiments show that the stoichiometry is best defined by a reaction with H+ in which CO2 is released from the system. The baseline effect caused by water in equilibrium with atmospheric CO2 is identical in the field and in laboratory simulation. The experiments show that the solutions are close enough to equilibrium for the incremental effect of hydrogen ion to be minor (i.e., 24% for marble for a rain of pH 4.0) relative to dissolution due to water and carbonic acid reactions. Stone erosion rates based on physical measurement are approximately double the recession rates that are due to dissolution (estimated from the observed calcium content of the run-off solutions). The difference may reflect the loss of granular material not included in recession estimates based on the run-off data. Neither the field nor the laboratory run-off experiments indicate a pH dependence for the grain-removal process.

  15. Acid Thunder: Acid Rain and Ancient Mesoamerica

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kahl, Jonathan D. W.; Berg, Craig A.

    2006-01-01

    Much of Mesoamerica's rich cultural heritage is slowly eroding because of acid rain. Just as water dissolves an Alka-Seltzer tablet, acid rain erodes the limestone surfaces of Mexican archaeological sites at a rate of about one-half millimeter per century (Bravo et al. 2003). A half-millimeter may not seem like much, but at this pace, a few…

  16. Pyrite oxidation under simulated acid rain weathering conditions.

    PubMed

    Zheng, Kai; Li, Heping; Wang, Luying; Wen, Xiaoying; Liu, Qingyou

    2017-09-01

    We investigated the electrochemical corrosion behavior of pyrite in simulated acid rain with different acidities and at different temperatures. The cyclic voltammetry, polarization curve, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy results showed that pyrite has the same electrochemical interaction mechanism under different simulated acid rain conditions, regardless of acidity or environmental temperature. Either stronger acid rain acidity or higher environmental temperature can accelerate pyrite corrosion. Compared with acid rain having a pH of 5.6 at 25 °C, the prompt efficiency of pyrite weathering reached 104.29% as the acid rain pH decreased to 3.6, and it reached 125.31% as environmental temperature increased to 45 °C. Increasing acidity dramatically decreases the charge transfer resistance, and increasing temperature dramatically decreases the passivation film resistance, when other conditions are held constant. Acid rain always causes lower acidity mine drainage, and stronger acidity or high environmental temperatures cause serious acid drainage. The natural parameters of latitude, elevation, and season have considerable influence on pyrite weathering, because temperature is an important influencing factor. These experimental results are of direct significance for the assessment and management of sulfide mineral acid drainage in regions receiving acid rain.

  17. Acid Rain: An Educational Opportunity?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Marion, James I.

    1984-01-01

    Deals with how educators can handle the subject of acid rain; illustrates suggestions with experiences of grade nine students visiting Frost Valley Environmental Education Center (Oliverea, New York) to learn scientific concepts through observation of outdoor phenomena, including a stream; and discusses acid rain, pH levels, and pollution control…

  18. Acid Rain: The Scientific Challenge.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Godfrey, Paul J.

    1991-01-01

    Documents the workings and findings of the Massachusetts Acid Rain Monitoring Project, which has pooled the volunteer efforts of more than 1,000 amateur and professional scientists since 1983. Reports on the origins of air pollution, the prediction of acid rain, and its effects on both water life and land resources. (JJK)

  19. Canada issues booklet describing acid rain

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    A booklet recently released by Environment Canada describes acid rain in terms easily understood by the general public. Although Acid Rain — The Facts tends somewhat to give the Canadian side of this intercountry controversial subject, it nevertheless presents some very interesting, simple statistics of interest to people in either the U.S. or Canada. Copies of the booklet can be obtained from Inquiry Environment Canada, Ottawa, Ontario K1A OH3, Canada, tel. 613-997-2800.The booklet points out that acid rain is caused by emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx). Once released into the atmosphere, these substances can be carried long distances by prevailing winds and return to Earth as acidic rain, snow, fog, or dust. The main sources of SO2 emissions in North America are coal-fired power generating stations and nonferrous ore smelters. The main sources of NOx emissions are vehicles and fuel combustion. From economical and environmental viewpoints, Canada believes acid rain is one of the most serious problems presently facing the country: increasing the acidity of more than 20% of Canada's 300,000 lakes to the point that aquatic life is depleted and acidity of soil water and shallow groundwater is increasing, causing decline in forest growth and water fowl populations, and eating away at buildings and monuments. Acid rain is endangering fisheries, tourism, agriculture, and forest resources in an area of 2.6 million km2 (one million square miles) of eastern Canada, about 8% of Canada's gross national product.

  20. Acid Rain: The Silent Environmental Threat.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zmud, Mia

    1992-01-01

    Describes the silent environmental threat posed by acid rain. Caused mainly by manmade pollutants, acid rain damages water and trees, decreases visibility, corrodes monuments, and threatens public health. The article includes guidelines for action. (SM)

  1. Acid Rain Students Do Original Research.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Outdoor Communicator, 1984

    1984-01-01

    At Park Senior High School (Cottage Grove, Minnesota), 46 juniors and seniors planted 384 red pine seedlings in connection with their original research on acid rain, with advice from Dr. Harriet Stubbs, director of the Acid Precipitation Awareness Program (West Saint Paul), which has been developing acid rain teaching materials. (MH)

  2. Nature in the Classroom: Acid Rain.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Doyle, Charles

    1982-01-01

    As a lesson topic, acid rain is defined, its chemistry given, and its development since the 1950s described. The worldwide effects of acid rain are discussed along with the available technology for controlling the problem. (CM)

  3. Effects of acid rain on grapevines

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Forsline, P.L.; Musselman, R.C.; Dee, R.J.

    1983-01-01

    Mature vineyard-growing Concord grapevines (Vitis labrusca, Bailey) were sprayed with simulated acid rain solutions ranging from pH 2.5 to pH 5.5 both as acute treatments at anthesis and chronically throughout the season in 1980 and 1981. In 1981, eight additional varieties were also treated with simulated acid rain solutions at pH 2.75 and pH 3.25. With Concord in 1981, few foliar lesions on leaves were visible at pH 2.75. In contrast, many leaf lesions with decreased fruit soluble solids in the absence of acid rain leaf lesions at pH>2.5 remains unclear. Acute sprays (pH 2.75) at anthesis reduced pollen germinationmore » in four grape cultivars. However, fruit set was reduced in only one of these. Only the cultivars de Chaunac and Ives had reduced berry soluble solids with chronic weekly sprays at pH 2.75. Reduction in soluble solids was not associated with increased oxidant stipple (ozone injury) in Concord and de Chaunac cultivars, but this association was observed in Ives. There was no evidence that acid rain in combination with ozone increased oxidant stipple as occurs when ozone and SO/sub 2/ are combined. Grape yields were not influenced by acid rain treatments. There was no evidence that acid rain at ambient pH levels had negative effects on grape production or fruit quality.« less

  4. Effects of simulated acid rain on soil fauna community composition and their ecological niches.

    PubMed

    Wei, Hui; Liu, Wen; Zhang, Jiaen; Qin, Zhong

    2017-01-01

    Acid rain is one of the severest environmental issues globally. Relative to other global changes (e.g., warming, elevated atmospheric [CO 2 ], and nitrogen deposition), however, acid rain has received less attention than its due. Soil fauna play important roles in multiple ecological processes, but how soil fauna community responds to acid rain remains less studied. This microcosm experiment was conducted using latosol with simulated acid rain (SAR) manipulations to observe potential changes in soil fauna community under acid rain stress. Four pH levels, i.e., pH 2.5, 3.5, 4.5, and 5.5, and a neutral control of pH 7.0 were set according to the current pH condition and acidification trend of precipitation in southern China. As expected, we observed that the SAR treatments induced changes in soil fauna community composition and their ecological niches in the tested soil; the treatment effects tended to increase as acidity increased. This could be attributable to the environmental stresses (such as acidity, porosity and oxygen supply) induced by the SAR treatments. In addition to direct acidity effect, we propose that potential changes in permeability and movability of water and oxygen in soils induced by acid rain could also give rise to the observed shifts in soil fauna community composition. These are most likely indirect pathways of acid rain to affect belowground community. Moreover, we found that nematodes, the dominating soil fauna group in this study, moved downwards to mitigate the stress of acid rain. This is probably detrimental to soil fauna in the long term, due to the relatively severer soil conditions in the deep than surface soil layer. Our results suggest that acid rain could change soil fauna community and the vertical distribution of soil fauna groups, consequently changing the underground ecosystem functions such as organic matter decomposition and greenhouse gas emissions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Acid Rain: Activities for Science Teachers.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Johnson, Eric; And Others

    1983-01-01

    Seven complete secondary/college level acid rain activities are provided. Activities include overview; background information and societal implications; major concepts; student objectives; vocabulary/material lists; procedures; instructional strategies; and questions/discussion and extension suggestions. Activities consider effects of acid rain on…

  6. Acid Rain. LC Science Tracer Bullet.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hollmann, Pauline, Comp.

    The term "acid rain," also called "acid precipitation," generally refers to any precipitation having a pH value of less than 5.6. This guide to the literature on acid rain in the collections of the Library of Congress is not necessarily intended to be a comprehensive bibliography. It is designed to provide the reader with a set…

  7. Acid rain and sugar maple decline

    Treesearch

    Paul G. Schaberg

    2017-01-01

    Through the increased combustion of fossil fuels, humans have dramatically increased pollutant additions of sulfur and nitrogen into the atmosphere where it conbines with water to form sulfuric and nitric acids, creating acid rain (Driscoll et al. 2001). Incoming acid rain has various impacts on human and natural systems, including the accelerated degradation of built...

  8. Effects of sulfuric, nitric, and mixed acid rain on Chinese fir sapling growth in Southern China.

    PubMed

    Liu, Xin; Fu, Zhiyuan; Zhang, Bo; Zhai, Lu; Meng, Miaojing; Lin, Jie; Zhuang, Jiayao; Wang, G Geoff; Zhang, Jinchi

    2018-09-30

    The influence of acid rain on plant growth includes direct effects on foliage as well as indirect soil-mediated effects that cause a reduction in root growth. In addition, the concentration of NO 3 - in acid rain increases along with the rapid growth of nitrogen deposition. In this study, we investigated the impact of simulated acid rain with different SO 4 2- /NO 3 - (S/N) ratios, which were 1:0, 5:1, 1:1, 1:5 and 0:1, on Chinese fir sapling growth from March 2015 to April 2016. Results showed that Chinese fir sapling height growth rate (HGR) and basal diameter growth rate (DGR) decreased as acid rain pH decreased, and also decreased as the percentage of NO 3 - increased in acid rain. Acid rain pH significantly decreased the Chlorophyll a (Chla) and Chlorophyll b (Chlb) content, and Chla and Chlb contents with acid rain S/N 1:5 were significantly lower than those with S/N 1:0 at pH 2.5. The chlorophyll fluorescence parameters, maximal efficiency of Photosystem II photochemistry (Fv/Fm) and non-photochemical quenching coefficient (NPQ), with most acid rain treatments were significantly lower than those with CK treatments. Root activities first increased and then decreased as acid rain pH decreased, when acid rain S/N ratios were 1:1, 1:5 and 0:1. Redundancy discriminant analysis (RDA) showed that the Chinese fir DGR and HGR had positive correlations with Chla, Chlb, Fv/Fm ratio, root activity, catalase and superoxide dismutase activities in roots under the stress of acid rain with different pH and S/N ratios. The structural equation modelling (SEM) results showed that acid rain NO 3 - concentration and pH had stronger direct effects on Chinese fir sapling HGR and DGR, and the direct effects of acid rain NO 3 - concentration and pH on HGR were lower than those on DGR. Our results suggest that the ratio of SO 4 2- to NO 3 - in acid rain is an important factor which could affect the sustainable development of monoculture Chinese fir plantations in southern China

  9. Spread of acid rain over India

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Khemani, L. T.; Momin, G. A.; Rao, P. S. Prakasa; Safai, P. D.; Singh, G.; Kapoor, R. K.

    Rain water and aerosol samples were collected at a few locations representative of urban and non-urban regions in India. Also, rain water samples were collected in and around a coal-fired power plant. All the rain water and aerosol samples were analyzed for major chemical components along with pH. The rain water at all the places of measurement, except near the industrial sources, has been found to be alkaline and was characterized by the presence of excess cations, particularly by Ca 2+. The acid rain near the industrial sources was associated with excess anions, especially SO 42-. The atmospheric aerosols at all the places of measurement were found rich with basic components, suggesting that the alkaline soil dust and fly ash are responsible at present for preventing the spread of acid rain in India.

  10. Acid Rain: A Teaching Focus for the Intermediate Grades.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Adams, Renee B.; Adams, Neil D.

    1992-01-01

    The study of acid rain provides ample opportunities for active, interdisciplinary learning. This article describes 12 hands-on activities designed to expand students' understanding of acid rain. Background information on acid rain is included. (LB)

  11. Influence of simulated acidic rain on root-infecting fungi

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Shafer, S.R.

    1983-01-01

    Influences of the acidity of simulated rain on root-infecting fungi were investigated. Effects of rain acidity on Phytophthora cinnamomi were studied. Propagule densities in soil depended upon the acidity (pH 5.6, 4.0, 3.2, or 2.4) of simulated rain and soil depth (1, 2, 4, or 8 cm). Lowest densities occurred in 1 to 2 cm soil layers exposed to rains at pH 3.2 or 2.4. Sporangium production on radicles of Lupinus angustifolius in Lakeland sand moistened with rain solution at pH 2.4 was 47% less than production with solution at pH 5.6. A linear response to solution acidity was exhibited.more » Infection of L. angustifolius roots by zoospores demonstrated a linear response to acidity of rain. Approximately 44% fewer lesions occurred on roots of seedlings exposed to rain at pH 2.4 than on roots of seedlings exposed to rain at pH 5.6. The acidity (pH 5.6, 4.0, 3.2, or 2.4) of repeated rains had no consistent effect on disease progress among L. augustifolius seedlings planted in infested soil. The formation of ectomycorrhizae on Pinus taeda seedlings exhibited a quadratic response to acidity of repeated rains. The percentage of short roots that were ectomycorrhizal was greatest among seedlings exposed to rains at pH 2.4 and least among seedlings exposed to rains at pH 4.0. The density of Macrophomina phaseolina propagules in Lakeland sand exposed to repeated rains at pH 2.4 was an average of 20% less than densities associated with rains at pH 5.6, 4.0, or 3.2.« less

  12. Modeling wet deposition of acid substances over the PRD region in China

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lu, Xingcheng; Fung, Jimmy Chi Hung; Wu, Dongwei

    2015-12-01

    The Pearl River Delta (PRD) region in southern China has suffered heavily from acid rain in the last 10 years due to the anthropogenic emission of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide. Several measurement-based studies about this issue have been conducted to analyze the chemical composition of precipitation in this area. However, no detailed, high resolution numerical simulation regarding this topic has ever been done in this region. In this study, the WRF-SMOKE-CMAQ system was applied to simulate the wet deposition of acid substances (SO42- and NO3-) in the PRD region from 2009 to 2011 with a resolution of 3 km. The simulation output agreed well with the observation data. Our results showed that Guangzhou was the city most affected by acid rain in this region. The ratio of non-sea-salt sulfate to nitrate indicated that the acid rain in this region belonged to the sulfate-nitrate mixed type. The source apportionment result suggests that point source and super regional source are the ones that contribute the pollutants most in the rain water over PRD Region. The sulfate and nitrate input to some reservoirs via wet deposition was also estimated based on the model simulation. Our results suggest that further cross-city cooperation and emission reduction are needed to further curb acid rain in this region.

  13. 40 CFR 76.3 - General Acid Rain Program provisions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 17 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false General Acid Rain Program provisions. 76.3 Section 76.3 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) ACID RAIN NITROGEN OXIDES EMISSION REDUCTION PROGRAM § 76.3 General Acid Rain Program provisions...

  14. 40 CFR 76.3 - General Acid Rain Program provisions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 16 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false General Acid Rain Program provisions. 76.3 Section 76.3 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) ACID RAIN NITROGEN OXIDES EMISSION REDUCTION PROGRAM § 76.3 General Acid Rain Program provisions...

  15. 40 CFR 76.3 - General Acid Rain Program provisions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 17 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false General Acid Rain Program provisions. 76.3 Section 76.3 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) ACID RAIN NITROGEN OXIDES EMISSION REDUCTION PROGRAM § 76.3 General Acid Rain Program provisions...

  16. 40 CFR 76.3 - General Acid Rain Program provisions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 17 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false General Acid Rain Program provisions. 76.3 Section 76.3 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) ACID RAIN NITROGEN OXIDES EMISSION REDUCTION PROGRAM § 76.3 General Acid Rain Program provisions...

  17. 40 CFR 76.3 - General Acid Rain Program provisions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 16 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false General Acid Rain Program provisions. 76.3 Section 76.3 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) ACID RAIN NITROGEN OXIDES EMISSION REDUCTION PROGRAM § 76.3 General Acid Rain Program provisions...

  18. CR@BaSO4: an acid rain-indicating material.

    PubMed

    Gao, Hong-Wen; Xu, Xin-Hui

    2011-12-28

    The CR@BaSO(4) hybrid was synthesized, characterized and used as an acid rain-indicating (ARI) material. A painted ARI umbrella was discolored after exposure to simulated acid rain of pH 5 or less and returned to the initial color after the rain stopped. Such a functionalized material may make acid rain visual to remind people in real-time. This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2011

  19. Soil-calcium depletion linked to acid rain and forest growth in the eastern United States

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Lawrence, Gregory B.; Huntington, T.G.

    1999-01-01

    Since the discovery of acid rain in the 1970's, scientists have been concerned that deposition of acids could cause depletion of calcium in forest soils. Research in the 1980's showed that the amount of calcium in forest soils is controlled by several factors that are difficult to measure. Further research in the 1990's, including several studies by the U.S. Geological Survey, has shown that (1) calcium in forest soils has decreased at locations in the northeastern and southeastern U.S., and (2) acid rain and forest growth (uptake of calcium from the soil by roots) are both factors contributing to calcium depletion.

  20. Response of soybean seed germination to cadmium and acid rain.

    PubMed

    Liu, Ting Ting; Wu, Peng; Wang, Li Hong; Zhou, Qing

    2011-12-01

    Cadmium (Cd) pollution and acid rain are the main environmental issues, and they often occur in the same agricultural region. Nevertheless, up to now, little information on the combined pollution of Cd(2+) and acid rain action on crops were presented. Here, we investigated the combined effect of Cd(2+) and acid rain on the seed germination of soybean. The results indicated that the single treatment with the low level of Cd(2+) (0.18, 1.0, 3.0 mg L(-1)) or acid rain (pH ≥3.0) could not affect the seed germination of soybean, which was resulted in the increased activities of peroxidase and catalase. The single treatment with the high concentration of Cd(2+) (>6 mg L(-1)) or acid rain at pH 2.5 decreased the activities of peroxidase and catalase, damaged the cell membrane and then decreased the seed germination of soybean. Meanwhile, the same toxic effect was observed in the combined treatment with Cd(2+) and acid rain, and the combined treatment had more toxic effect than the single treatment with Cd(2+) or acid rain. Thus, the combined pollution of Cd(2+) and acid rain had more potential threat to the seed germination of soybean than the single pollution of Cd(2+) or acid rain.

  1. Acid Rain Investigations.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hugo, John C.

    1992-01-01

    Presents an activity in which students investigate the formation of solid ammonium chloride aerosol particles to help students better understand the concept of acid rain. Provides activity objectives, procedures, sample data, clean-up instructions, and questions and answers to help interpret the data. (MDH)

  2. Human Ecology: Acid Rain and Public Policy.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bybee, Rodger W.

    1983-01-01

    A connection between science and society can be seen in the human and ecological dimensions of one contemporary problem: acid rain. Introduces a human ecological theme and relationships between acid rain and public policy, considering scientific understanding and public awareness, scientific research and public policy, and national politics and…

  3. Prolonged acid rain facilitates soil organic carbon accumulation in a mature forest in Southern China.

    PubMed

    Wu, Jianping; Liang, Guohua; Hui, Dafeng; Deng, Qi; Xiong, Xin; Qiu, Qingyan; Liu, Juxiu; Chu, Guowei; Zhou, Guoyi; Zhang, Deqiang

    2016-02-15

    With the continuing increase in anthropogenic activities, acid rain remains a serious environmental threat, especially in the fast developing areas such as southern China. To detect how prolonged deposition of acid rain would influence soil organic carbon accumulation in mature subtropical forests, we conducted a field experiment with simulated acid rain (SAR) treatments in a monsoon evergreen broadleaf forest at Dinghushan National Nature Reserve in southern China. Four levels of SAR treatments were set by irrigating plants with water of different pH values: CK (the control, local lake water, pH ≈ 4.5), T1 (water pH=4.0), T2 (water pH=3.5), and T3 (water pH=3.0). Results showed reduced pH measurements in the topsoil exposed to simulated acid rains due to soil acidification. Soil respiration, soil microbial biomass and litter decomposition rates were significantly decreased by the SAR treatments. As a result, T3 treatment significantly increased the total organic carbon by 24.5% in the topsoil compared to the control. Furthermore, surface soil became more stable as more recalcitrant organic matter was generated under the SAR treatments. Our results suggest that prolonged acid rain exposure may have the potential to facilitate soil organic carbon accumulation in the subtropical forest in southern China. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. 40 CFR 72.31 - Information requirements for Acid Rain permit applications.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 17 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Information requirements for Acid Rain... (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) PERMITS REGULATION Acid Rain Permit Applications § 72.31 Information requirements for Acid Rain permit applications. A complete Acid Rain permit application shall include the...

  5. 40 CFR 72.31 - Information requirements for Acid Rain permit applications.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 17 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Information requirements for Acid Rain... (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) PERMITS REGULATION Acid Rain Permit Applications § 72.31 Information requirements for Acid Rain permit applications. A complete Acid Rain permit application shall include the...

  6. 40 CFR 72.31 - Information requirements for Acid Rain permit applications.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 16 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Information requirements for Acid Rain... (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) PERMITS REGULATION Acid Rain Permit Applications § 72.31 Information requirements for Acid Rain permit applications. A complete Acid Rain permit application shall include the...

  7. 40 CFR 72.31 - Information requirements for Acid Rain permit applications.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 16 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Information requirements for Acid Rain... (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) PERMITS REGULATION Acid Rain Permit Applications § 72.31 Information requirements for Acid Rain permit applications. A complete Acid Rain permit application shall include the...

  8. 40 CFR 72.31 - Information requirements for Acid Rain permit applications.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 17 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Information requirements for Acid Rain... (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) PERMITS REGULATION Acid Rain Permit Applications § 72.31 Information requirements for Acid Rain permit applications. A complete Acid Rain permit application shall include the...

  9. An overview of a 5-year research program on acid deposition in China

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, T.; He, K.; Xu, X.; Zhang, P.; Bai, Y.; Wang, Z.; Zhang, X.; Duan, L.; Li, W.; Chai, F.

    2011-12-01

    Despite concerted research and regulative control of sulfur dioxide in China, acid rain remained a serious environmental issue, due to a sharp increase in the combustion of fossil fuel in the 2000s. In 2005, the Ministry of Science and Technology of China funded a five-year comprehensive research program on acid deposition. This talk will give an overview of the activities and the key findings from this study, covering emission, atmospheric processes, and deposition, effects on soil and stream waters, and impact on typical trees/plants in China. The main results include (1) China still experiences acidic rainfalls in southern and eastern regions, although the situation has stabilized after 2006 due to stringent control of SO2 by the Chinese Government; (2) Sulfate is the dominant acidic compound, but the contribution of nitrate has increased; (3) cloud-water composition in eastern China is strongly influenced by anthropogenic emissions; (4) the persistent fall of acid rain in the 30 years has lead to acidification of some streams/rivers and soils in southern China; (5) the studied plants have shown varying response to acid rain; (6) some new insights have been obtained on atmospheric chemistry, atmospheric transport, soil chemistry, and ecological impacts, some of which will be discussed in this talk. Compared to the situation in North America and Europe, China's acid deposition is still serious, and continued control of sulfur and nitrogen emission is required. There is an urgent need to establish a long-term observation network/program to monitor the impact of acid deposition on soil, streams/rivers/lakes, and forests.

  10. A meteorological potential forecast model for acid rain in Fujian Province, China.

    PubMed

    Cai, Yi Yong; Lin, Chang Cheng; Liu, Jing Xiong; Wu, De Hui; Lian, Dong Ying; Chen, Bin Bin

    2010-05-01

    Based on the acid rain and concurrent meteorological observational data during the past 10 years in Fujian Province, China, the dependence of distribution characteristics of acid rain on season, rain rate, weather pattern and dominant airflow in four regions of Fujian Province is analyzed. On the annual average, the acid rain frequency is the highest (above 40%) in the southern and mid-eastern regions, and the lowest (16.2%) in the western region. The acid rain occurs most frequently in spring and winter, and least frequent in summer. The acid rain frequency in general increases with the increase of precipitation. It also depend on the direction of dominant airflows at 850 hPa. In the mid-eastern region, more than 40% acid rains appear when the dominant wind directions are NW, W, SW, S and SE. In the southern region, high acid rain occurrence happens when the dominant wind directions are NW, W, SW and S. In the northern region, 41.8% acid rains occur when the southwesterly is pronounced. In the western region, the southwesterly is associated with a 17% acid rain rate. The examination of meteorological sounding conditions over Fuzhou, Xiamen and Shaowu cities shows that the acid rain frequency increases with increased inversion thickness. Based on the results above, a meteorological potential forecast model for acid rain is established and tested in 2007. The result is encouraging. The model provides an objective basis for the development of acid rain forecasting operation in the province.

  11. Acid Rain: A Teacher's Guide. Activities for Grades 4 to 12.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Wildlife Federation, Washington, DC.

    This guide on acid rain for elementary and secondary students is divided into three study areas: (1) What Causes Acid Rain; (2) What Problems Acid Rain Has Created; (3) How You and Your Students Can Help Combat Acid Rain. Each section presents background information and a series of lessons pertaining to the section topic. Activities include…

  12. Acid Rain. Activities for Grades 4 to 12. A Teacher's Guide.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wood, David; Bryant, Jeannette

    This teacher's guide on acid rain is divided into three study areas to explain: (1) what causes acid rain; (2) what problems acid rain has created; and (3) what teachers and students can do to help combat acid rain. Instructions for activities within the study areas include suggested grade levels, objectives, materials needed, and directions for…

  13. SULFURIC ACID RAIN EFFECTS ON CROP YIELD AND FOLIAR INJURY

    EPA Science Inventory

    A study was undertaken to determine the relative sensitivity of major U.S. crops to sulfuric acid rain. Plants were grown under controlled environmental conditions and exposed to simulated acid rain of three sulfuric acid concentrations (pH 3.0, 3.5, 4.0) or to a control rain (pH...

  14. Difficult Decisions: Acid Rain.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Miller, John A.; Slesnick, Irwin L.

    1989-01-01

    Discusses some of the contributing factors and chemical reactions involved in the production of acid rain, its effects, and political issues pertaining to who should pay for the clean up. Supplies questions for consideration and discussion. (RT)

  15. The Acid Rain Debate.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Oates-Bockenstedt, Catherine

    1997-01-01

    Details an activity designed to motivate students by incorporating science-related issues into a classroom debate. Includes "The Acid Rain Bill" and "Position Guides" for student roles as committee members, consumers, governors, industry owners, tourism professionals, senators, and debate directors. (DKM)

  16. 40 CFR 72.69 - Issuance and effective date of acid rain permits.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ...) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) PERMITS REGULATION Federal Acid Rain Permit Issuance Procedures § 72.69 Issuance and effective date of acid rain permits. (a) After the close of the public comment period, the Administrator will issue or deny an Acid Rain permit. The Administrator will serve a copy of any Acid Rain...

  17. 40 CFR 72.69 - Issuance and effective date of acid rain permits.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ...) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) PERMITS REGULATION Federal Acid Rain Permit Issuance Procedures § 72.69 Issuance and effective date of acid rain permits. (a) After the close of the public comment period, the Administrator will issue or deny an Acid Rain permit. The Administrator will serve a copy of any Acid Rain...

  18. 40 CFR 72.69 - Issuance and effective date of acid rain permits.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ...) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) PERMITS REGULATION Federal Acid Rain Permit Issuance Procedures § 72.69 Issuance and effective date of acid rain permits. (a) After the close of the public comment period, the Administrator will issue or deny an Acid Rain permit. The Administrator will serve a copy of any Acid Rain...

  19. 40 CFR 72.69 - Issuance and effective date of acid rain permits.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ...) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) PERMITS REGULATION Federal Acid Rain Permit Issuance Procedures § 72.69 Issuance and effective date of acid rain permits. (a) After the close of the public comment period, the Administrator will issue or deny an Acid Rain permit. The Administrator will serve a copy of any Acid Rain...

  20. 40 CFR 72.69 - Issuance and effective date of acid rain permits.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ...) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) PERMITS REGULATION Federal Acid Rain Permit Issuance Procedures § 72.69 Issuance and effective date of acid rain permits. (a) After the close of the public comment period, the Administrator will issue or deny an Acid Rain permit. The Administrator will serve a copy of any Acid Rain...

  1. Acid rain stimulation of Lake Michigan phytoplankton growth

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Manny, Bruce A.; Fahnenstiel, G.L.; Gardner, W.S.

    1987-01-01

    Three laboratory experiments demonstrated that additions of rainwater to epilimnetic lake water collected in southeastern Lake Michigan stimulated chlorophyll a production more than did additions of reagent-grade water during incubations of 12 to 20 d. Chlorophyll a production did not begin until 3–5 d after the rain and lake water were mixed. The stimulation caused by additions of rain acidified to pH 3.0 was greater than that caused by additions of untreated rain (pH 4.0–4.5). Our results support the following hypotheses: (1) Acid rain stimulates the growth of phytoplankton in lake water; (2) phosphorus in rain appears to be the factor causing this stimulation. We conclude that acid rain may accelerate the growth of epilimnetic phytoplankton in Lake Michigan (and other similar lakes) during stratification when other sources of bioavailable phosphorus to the epilimnion are limited

  2. Effects and mechanism of acid rain on plant chloroplast ATP synthase.

    PubMed

    Sun, Jingwen; Hu, Huiqing; Li, Yueli; Wang, Lihong; Zhou, Qing; Huang, Xiaohua

    2016-09-01

    Acid rain can directly or indirectly affect plant physiological functions, especially photosynthesis. The enzyme ATP synthase is the key in photosynthetic energy conversion, and thus, it affects plant photosynthesis. To clarify the mechanism by which acid rain affects photosynthesis, we studied the effects of acid rain on plant growth, photosynthesis, chloroplast ATP synthase activity and gene expression, chloroplast ultrastructure, intracellular H(+) level, and water content of rice seedlings. Acid rain at pH 4.5 remained the chloroplast structure unchanged but increased the expression of six chloroplast ATP synthase subunits, promoted chloroplast ATP synthase activity, and increased photosynthesis and plant growth. Acid rain at pH 4.0 or less decreased leaf water content, destroyed chloroplast structure, inhibited the expression of six chloroplast ATP synthase subunits, decreased chloroplast ATP synthase activity, and reduced photosynthesis and plant growth. In conclusion, acid rain affected the chloroplast ultrastructure, chloroplast ATPase transcription and activity, and P n by changing the acidity in the cells, and thus influencing the plant growth and development. Finally, the effects of simulated acid rain on the test indices were found to be dose-dependent.

  3. Acid Rain Classroom Projects.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Demchik, Michael J.

    2000-01-01

    Describes a curriculum plan in which students learn about acid rain through instructional media, research and class presentations, lab activities, simulations, design, and design implementation. Describes the simulation activity in detail and includes materials, procedures, instructions, examples, results, and discussion sections. (SAH)

  4. 40 CFR 72.71 - Acceptance of State Acid Rain programs-general.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 17 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Acceptance of State Acid Rain programs... PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) PERMITS REGULATION Acid Rain Phase II Implementation § 72.71 Acceptance of State Acid... State Acid Rain program meeting the requirements of §§ 72.72 and 72.73. (b) The Administrator will...

  5. 40 CFR 72.71 - Acceptance of State Acid Rain programs-general.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 17 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Acceptance of State Acid Rain programs... PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) PERMITS REGULATION Acid Rain Phase II Implementation § 72.71 Acceptance of State Acid... State Acid Rain program meeting the requirements of §§ 72.72 and 72.73. (b) The Administrator will...

  6. 40 CFR 72.71 - Acceptance of State Acid Rain programs-general.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 16 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Acceptance of State Acid Rain programs... PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) PERMITS REGULATION Acid Rain Phase II Implementation § 72.71 Acceptance of State Acid... State Acid Rain program meeting the requirements of §§ 72.72 and 72.73. (b) The Administrator will...

  7. 40 CFR 72.71 - Acceptance of State Acid Rain programs-general.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 16 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Acceptance of State Acid Rain programs... PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) PERMITS REGULATION Acid Rain Phase II Implementation § 72.71 Acceptance of State Acid... State Acid Rain program meeting the requirements of §§ 72.72 and 72.73. (b) The Administrator will...

  8. 40 CFR 72.71 - Acceptance of State Acid Rain programs-general.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 17 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Acceptance of State Acid Rain programs... PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) PERMITS REGULATION Acid Rain Phase II Implementation § 72.71 Acceptance of State Acid... State Acid Rain program meeting the requirements of §§ 72.72 and 72.73. (b) The Administrator will...

  9. Effects of acidic rain and ozone on nitrogen fixation and photosynthesis in the lichen lobaria pulmonaria (L. ) Hoffm

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Sigal, L.L.; Johnston, J.W.

    1986-01-01

    The lichen Lobaria pulmonaria was subjected to ozone fumigations at 118, 235 and 353 mcg/cu m and simulated acidic rain at pH levels of 2.6, 4.2 and 5.6 for 5 days (M,W,F,M,W) during a 10-day period. Acidic rain at pH 2.6 caused significant reduction in nitrogen fixation and gross photosynthesis of 100 and 90%, respectively, and thallus bleaching was apparent. There were no significant differences between the pH 5.6 and 4.2 treatments in either gross photosynthesis or nitrogen fixation, and the color of the lichen thalli was unchanged. The effect of ozone on nitrogen fixation and photosynthesis over the rangemore » of concentrations used was not significant, but there was a trend toward reduced nitrogen fixation with increasing O/sub 3/ concentration. There were no significant ozone-acidic rain interactions. The threshold for response to rain acidity for L. pulmonaria lies between pH 2.6 and 4.2, and the acidity of wet deposition in parts of the United States may fall in the range.« less

  10. The contamination of rain samples by dry deposition on rain collectors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fowler, D.; Cape, J. N.

    A series of short-term experiments at a rural site in eastern Scotland showed that dry deposition of SO 2 gas onto pyrex glass rain collectors in dry weather approached saturation after 24 h and contributed c. 80 % of dry-deposited S, the remaining 20 % being attributable to Particulate sulphate. A comparison over 3 years of soluble sulphate from funnel washings after dry days with daily concentrations of SO 2 and particulate sulphate was well fitted by a linear dependence on Particulate sulphate and a logarithmic dependence on SO 2 concentrations. Particulate sulphate contributed 34 (+- 7) % of the dry deposition on dry days, although there was a marked seasonal variation in the total dry deposit of S on the collector which was independent of SO 2 and particulate sulphate concentrations. A comparison of monthly and daily collectors at the same site from April to September was consistent with these estimates of dry deposition on dry days. An extrapolation to sites with similar collectors in northern Britain showed that between 1S and 35 % of the monthly collected non-marine sulphate could have been dry-deposited on the collector.

  11. The Acid Rain Debate.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bybee, Rodger; And Others

    1984-01-01

    Describes an activity which provides opportunities for role-playing as industrialists, ecologists, and government officials. The activity involves forming an international commission on acid rain, taking testimony, and, based on the testimony, making recommendations to governments on specific ways to solve the problem. Includes suggestions for…

  12. Elementary Acid Rain Kit, Interdisciplinary, Grades 4-8.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stubbs, Harriett S.; And Others

    An interdisciplinary approach for teaching about acid rain is offered in this curriculum guide for teachers of grades 4-8. Skill and concept areas of science, math, social studies, art, and the language arts are developed in 12 activities which focus on the acid rain problems. A matrix of the activities and subject areas indicates the coverage…

  13. Detecting Sulfuric and Nitric Acid Rain Stresses on Quercus glauca through Hyperspectral Responses

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Shanqian; Zhang, Xiuying; Ma, Yuandan; Li, Xinhui; Zhang, Xiaomin; Liu, Lei

    2018-01-01

    Acid rain, which has become one of the most severe global environmental issues, is detrimental to plant growth. However, effective methods for monitoring plant responses to acid rain stress are currently lacking. The hyperspectral technique provides a cost-effective and nondestructive way to diagnose acid rain stresses. Taking a widely distributed species (Quercus glauca) in Southern China as an example, this study aims to monitor the hyperspectral responses of Q. glauca to simulated sulfuric acid rain (SAR) and nitric acid rain (NAR). A total of 15 periods of leaf hyperspectral data under four pH levels of SAR and NAR were obtained during the experiment. The results showed that hyperspectral information could be used to distinguish plant responses under acid rain stress. An index (green peak area index, GPAI) was proposed to indicate acid rain stresses, based on the significantly variations in the region of 500–660 nm. Light acid rain (pH 4.5 SAR and NAR) promoted Q. glauca growth relative to the control groups (pH 5.6 SAR and NAR); moderate acid rain (pH 3.0 SAR) firstly promoted and then inhibited plant growth, while pH 3.0 NAR showed mild inhibitory effects during the experiment; and heavy acid rain (pH 2.0) significantly inhibited plant growth. Compared with NAR, SAR induced more serious damages to Q. glauca. These results could help monitor acid rain stress on plants on a regional scale using remote sensing techniques. PMID:29522488

  14. Detecting Sulfuric and Nitric Acid Rain Stresses on Quercus glauca through Hyperspectral Responses.

    PubMed

    Wang, Shanqian; Zhang, Xiuying; Ma, Yuandan; Li, Xinhui; Cheng, Min; Zhang, Xiaomin; Liu, Lei

    2018-03-09

    Acid rain, which has become one of the most severe global environmental issues, is detrimental to plant growth. However, effective methods for monitoring plant responses to acid rain stress are currently lacking. The hyperspectral technique provides a cost-effective and nondestructive way to diagnose acid rain stresses. Taking a widely distributed species ( Quercus glauca ) in Southern China as an example, this study aims to monitor the hyperspectral responses of Q. glauca to simulated sulfuric acid rain (SAR) and nitric acid rain (NAR). A total of 15 periods of leaf hyperspectral data under four pH levels of SAR and NAR were obtained during the experiment. The results showed that hyperspectral information could be used to distinguish plant responses under acid rain stress. An index (green peak area index, GPAI) was proposed to indicate acid rain stresses, based on the significantly variations in the region of 500-660 nm. Light acid rain (pH 4.5 SAR and NAR) promoted Q. glauca growth relative to the control groups (pH 5.6 SAR and NAR); moderate acid rain (pH 3.0 SAR) firstly promoted and then inhibited plant growth, while pH 3.0 NAR showed mild inhibitory effects during the experiment; and heavy acid rain (pH 2.0) significantly inhibited plant growth. Compared with NAR, SAR induced more serious damages to Q. glauca . These results could help monitor acid rain stress on plants on a regional scale using remote sensing techniques.

  15. [Effects of simulated acid rain on water physiological characteristics of Myrica rubra seedlings].

    PubMed

    Yaho, Zhao-bin; Jiang, Hong; Yu, Shu-quan; Lu, Mei-juan

    2011-08-01

    Taking the seedlings of typical subtropical economic tree species Myrica rubra in Zhejiang Province as test materials, a pot experiment was conducted to study their water physiological characteristics under effects of simulated acid rain (pH 2.5 and pH 4.0), with water (pH 5.6) as the control. Season, year, and acid rain all had significant effects on the photosynthetic rate (Pn). Among the treatments, the Pn had a greater difference in summer than in spring and autumn, and was higher in treatment acid rain (pH 4.0). Season, year, acid rain, and the interactions of season and year and of the three factors had significant effects on the stomata conductance (Gs), and also, the Gs had a greater difference among the treatments in summer than in spring and autumn. Acid rain had inhibitory effect on Gs. Season, year, acid rain, and the interactions of season and year and of season and acid rain affected the transpiration rate (Tr) significantly. Same as Pn and Gs, the Tr had a greater difference among the treatments in summer than in spring and autumn. Acid rain (pH 2.5) had the strongest inhibitory effect on Tr. Acid rain and the interactions of season and year and of season and acid rain had significant effects on the water use efficiency (WUE), and acid rain (pH 2.5) had definitely positive effect on the WUE.

  16. Comparative effects of simulated acid rain of different ratios of SO42- to NO3- on fine root in subtropical plantation of China.

    PubMed

    Liu, Xin; Zhao, Wenrui; Meng, Miaojing; Fu, Zhiyuan; Xu, Linhao; Zha, Yan; Yue, Jianmin; Zhang, Shuifeng; Zhang, Jinchi

    2018-03-15

    The influence of acid rain on forest trees includes direct effects on foliage as well as indirect soil-mediated effects that cause a reduction in fine-root growth. In addition, the concentration of NO 3 - in acid rain increases with the rapidly growing of nitrogen deposition. In this study, we investigated the impact of simulated acid rain with different SO 4 2- /NO 3 - (S/N) ratios, which were 5:1 (S), 1:1 (SN) and 1:5 (N), on fine-root growth from March 2015 to February 2016. Results showed that fine roots were more sensitive to the effects of acid rain than soils in the short-term. Both soil pH and fine root biomass (FRB) significantly decreased as acid rain pH decreased, and also decreased with the percentage of NO 3 - increased in acid rain. Acid rain pH significantly influenced soil total carbon and available potassium in summer. Higher acidity level (pH=2.5), especially of the N treatments, had the strongest inhibitory impact on soil microbial activity after summer. The structural equation modelling results showed that acid rain S/N ratio and pH had stronger direct effects on FRB than indirect effects via changed soil and fine root properties. Fine-root element contents and antioxidant enzymes activities were significantly affected by acid rain S/N ratio and pH during most seasons. Fine-root Al ion content, Ca/Al, Mg/Al ratios and catalase activity were used as better indicators than soil parameters for evaluating the effects of different acid rain S/N ratios and pH on forests. Our results suggest that the ratio of SO 4 2- to NO 3 - in acid rain is an important factor which could affect fine-root growth in subtropical forests of China. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  17. 40 CFR 75.3 - General Acid Rain Program provisions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 17 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false General Acid Rain Program provisions. 75.3 Section 75.3 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) CONTINUOUS EMISSION MONITORING General § 75.3 General Acid Rain Program provisions. The...

  18. 40 CFR 75.3 - General Acid Rain Program provisions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 16 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false General Acid Rain Program provisions. 75.3 Section 75.3 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) CONTINUOUS EMISSION MONITORING General § 75.3 General Acid Rain Program provisions. The...

  19. 40 CFR 75.3 - General Acid Rain Program provisions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 17 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false General Acid Rain Program provisions. 75.3 Section 75.3 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) CONTINUOUS EMISSION MONITORING General § 75.3 General Acid Rain Program provisions. The...

  20. 40 CFR 75.3 - General Acid Rain Program provisions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 16 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false General Acid Rain Program provisions. 75.3 Section 75.3 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) CONTINUOUS EMISSION MONITORING General § 75.3 General Acid Rain Program provisions. The...

  1. 40 CFR 75.3 - General Acid Rain Program provisions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 17 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false General Acid Rain Program provisions. 75.3 Section 75.3 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) CONTINUOUS EMISSION MONITORING General § 75.3 General Acid Rain Program provisions. The...

  2. [Relationship between simulated acid rain stress and leaf reflectance].

    PubMed

    Song, Xiao-dong; Jiang, Hong; Yu, Shu-quan; Zhou, Guo-mo; Jiang, Zi-shan

    2010-01-01

    Acid rain is a worldwide environmental problem. Serious acid rain pollution in subtropical China has constituted a potential threat to the health of the local forest. In the present paper, the changing properties of the chlorophyll concentration and spectral reflectance at the visible wavelengths for the six subtropical broad-leaved tree species leaves under simulated acid rain (SAR) treatment with different pH levels were studied. With the increasing strength of the SAR, the chlorophyll concentrations of the experimental species under pH 2.5 and pH 4.0 treatment were higher than that under pH 5.6; the spectral reflectance at the visible wavelengths for pH 2.5 and pH 4.0 were lower than that for pH 5.6 in general; while there weren't significant differences between pH 2.5 and pH 4.0. After the treatment with different levels of SAR, the differences in spectral reflectance at the visible wavelengths mainly focused around the green peak and red edge on the reflectance curve. The subtropical broad-leaved tree species studied were relatively not sensitive to acid rain stresses; some stronger acid rain may accelerate the growth of the tree species used here to some extent.

  3. Direct effect of acid rain on leaf chlorophyll content of terrestrial plants in China.

    PubMed

    Du, Enzai; Dong, Dan; Zeng, Xuetong; Sun, Zhengzhong; Jiang, Xiaofei; de Vries, Wim

    2017-12-15

    Anthropogenic emissions of acid precursors in China have resulted in widespread acid rain since the 1980s. Although efforts have been made to assess the indirect, soil mediated ecological effects of acid rain, a systematic assessment of the direct foliage injury by acid rain across terrestrial plants is lacking. Leaf chlorophyll content is an important indicator of direct foliage damage and strongly related to plant productivity. We synthesized data from published literature on experiments of simulated acid rain, by directly exposing plants to acid solutions with varying pH levels, to assess the direct effect of acid rain on leaf chlorophyll content across 67 terrestrial plants in China. Our results indicate that acid rain substantially reduces leaf chlorophyll content by 6.71% per pH unit across the recorded plant species. The direct reduction of leaf chlorophyll content due to acid rain exposure showed no significant difference across calcicole, ubiquist or calcifuge species, implying that soil acidity preference does not influence the sensitivity to leaf injury by acid rain. On average, the direct effects of acid rain on leaf chlorophyll on trees, shrubs and herbs were comparable. The effects, however varied across functional groups and economic use types. Specifically, leaf chlorophyll content of deciduous species was more sensitive to acid rain in comparison to evergreen species. Moreover, vegetables and fruit trees were more sensitive to acid rain than other economically used plants. Our findings imply a potential production reduction and economic loss due to the direct foliage damage by acid rain. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. The Acid Rain Game.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rakow, Steven J.; Glenn, Allen

    1982-01-01

    Provides rationale for and description of an acid rain game (designed for two players), a problem-solving model for elementary students. Although complete instructions are provided, including a copy of the game board, the game is also available for Apple II microcomputers. Information for the computer program is available from the author.…

  5. EFFECTS OF ACID RAIN ON GRAPEVINES

    EPA Science Inventory

    Mature vineyard-growing Concord grapevines were sprayed with simulated acid rain solutions ranging from pH 2.5 to 5.5 both as acute treatments at anthesis and chronically throughout the season in 1980 and 1981. In 1981, 8 additional varieties were also treated with simulated acid...

  6. [Characteristics and the impact factors of acid rain in Fuzhou and Xiamen 1992-2012].

    PubMed

    Zheng, Qiu-Ping; Wang, Hong; Chen, Bin-Bin; Sui, Ping; Lin, Wen

    2014-10-01

    Based on the observed acid rain data, synoptic situations and mass concentrations of atmospheric pollutants data from 1992 to 2012, the temporal variation characteristics and the impact factors of acid rain were analyzed in Fuzhou and Xiamen. The results showed that acid rain and non-acid rain accounted for 38.1% and 61.9% respectively in Fuzhou, 40.6% and 59.4% respectively in Xiamen. The annual average pH was 4.1-5.5 in Fuzhou. Acid rain pollution alleviated after 2007 in Fuzhou, and alleviated after 2006 in Xiamen. Acid rain was more serious in winter and spring than in summer and autumn. Precipitation intensity could affect the acidity of rain. Acid rain was observed more serious in southeast, southwest, west and northwest wind in Fuzhou, and more serious in northeast, southwest, west and northwest wind in Xiamen. Acid rain was most severe under the condition of transformed surface cold high, while most light under the conditions of typhoon (intertropical convergence zone) and outside of typhoon (intertropical convergence zone). There was a negative correlation between the mass concentrations of atmospheric pollutants, such as SO2, NO2, PM10, and the pH of rain in Fuzhou.

  7. [Spatiotemporal trends and the impact factors of acid rain in Anhui Province].

    PubMed

    Shi, Chun-E; Qiu, Ming-Yan; Zhang, Ai-Min; Zhang, Hao; Zhang, Su; Wang, Zi-Fa

    2010-06-01

    The observational data of acid rain at seven stations in Anhui province operated by China Meteorological Administration (CMA), as well as the coal consumptions in Anhui and some surrounding provinces along with satellite measured tropospheric NO2 columns, were used to analyze the spatiotemporal trends of acid rain in Anhui and the potential reasons of the increasing occurrence frequency of acid rain. In addition, the technique of back-trajectory-cluster analysis was used to examine the impacts of transport patterns on the precipitation acidity in Anhui. The occurrence frequency shows the lowest in summer and the highest in autumn, with 3-year average pH < 5.6 during 2006-2008 at all stations, hereinto, pH values are between 5.0 and 4.5 in Hefei, Anqing, Maanshan and Bengbu. In spatial, acid rain were the most severe in southern to middle Anhui and mitigated to north. The distributions of pH were concentrative at Fuyang, Tongling and Huangshan, with more than 75% occurred between 6.00-7.50 (Fuyang), 5.00-6.00 (Tongling) and 5.00-6.50 (Huangshan); quite dispersive at other stations, with the maximum at 4.00-4.50 (Hefei and Anqing), 5.00-5.50 (Maanshan) and 5.50-6.00 (Bengbu). The occurrence frequencies of acid rain increased evidently at all stations comparing with those in the end of 1990s. The results of back-trajectories-cluster analysis show that the acid rain is closely related with the regional-range transport of acid rain precursors at each station. The air-masses from southeast and northeast, especially those passing through Jiangsu and Zhejiang, associated with the highest frequencies of acid rain with pH < 5.0, indicating that the industrial emissions in the economy developed areas of Yangtze Delta play key roles in acid rain in Anhui province. In addition, statistics shows that the occurrence frequency of acid rain in Hefei was highly correlated with the trends of the provincial coal consumptions in Anhui, Jiangsu and Zhejiang, also tropospheric NO2 column

  8. Influence of acid rain upon water plumbosolvency.

    PubMed Central

    Moore, M R

    1985-01-01

    The West of Scotland has had particular problems in the past associated with soft acidic water supplies and uptake of lead from domestic plumbing systems by such water. As a consequence of this, health problems related to overexposure to lead have been identified. The current debate on acidification of ground waters by acid rain is therefore particularly pertinent to this area. Studies have shown that even a modest decrease in pH will result in very substantial increase in plumbosolvency. This was found to be of particular importance in the city of Glasgow and town of Ayr, where prior to water treatment, pH values were 6.3 and 5.4, respectively, and where, consequentially, large numbers of homes did not comply with lead in water standards. Closed-loop lime-dosing systems were introduced in both Glasgow and Ayr to increase the pH with immediate decrease in the lead content of the water and, subsequently, blood lead concentrations of the subjects living in these areas. Such closed-loop systems will compensate for any acidity in water supplies, whether of natural origin or originating from acid rain precipitation. However, when such treatment has not been applied, any increase in water acidity due to acid rain which is, in many cases, already unacceptable. which is, in many cases, already unacceptable. PMID:4076078

  9. [Analysis of acid rain characteristics of Lin'an Regional Background Station using long-term observation data].

    PubMed

    Li, Zheng-Quan; Ma, Hao; Mao, Yu-Ding; Feng, Tao

    2014-02-01

    Using long-term observation data of acid rain at Lin'an Regional Background Station (Lin'an RBS), this paper studied the interannual and monthly variations of acid rain, the reasons for the variations, and the relationships between acid rain and meteorological factors. The results showed that interannual variation of acid rain at Lin'an RBS had a general increasing trend in which there were two obvious intensifying processes and two distinct weakening processes, during the period ranging from 1985 to 2012. In last two decades, the monthly variation of acid rain at Lin'an RBS indicated that rain acidity and frequency of severe acid rain were increasing but the frequency of weak acid rain was decreasing when moving towards bilateral side months of July. Acid rain occurrence was affected by rainfall intensity, wind speed and wind direction. High frequency of severe acid rain and low frequency of weak acid rain were on days with drizzle, but high frequency of weak acid rain and low frequency of severe acid rain occurred on rainstorm days. With wind speed upgrading, the frequency of acid rain and the proportion of severe acid rain were declining, the pH value of precipitation was reducing too. Another character is that daily dominant wind direction of weak acid rain majorly converged in S-W section ,however that of severe acid rain was more likely distributed in N-E section. The monthly variation of acid rain at Lin'an RBS was mainly attributed to precipitation variation, the increasing and decreasing of monthly incoming wind from SSE-WSW and NWN-ENE sections of wind direction. The interannual variation of acid rain could be due to the effects of energy consumption raising and significant green policies conducted in Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Shanghai.

  10. Combined effects of lead and acid rain on photosynthesis in soybean seedlings.

    PubMed

    Hu, Huiqing; Wang, Lihong; Liao, Chenyu; Fan, Caixia; Zhou, Qing; Huang, Xiaohua

    2014-10-01

    To explore how lead (Pb) and acid rain simultaneously affect plants, the combined effects of Pb and acid rain on the chlorophyll content, chlorophyll fluorescence reaction, Hill reaction rate, and Mg(2+)-ATPase activity in soybean seedlings were investigated. The results indicated that, when soybean seedlings were treated with Pb or acid rain alone, the chlorophyll content, Hill reaction rate, Mg(2+)-ATPase activity, and maximal photochemical efficiency (F(v)/F(m)) were decreased, while the initial fluorescence (F 0) and maximum quantum yield (Y) were increased, compared with those of the control. The combined treatment with Pb and acid rain decreased the chlorophyll content, Hill reaction rate, Mg(2+)-ATPase activity, F(v)/F(m), and Y and increased F 0 in soybean seedlings. Under the combined treatment with Pb and acid rain, the two factors showed additive effects on the chlorophyll content in soybean seedlings and exhibited antagonistic effects on the Hill reaction rate. Under the combined treatment with high-concentration Pb and acid rain, the two factors exhibited synergistic effects on the Mg(2+)-ATPase activity, F 0, F v/F m, as well as Y. In summary, the inhibition of the photosynthetic process is an important physiological basis for the simultaneous actions of Pb and acid rain in soybean seedlings.

  11. Acid Rain Materials for Classroom Use.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Factor, Lance; Kooser, Robert G.

    This booklet contains three separate papers suitable for use in an advanced high school or college chemistry course. The first paper provides background information on acids and bases. The second paper provides additional background information, focusing on certain aspects of atmospheric chemistry as it relates to the acid rain problem. An attempt…

  12. Corrosion of 85-5-5-5 bronze in natural and synthetic acid rain

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Morselli, L.; Bernardi, E.; Chiavari, C.; Brunoro, G.

    In order to investigate the decay of bronzes exposed to acid wet depositions, a comparative study has been performed by following the corrosion behaviour of different sets of bronze specimens exposed either to natural rain or to a similar solution, without organic compounds, artificially reproduced in laboratory. The as cast G85 bronze specimens were exposed to aggressive solutions for different periods through a wet-dry technique. The pH trend of the solutions and the amount of metals transferred into the solutions were periodically monitored. OM, SEM, XRD, RAMAN analyses and ac electrochemical measurements were performed on the artificially weathered specimens. Preliminary results, showing the difference between the ageing in natural and synthetic rain, suggest the influence of the organic components on the corrosion process. In particular, the growth of a more uniform protective layer of corrosion products on the metal surface exposed to the natural rain could be attributed to these components.

  13. Activity of earthworm in Latosol under simulated acid rain stress

    Treesearch

    Jia-En Zhang; Jiayu Yu; Ying Ouyang

    2015-01-01

    Acid rain is still an issue of environmental concerns. This study investigated the impacts of simulated acid rain (SAR) upon earthworm activity from the Latosol (acidic red soil). Laboratory experiment was performed by leaching the soil columns grown with earthworms (Eisenia fetida) at the SAR pH levels ranged from 2.0 to 6.5 over a 34-day period....

  14. High frequency and large deposition of acid fog on high elevation forest.

    PubMed

    Igawa, Manabu; Matsumura, Ko; Okochi, Hiroshi

    2002-01-01

    We have collected and analyzed fogwater on the mountainside of Mt. Oyama (1252 m) in the Tanzawa Mountains of Japan and observed the fog event frequency from the base of the mountain with a video camera. The fog event frequency increased with elevation and was observed to be present 46% of the year at the summit. The water deposition via throughfall increased with elevation because of the increase in fogwater interception and was about twice that via rain at the summit, where the air pollutant deposition via throughfall was several times that via rainwater. The dry deposition and the deposition via fogwater were dominant factors in the total ion deposition at high elevation sites. In a fog event, nitric acid, the major acid component on the mountain, is formed during the transport of the air mass from the base of the mountain along the mountainside, where gases including nitric acid deposit and are scavenged by fogwater. Therefore, high acidity caused by nitric acid and relatively low ion strength are observed in the fogwater at high elevation sites.

  15. Acid Rain: A Student's First Sourcebook.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kyle, Beth Ann; And Others

    The purpose of this guide is to help students better understand the science, citizen action, and research issues that are part of the acid rain problem. The guide is designed for students in grades 4-8 and their teachers. Following an introduction, the first seven sections are informative in nature. They include: (1) "Observations about Acidity";…

  16. THE ACID RAIN NOX PROGRAM

    EPA Science Inventory

    Between 350,000 and 400,000 tons of annual NOx emissions have been eliminated as a result of Phase I of the Acid Rain NOx Program. As expected. the utilities have chosen emissions averaging as the primary compliance option. This reflects that, in general, NO x reductions have ...

  17. Differential Gene Expression of Longan Under Simulated Acid Rain Stress.

    PubMed

    Zheng, Shan; Pan, Tengfei; Ma, Cuilan; Qiu, Dongliang

    2017-05-01

    Differential gene expression profile was studied in Dimocarpus longan Lour. in response to treatments of simulated acid rain with pH 2.5, 3.5, and a control (pH 5.6) using differential display reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (DDRT-PCR). Results showed that mRNA differential display conditions were optimized to find an expressed sequence tag (EST) related with acid rain stress. The potential encoding products had 80% similarity with a transcription initiation factor IIF of Gossypium raimondii and 81% similarity with a protein product of Theobroma cacao. This fragment is the transcription factor activated by second messenger substances in longan leaves after signal perception of acid rain.

  18. Pollution problem: acid rain and beekeeping

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Hayes, B.

    1979-11-01

    Some of the problems caused by acid rain are presented with emphasis on the effects on bees, especially in the Northeast. Scientists believe that rain east of the Mississippi is below 5.6 and average Northeastern rainfall is now down to pH 4. Trace minerals are being leached out of the soils and nectar that lacks calcium is being passed by when the bees forage. The first plants to show the effects will be the wild varieties of the legumes, such as clover. This leaves only plants on the extreme end of the acid scale such as the blueberry for beemore » forage. This leads to the side effect of the movement of calcium in nectar which will be restricted due to a lack of calcium-lime.« less

  19. Health risks from acid rain: a Canadian perspective.

    PubMed

    Franklin, C A; Burnett, R T; Paolini, R J; Raizenne, M E

    1985-11-01

    Acidic deposition, commonly referred to as acid rain, is causing serious environmental damage in eastern Canada. The revenues from forest products, tourism and sport fishing are estimated to account for about 8% of the gross national product. The impact on human health is not as clearcut and a multi-department program on the Long-Range Transport of Airborne Pollutants (LRTAP) was approved by the federal government in June 1980. The objectives of the LRTAP program are to reduce wet sulfate deposition to less than 20 kg/ha per year in order to protect moderately sensitive areas. This will require a 50% reduction in Canadian SO2 emissions east of the Saskatchewan/Manitoba border and concomitant reductions in the eastern U.S.A. The objectives of the health sector of the program are to assess the risk to health posed by airborne pollutants which are subjected to long-range transport and to monitor the influence of abatement programs. Two major epidemiology studies were undertaken in 1983, one in which the health effects related to acute exposure to transported air pollutants were studied in asthmatic and nonasthmatic children, and another in which the effects of chronic exposure to these pollutants were studied in school children living in towns with high and low levels of pollutants. Preliminary analysis of the data do not indicate major health effects, but definitive conclusions must await final analysis. Studies on the indirect effects of acid deposition on water quality have shown that acidified lake water left standing in the plumbing system can adversely affect water quality and that federally set guidelines for copper and lead are exceeded. Flushing of the system before using the water rectifies the situation. Additional studies are planned to further delineate the magnitude of the health effects of acidified lake water.

  20. Health risks from acid rain: a Canadian perspective.

    PubMed Central

    Franklin, C A; Burnett, R T; Paolini, R J; Raizenne, M E

    1985-01-01

    Acidic deposition, commonly referred to as acid rain, is causing serious environmental damage in eastern Canada. The revenues from forest products, tourism and sport fishing are estimated to account for about 8% of the gross national product. The impact on human health is not as clearcut and a multi-department program on the Long-Range Transport of Airborne Pollutants (LRTAP) was approved by the federal government in June 1980. The objectives of the LRTAP program are to reduce wet sulfate deposition to less than 20 kg/ha per year in order to protect moderately sensitive areas. This will require a 50% reduction in Canadian SO2 emissions east of the Saskatchewan/Manitoba border and concomitant reductions in the eastern U.S.A. The objectives of the health sector of the program are to assess the risk to health posed by airborne pollutants which are subjected to long-range transport and to monitor the influence of abatement programs. Two major epidemiology studies were undertaken in 1983, one in which the health effects related to acute exposure to transported air pollutants were studied in asthmatic and nonasthmatic children, and another in which the effects of chronic exposure to these pollutants were studied in school children living in towns with high and low levels of pollutants. Preliminary analysis of the data do not indicate major health effects, but definitive conclusions must await final analysis. Studies on the indirect effects of acid deposition on water quality have shown that acidified lake water left standing in the plumbing system can adversely affect water quality and that federally set guidelines for copper and lead are exceeded. Flushing of the system before using the water rectifies the situation. Additional studies are planned to further delineate the magnitude of the health effects of acidified lake water. Images FIGURE 1. FIGURE 2. PMID:4076081

  1. Study on the relationship between meteorological conditions and acid rain in mid-eastern Fujian.

    PubMed

    Lin, C C; Liu, J X; Cai, Y Y; Li, B L; Wang, Z L; Chen, B B

    2009-08-01

    Based on the acid rain observation data and the contemporaneous historical synoptic charts of Mid-Eastern Fujian during the period of 1991 to 2003, we analyzed the distribution characteristics of acid rain in different seasons, weather types, precipitation grades and wind directions. The results showed that the acid pollution in Mid-Eastern Fujian was still serious. In winter, the precipitation pH value was 4.79, and the acid rain frequency was 60.62% which was twice higher than that in summer. The pH value of warm shear-type precipitation at 850 hPa was 4.79. Nearly half of these precipitations had the problems of acid rain pollution. The acid rain frequency of the inverted trough type was only 26.11% which was the lowest one in all types. There was no marked difference of the acid rain distribution characteristics between ahead-of-trough and behind-the-trough. The precipitation pH values of the five grades were lower than 5.30 and the acid rain frequency changed as an inverted U shape with the increasing of the rainfall. The pH values of precipitations in the eight wind directions were generally below 5.20, and the acid rain frequencies were about 40%.

  2. Acid-rain induced changes in streamwater quality during storms on Catoctin Mountain, Maryland

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Rice, Karen C.; Bricker, O.P.

    1992-01-01

    Catoctin Mountain receives some of the most acidic (lowest pH) rain in the United States. In 1990, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR), began a study of the effects of acid rain on the quality of streamwater on the part of Catoctin Mountain within Cunningham Falls State Park, Maryland (fig. 1). Samples of precipitation collected on the mountain by the USGS since 1982 have been analyzed for acidity and concentration of chemical constituents. During 1982-91, the volume-weighted average pH of precipitation was 4.2. (Volume weighting corrects for the effect of acids being washed out of the atmosphere at the beginning of rainfall). The pH value is measured on a logarithmic scale, which means that for each whole number change, the acidity changes by a factor of 10. Thus rain with a pH of 4.2 is more than 10 times as acidic as uncontaminated rain, which has a pH of about 5.6. The acidity of rain during several rainstorms on Catoctin Mountain was more than 100 times more acidic than uncontaminated rain.

  3. TECHNOLOGICAL OPTIONS FOR ACID RAIN CONTROL

    EPA Science Inventory

    Discussed are acid rain control options available to the electric utility industry. They include coal switching, flue gas desulfurization, and such emerging lower cost technologies as Limestone Injection Multistage Burners (LIMB) and Advanced Silicate (ADVACATE), both developed ...

  4. Acid Rain: A Selective Bibliography. Second Edition. Bibliography Series Twenty-One.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    O'Neill, Gertrudis, Comp.

    Acid rain is a term for rain, snow, or other precipitation produced from water vapor in the air reacting with emissions from automobiles, factories, power plants, and other oil and coal burning sources. When these chemical compounds, composed of sulfur oxide and nitrogen oxide, react with water vapor, the result is sulfuric acid and nitric acid.…

  5. Acid rain

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Boyle, R.H.; Boyle, R.A.

    1983-01-01

    Acid rain, says Boyle is a chemical leprosy eating into the face of North America and Europe, perhaps the major ecological problem of our time. Boyle describes the causes and scope of the phenomenon; the effects on man, wildlife, water, and our cultural heritage. He probes the delays of politicians and the frequent self-serving arguments advanced by industry in the face of what scientists have proved. The solutions he offers are to strengthen the Clean Air Act and require emission reductions that can be accomplished by establishing emission standards on a regional or bubble basis, burn low-sulfur coal, install scrubbersmore » at critical plants, and invest in alternative energy sources. 73 references, 1 figure.« less

  6. Vermicompost and biochar as bio-conditioners to immobilize heavy metal and improve soil fertility on cadmium contaminated soil under acid rain stress.

    PubMed

    Wang, Ying; Xu, YongAn; Li, Dan; Tang, BiCong; Man, ShuLei; Jia, YiFan; Xu, Heng

    2018-04-15

    This experiment was conducted to investigate the remediation effects of bio-conditioners vermicompost (VC) and biochar (BC) on cadmium contaminated soil under the threat of acid rain, individually and associatively. With the application of soil conditioners, the percentages of HOAc-extractable Cd decreased 5.2-6.8%, 9.0-13.5% and 7.9-12.1% in the groups amended with VC, BC and VC combined BC, respectively. When the pH of rain decreased from 7.0 to 4.0, the activity of acid phosphatase decreased 2.0%, 12.3%, 3.2%, 14.8% in VC, BC, VC combined BC and control groups, individually. This study affirmed that with the application of soil conditioners, the threat of heavy metal along with bioavailability of Cd was depressed, and the properties of soil biochemical indictors were enhanced. Oppositely, the bioavailability of Cd was promoted, and soil microbial viability as well as nutrient contents was inhibited with the spraying of acid rain. The findings indicated that acid deposition played a restrain effect on soil remediation process. Meanwhile, soil conditioners showed potentials to improve soil fertilities and alleviate the stress of acid rain. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  7. Combined effects of lanthanum (III) chloride and acid rain on photosynthetic parameters in rice.

    PubMed

    Wang, Lihong; Wang, Wen; Zhou, Qing; Huang, Xiaohua

    2014-10-01

    Rare earth elements (REEs) pollution and acid rain are environmental issues, and their deleterious effects on plants attract worldwide attention. These two issues exist simultaneously in many regions, especially in some rice-growing areas. However, little is known about the combined effects of REEs and acid rain on plants. Here, the combined effects of lanthanum chloride (LaCl3), one type of REE salt, and acid rain on photosynthesis in rice were investigated. We showed that the combined treatment of 81.6 μM LaCl3 and acid rain at pH 4.5 increased net photosynthetic rate (Pn), stomatic conductance (Gs), intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci), Hill reaction activity (HRA), apparent quantum yield (AQY) and carboxylation efficiency (CE) in rice. The combined treatment of 81.6 μM LaCl3 and acid rain at pH 3.5 began to behave toxic effects on photosynthesis (decreasing Pn, Gs, HRA, AQY and CE, and increasing Ci), and the maximally toxic effects were observed in the combined treatment of 2449.0 μM LaCl3 and acid rain at pH 2.5. Moreover, the combined effects of LaCl3 and acid rain on photosynthesis in rice depended on the growth stage of rice, with the maximal effects occurring at the booting stage. Furthermore, the combined treatment of high-concentration LaCl3 and low-pH acid rain had more serious effects on photosynthesis in rice than LaCl3 or acid rain treatment alone. Finally, the combined effect of LaCl3 and acid rain on Pn in rice resulted from the changes in stomatic (Gs, Ci) and non-stomatic (HRA, AQY and CE) factors. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Non-linear direct effects of acid rain on leaf photosynthetic rate of terrestrial plants.

    PubMed

    Dong, Dan; Du, Enzai; Sun, Zhengzhong; Zeng, Xuetong; de Vries, Wim

    2017-12-01

    Anthropogenic emissions of acid precursors have enhanced global occurrence of acid rain, especially in East Asia. Acid rain directly suppresses leaf function by eroding surface waxes and cuticle and leaching base cations from mesophyll cells, while the simultaneous foliar uptake of nitrates in rainwater may directly benefit leaf photosynthesis and plant growth, suggesting a non-linear direct effect of acid rain. By synthesizing data from literature on acid rain exposure experiments, we assessed the direct effects of acid rain on leaf photosynthesis across 49 terrestrial plants in China. Our results show a non-linear direct effect of acid rain on leaf photosynthetic rate, including a neutral to positive effect above pH 5.0 and a negative effect below that pH level. The acid rain sensitivity of leaf photosynthesis showed no significant difference between herbs and woody species below pH 5.0, but the impacts above that pH level were strongly different, resulting in a significant increase in leaf photosynthetic rate of woody species and an insignificant effect on herbs. Our analysis also indicates a positive effect of the molar ratio of nitric versus sulfuric acid in the acid solution on leaf photosynthetic rate. These findings imply that rainwater acidity and the composition of acids both affect the response of leaf photosynthesis and therefore result in a non-linear direct effect. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Acid Rain: Resource Materials for Schools.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    American Biology Teacher, 1983

    1983-01-01

    Provides listings of acid rain resource material groups under: (1) printed materials (pamphlets, books, articles); (2) audiovisuals (slide/tape presentations, tape, video-cassette); (3) miscellaneous (buttons, pocket lab, umbrella); (4) transparencies; (5) bibliographies; and (6) curriculum materials. Sources and prices (when applicable) are…

  10. Learning About Acid Rain: A Teacher's Guide for Grades 6 through 8

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Find on this page a link to the Acid Rain Teacher's Guide for Students Grades 6-8. This guide contains information, class discussions and experiments teachers can use to teach students about acid rain.

  11. 40 CFR 74.3 - Relationship to the Acid Rain program requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 17 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Relationship to the Acid Rain program requirements. 74.3 Section 74.3 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) SULFUR DIOXIDE OPT-INS Background and Summary § 74.3 Relationship to the Acid Rain...

  12. 40 CFR 74.3 - Relationship to the Acid Rain program requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 16 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Relationship to the Acid Rain program requirements. 74.3 Section 74.3 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) SULFUR DIOXIDE OPT-INS Background and Summary § 74.3 Relationship to the Acid Rain...

  13. 40 CFR 74.3 - Relationship to the Acid Rain program requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 17 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Relationship to the Acid Rain program requirements. 74.3 Section 74.3 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) SULFUR DIOXIDE OPT-INS Background and Summary § 74.3 Relationship to the Acid Rain...

  14. 40 CFR 74.3 - Relationship to the Acid Rain program requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 17 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Relationship to the Acid Rain program requirements. 74.3 Section 74.3 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) SULFUR DIOXIDE OPT-INS Background and Summary § 74.3 Relationship to the Acid Rain...

  15. 40 CFR 74.3 - Relationship to the Acid Rain program requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 16 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Relationship to the Acid Rain program requirements. 74.3 Section 74.3 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) SULFUR DIOXIDE OPT-INS Background and Summary § 74.3 Relationship to the Acid Rain...

  16. Enhanced acid rain and atmospheric deposition of nitrogen, sulfur and heavy metals in Northern China

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pan, Y.; Wang, Y.

    2013-12-01

    Atmospheric deposition is known to be important mechanism reducing air pollution. In response to the growing concern on the potential effects of the deposited material entering terrestrial and aquatic environments as well as their subsequent health effects, since 2007 we have established a 10-site monitoring network in Northern China, where particularly susceptible to severe air pollution. Wet and dry deposition was collected using an automatic wet-dry sampler. The presentation will focus on the new results of atmospheric deposition flux for a number of chemical species, such as nutrients (e.g. nitrogen and phosphorus), acidic matters (e.g. sulfur and proton), heavy metals and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, etc. This is to our knowledge the first detailed element budget study in the atmosphere across Northern China. We find that: (1) Over the 3 year period, 26% of precipitation events in the target area were more acid than pH 5.60 and these acidic events occurred in summer and autumn. The annual volume-weighted mean (VWM) pH value of precipitation was lower than 5.60 at most sites, which indicated the acidification of precipitation was not optimistic. The primary ions in precipitation were NH4+, Ca2+, SO42- and NO3-, with 10-sites-average concentrations of 221, 216, 216 and 80 μeq L-1, respectively. The ratio of SO42- to NO3- was 2.7; suggesting SO42- was the dominant acid component. (2) The deposited particles were neutral in general and the pH value increased from rural area to industrial and coastal sites. It is not surprising to note that the annual VWM pH value of precipitation was higher than 5.60 at three urban sites (Beijing and Tianjin mega cities) and one coastal site near the Bohai Bay, considering the fact that high buffer capacity of alkaline component, gas NH3 and mineral aerosols, at these sites compared to other places. (3) The 10-sites annual total deposition amounts for sulfur and nitrogen compounds were 60 and 65 kg N/S ha-1 yr-1

  17. TECHNOLOGICAL OPTIONS FOR ACID RAIN CONTROL

    EPA Science Inventory

    The paper discusses technological options for acid rain control. Compliance with Title IV of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 will require careful scrutiny of a number of issues before selecting control options to reduce sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions...

  18. Acid deposition and assessment of its critical load for the environmental health of waterbodies in a subtropical watershed, China

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jia, Junjie; Gao, Yang

    2017-12-01

    Atmospheric acidic deposition in subtropical watersheds poses an environmental risk of causing acidification of aquatic ecosystems. In this study, we evaluated the frequency of acid deposition in a subtropical forest ecosystem and the associated critical loads of acidity for a sensitive aquatic ecosystem. We found that out of 132 rainfall events, 33(25%) were acidic rainfall occurrences. Estimated wet acid deposition (2282.78 eq·ha-1·yr-1), consistent with SO42- and NH4+ deposition, was high in spring and summer and low in autumn and winter. Waterbodies surrounded by mixed wood and citrus orchard experience severe acidification, mostly from S deposition because acidic deposition exceeds the corresponding critical loads of acidity. Modifications that take acid rain deposition into consideration are needed for land-use and agricultural management strategies to improve the environmental health of waterbodies in subtropical watersheds.

  19. Comparative effects of sulfuric and nitric acid rain on litter decomposition and soil microbial community in subtropical plantation of Yangtze River Delta region.

    PubMed

    Liu, Xin; Zhang, Bo; Zhao, Wenrui; Wang, Ling; Xie, Dejin; Huo, Wentong; Wu, Yanwen; Zhang, Jinchi

    2017-12-01

    Acid rain is mainly caused by dissolution of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides in the atmosphere, and has a significant negative effect on ecosystems. The relative composition of acid rain is changing gradually from sulfuric acid rain (SAR) to nitric acid rain (NAR) with the rapidly growing amount of nitrogen deposition. In this study, we investigated the impact of simulated SAR and NAR on litter decomposition and the soil microbial community over four seasons since March 2015. Results first showed that the effects of acid rain on litter decomposition and soil microbial were positive in the early period of the experiment, except for SAR on soil microbes. Second, soil pH with NAR decreased more rapidly with the amount of acid rain increased in summer than with SAR treatments. Only strongly acid rain (both SAR and NAR) was capable of depressing litter decomposition and its inhibitory effect was stronger on leaf than on fine root litter. Meanwhile, NAR had a higher inhibitory effect on litter decomposition than SAR. Third, in summer, autumn and winter, PLFAs were negatively impacted by the increased acidity level resulting from both SAR and NAR. However, higher acidity level of NAR (pH=2.5) had the strongest inhibitory impact on soil microbial activity, especially in summer. In addition, Gram-negative bacteria (cy19:0) and fungi (18:1ω9) were more sensitive to both SAR and NAR, and actinomycetes was more sensitive to SAR intensity. Finally, soil total carbon, total nitrogen and pH were the most important soil property factors affecting soil microbial activity, and high microbial indices (fungi/bacteria) with high soil pH. Our results suggest that the ratio of SO 4 2- to NO 3 - in acid rain is an important factor which could affect litter decomposition and soil microbial in subtropical forest of China. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  20. A numerical study of the acid rain in northern Taiwan in winter season

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Chen, Ching-Sen; Deng, Zen-Sing

    1996-12-31

    Two-thirds of the land mass of Taiwan island is covered by mountains. In winter precipitation could occur in northern Taiwan when the prevailing wind was from northeastern direction. In northern Taiwan the acid rain (pH value less than 5.0) in winter time could contribute about 30 rain in the whole year. A three-dimensional numerical model with terrain following coordinated system was used to simulate the precipitation system and the characteristics of acid rain. A smooth terrain was assumed in the model. A mean sounding was used to initialize the numerical model when acid rain occurred in northern Taiwan during wintermore » time from 1991 to 1993. Investigations of the effect of pollutions from abroad on the acid rain in northern Taiwan in winter are considered for the future.« less

  1. Acid rain publications by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1979-1989

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Villella, Rita F.

    1989-01-01

    Pollution of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems has been a concern to society since the burning of fossil fuels began in the industrial revolution. In the past decade or so, this concern has been heightened by evidence that chemical transformation in the atmosphere of combustion by-products and subsequent long-range transport can cause environmental damage in remote areas. The extent of this damage and the rates of ecological recovery were largely unknown. "Acid rain" became the environmental issue of the 1980's. To address the increasing concerns of the public, in 1980 the Federal government initiated a 10-year interagency research program to develop information that could be used by the President and the Congress in making decisions for emission controls. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been an active participant in acid precipitation research. The Service provided support to a number of scientific conferences and forums, including the Action Seminar on Acid Precipitation held in Toronto, Canada, in 1979, an international symposium on Acidic Precipitation and Fishery Impacts in Northeastern North America in 1981, and a symposium on Acidic Precipitation and Atmospheric Deposition: A Western Perspective in 1982. These meetings as well as the growing involvement with the government's National Acidic Precipitation Assessment Program placed the Service in the lead in research on the biological effects of acidic deposition. Research projects have encompassed water chemistry, aquatic invertebrates, amphibians, fish, and waterfowl. Water quality surveys have been conducted to help determine the extent of acid precipitation effects in the northeast, Middle Atlantic, and Rocky Mountain regions. In addition to lake and stream studies, research in wetland and some terrestrial habitats has also been conducted. Specific projects have addressed important sport species such as brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis), Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), and striped bass (Morone

  2. Comparative proteomic analysis of differentially expressed proteins in β-aminobutyric acid enhanced Arabidopsis thaliana tolerance to simulated acid rain.

    PubMed

    Liu, Tingwu; Jiang, Xinwu; Shi, Wuliang; Chen, Juan; Pei, Zhenming; Zheng, Hailei

    2011-05-01

    Acid rain is a worldwide environmental issue that has seriously destroyed forest ecosystems. As a highly effective and broad-spectrum plant resistance-inducing agent, β-aminobutyric acid could elevate the tolerance of Arabidopsis when subjected to simulated acid rain. Using comparative proteomic strategies, we analyzed 203 significantly varied proteins of which 175 proteins were identified responding to β-aminobutyric acid in the absence and presence of simulated acid rain. They could be divided into ten groups according to their biological functions. Among them, the majority was cell rescue, development and defense-related proteins, followed by transcription, protein synthesis, folding, modification and destination-associated proteins. Our conclusion is β-aminobutyric acid can lead to a large-scale primary metabolism change and simultaneously activate antioxidant system and salicylic acid, jasmonic acid, abscisic acid signaling pathways. In addition, β-aminobutyric acid can reinforce physical barriers to defend simulated acid rain stress. Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  3. Acid Rain Education and Its Implications for Curricular Development: A Teacher Survey.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Barrow, Lloyd H.; Germann, Paul

    1987-01-01

    Describes a survey which was designed to obtain information on acid rain education. Reviews results pertaining to instructional time, instructional topics, use of labs from a common resource guide, and preference of materials related to acid rain education. (ML)

  4. Effects of simple rain-shelter cultivation on fatty acid and amino acid accumulation in 'Chardonnay' grape berries.

    PubMed

    Meng, Nan; Ren, Zhi-Yuan; Yang, Xiao-Fan; Pan, Qiu-Hong

    2018-02-01

    Fatty acids and amino acids are the precursors of aliphatic and aromatic volatile compounds, higher alcohols and esters. They are also nutrition for yeast metabolism during fermentation. However, few reports have been concerned about the effect of viticulture practices on the accumulation of fatty acids and amino acids in wine grapes. This study aimed to explore the accumulation of these compounds in developing Vitis vinifera L. cv. Chardonnay grape berries under two vintages, and compare the influences of the rain-shelter cultivation and open-field cultivation. Fifteen fatty acids and 21 amino acids were detected in total. The rain-shelter cultivation led to an increase in the total concentration of fatty acids, and a decrease in the total concentration of amino acids compared with the open-field cultivation in 2012, while no significant difference was observed between two cultivation modes in 2013 vintage. Concentrations of palmitoleic acid, isoleucine and cysteine were significantly promoted in the rain-shelter grape berries, whereas those of tyrosine and ornithine were markedly reduced in both vintages. The rain-shelter cultivation of wine grapes in the rainy region is beneficial for improving grape quality and fermentation activity by influence on the concentration of fatty acids and amino acids. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

  5. [Current situation and impact factors of acid deposition in main cites of Shandong Province].

    PubMed

    Jia, Hong-yu; Zhang, Qiao-xian; Deng, Hong-bing; Zhao, Jing-zhu; Mu, Jin-bo; Zhang, De-zhi

    2006-12-01

    Based on the monitoring data for years in Shandong Province, current situation of acid rain in every city was assessed, and the temporal distribution of the dry, wet and total sulfur deposition in Jinan and Qingdao were studied. The results showed that Qingdao which had the largest precipitation acidity was the single city whose annul average precipitation pH was below 5. 60. The precipitation acidities in the main cities of Shandong Province were in a descent tendency. The total sulfur desposition in Jinan and Qingdao was basically stable or in a descent tendency, but also reached 10 t/(km(2)x a) or so. Among the total sulfur deposition flux, the dry deposition of sulfur had the greater contribution, and the contribution of SO2 dry deposition was higher than that of SO42- dry deposition. By analyzing the relation between the precipitation acidity and the SO2 discharge intensity, soil acidity and meteorological condition, the impact factors of acid precipitation in the cities of Shandong Province were revealed.

  6. Selenium speciation in acidic environmental samples: application to acid rain-soil interaction at Mount Etna volcano.

    PubMed

    Floor, Geerke H; Iglesías, Mònica; Román-Ross, Gabriela; Corvini, Philippe F X; Lenz, Markus

    2011-09-01

    Speciation plays a crucial role in elemental mobility. However, trace level selenium (Se) speciation analyses in aqueous samples from acidic environments are hampered due to adsorption of the analytes (i.e. selenate, selenite) on precipitates. Such solid phases can form during pH adaptation up till now necessary for chromatographic separation. Thermodynamic calculations in this study predicted that a pH<4 is needed to prevent precipitation of Al and Fe phases. Therefore, a speciation method with a low pH eluent that matches the natural sample pH of acid rain-soil interaction samples from Etna volcano was developed. With a mobile phase containing 20mM ammonium citrate at pH 3, selenate and selenite could be separated in different acidic media (spiked water, rain, soil leachates) in <10 min with a LOQ of 0.2 μg L(-1) using (78)Se for detection. Applying this speciation analysis to study acid rain-soil interaction using synthetic rain based on H(2)SO(4) and soil samples collected at the flanks of Etna volcano demonstrated the dominance of selenate over selenite in leachates from samples collected close to the volcanic craters. This suggests that competitive behavior with sulfate present in acid rain might be a key factor in Se mobilization. The developed speciation method can significantly contribute to understand Se cycling in acidic, Al/Fe rich environments. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Industrial ecotoxicology "acid rain".

    PubMed

    Astolfi, E; Gotelli, C; Higa, J

    1986-01-01

    The acid rain phenomenon was studied in the province of Cordoba, Argentina. This study, based on a previously outlined framework, determined the anthropogenic origin of the low pH due to the presence of industrial hydrochloric acid wastage. This industrial ecotoxicological phenomenon seriously affected the forest wealth, causing a great defoliation of trees and shrubs, with a lower effect on crops. A survey on its effects on human beings has not been carried out, but considering the corrosion caused to different metals and its denouncing biocide effect on plants and animals, we should expect to find some kind of harm to the health of the workers involved or others engaged in farming, and even to those who are far away from the polluting agent.

  8. 76 FR 71559 - Acid Rain Program: Notice of Annual Adjustment Factors for Excess Emissions Penalty

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-11-18

    ... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL-9494-6] Acid Rain Program: Notice of Annual Adjustment... annual adjustment factors for excess emissions penalty. SUMMARY: The Acid Rain Program under title IV of... emissions for sources that do not meet their annual Acid Rain emissions limitations. This notice states the...

  9. 78 FR 64496 - Acid Rain Program: Notice of Annual Adjustment Factors for Excess Emissions Penalty

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-10-29

    ... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL-9902-14-OAR] Acid Rain Program: Notice of Annual Adjustment... annual adjustment factors for excess emissions penalty. SUMMARY: The Acid Rain Program under title IV of... emissions for sources that do not meet their annual Acid Rain emissions limitations. This notice states the...

  10. STATE ACID RAIN RESEARCH AND SCREENING SYSTEM - VERSION 1.0 USER'S MANUAL

    EPA Science Inventory

    The report is a user's manual that describes Version 1.0 of EPA's STate Acid Rain Research and Screening System (STARRSS), developed to assist utility regulatory commissions in reviewing utility acid rain compliance plans. It is a screening tool that is based on scenario analysis...

  11. Acid Rain. Teacher's Guide. LHS GEMS.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hocking, Colin; Barber, Jacqueline; Coonrod, Jan

    This teacher's guide presents a unit on acid rain and introduces hands-on activities for sixth through eighth grade students. In each unit, students act as real scientists and gather evidence by using science process skills such as observing, measuring and recording data, classifying, role playing, problem solving, critical thinking, synthesizing…

  12. Acid rain research program. Annual progress report, September 1975--June 1976

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Evans, L.S.; Raynor, G.S.

    1976-09-01

    The aims of the research program are: (a) to observe the minimum threshold dose of simulated acid rain to produce visual and histological effects on plant foliage, (b) approach threshold limits of simulated sulfate acid rain that affect plant growth and reproduction, and (c) to measure chemical and meteorological parameters of incident rain. Acute leaf injury to several plant species resulted from exposure of foliage to simulated sulfate acid rain of pH level 2.3 to 2.9. Only slight injury occurred at 3.1. Scanning electron micrographs showed that injury to upper leaf surfaces occurred mostly at the base of trichomes (leafmore » hairs) and near stomata. An association of lesion development near vascular tissue was also noted. Histologically, lesions are characterized by an initial collapse of the epidermis with eventual lysis and collapse of more internal leaf tissues on the upper leaf surface of pinto beans which complemented detailed descriptions of visual lesion development after daily exposures to simulated rain. Initial experiments with gametophytes of Pteridium aquilinum show that reproduction of this fern species is very sensitive to solutions of pH 5.2 while vegetative development is not affected at pH levels of 2.2. Initial rain samples from the sequential sampler have been obtained. Initial portions of rain events exhibit a pH near 3.0 in some cases. More complete chemical analyses are anticipated.« less

  13. [Effects of simulated acid rain on decomposition of soil organic carbon and crop straw].

    PubMed

    Zhu, Xue-Zhu; Huang, Yao; Yang, Xin-Zhong

    2009-02-01

    To evaluate the effects of acid rain on the organic carbon decomposition in different acidity soils, a 40-day incubation test was conducted with the paddy soils of pH 5.48, 6.70 and 8.18. The soils were amended with 0 and 15 g x kg(-1) of rice straw, adjusted to the moisture content of 400 g x kg(-1) air-dried soil by using simulated rain of pH 6.0, 4.5, and 3.0, and incubated at 20 degrees C. The results showed that straw, acid rain, and soil co-affected the CO2 emission from soil system. The amendment of straw increased the soil CO2 emission rate significantly. Acid rain had no significant effects on soil organic carbon decomposition, but significantly affected the straw decomposition in soil. When treated with pH 3.0 acid rain, the amount of decomposed straw over 40-day incubation in acid (pH 5.48) and alkaline (pH 8.18) soils was 8% higher, while that in neutral soil (pH 6.70) was 15% lower, compared to the treatment of pH 6.0 rain. In the treatment of pH 3.0 acid rain, the decomposition rate of soil organic C in acid (pH 5.48) soil was 43% and 50% (P < 0.05) higher than that in neutral (pH 6.70) and alkaline (pH 8.18) soils, while the decomposition rate of straw in neutral soil was 17% and 16% (P < 0.05) lower than that in acid and alkaline soils, respectively.

  14. [Effects of simulated acid rain on Quercus glauca seedlings photosynthesis and chlorophyll fluorescence].

    PubMed

    Li, Jia; Jiang, Hong; Yu, Shu-quan; Jiang, Fu-wei; Yin, Xiu-min; Lu, Mei-juan

    2009-09-01

    Taking the seedlings of Quercus glauca, a dominant evergreen broadleaf tree species in subtropical area, as test materials, this paper studied their photosynthesis, chlorophyll fluorescence, and chlorophyll content under effects of simulated acid rain with pH 2.5, 4.0, and 5.6 (CK). After 2-year acid rain stress, the net photosynthetic rate of Q. glauca increased significantly with decreasing pH of acid rain. The acid rain with pH 2.5 and 4.0 increased the stomatal conductance and transpiration rate, and the effect was more significant under pH 2.5. The intercellular CO2 concentration decreased in the order of pH 2.5 > pH 5.6 > pH 4.0. The maximum photosynthetic rate, light compensation point, light saturation point, and dark respiration rate were significantly higher under pH 2.5 and 4.0 than under pH 5.6, while the apparent quantum yield was not sensitive to acid rain stress. The maximal photochemical efficiency of PS II and the potential activity of PS II under pH 2.5 and 4.0 were significantly higher than those under pH 5.6. The relative chlorophyll content was in the order of pH 2.5 > pH 5.6 > pH 4.0, and there was a significant difference between pH 2.5 and 4.0. All the results suggested that the photosynthesis and chlorophyll fluorescence of Q. glauca increased under the effects of acid rain with pH 2.5 and 4.0, and the acid rain with pH 2.5 had more obvious effects.

  15. Response of plasma membrane H+-ATPase in rice (Oryza sativa) seedlings to simulated acid rain.

    PubMed

    Liang, Chanjuan; Ge, Yuqing; Su, Lei; Bu, Jinjin

    2015-01-01

    Understanding the adaptation of plants to acid rain is important to find feasible approaches to alleviate such damage to plants. We studied effects of acid rain on plasma membrane H(+)-ATPase activity and transcription, intracellular H(+), membrane permeability, photosynthetic efficiency, and relative growth rate during stress and recovery periods. Simulated acid rain at pH 5.5 did not affect plasma membrane H(+)-ATPase activity, intracellular H(+), membrane permeability, photosynthetic efficiency, and relative growth rate. Plasma membrane H(+)-ATPase activity and transcription in leaves treated with acid rain at pH 3.5 was increased to maintain ion homeostasis by transporting excessive H(+) out of cells. Then intracellular H(+) was close to the control after a 5-day recovery, alleviating damage on membrane and sustaining photosynthetic efficiency and growth. Simulated acid rain at pH 2.5 inhibited plasma membrane H(+)-ATPase activity by decreasing the expression of H(+)-ATPase at transcription level, resulting in membrane damage and abnormal intracellular H(+), and reduction in photosynthetic efficiency and relative growth rate. After a 5-day recovery, all parameters in leaves treated with pH 2.5 acid rain show alleviated damage, implying that the increased plasma membrane H(+)-ATPase activity and its high expression were involved in repairing process in acid rain-stressed plants. Our study suggests that plasma membrane H(+)-ATPase can play a role in adaptation to acid rain for rice seedlings.

  16. Effects of simulated rain acidified with sulfuric acid on host-parasite interactions

    Treesearch

    D. S. Shriner

    1976-01-01

    Wind-blown rain, rain splash, and films of free moisture play important roles in the epidemiology of many plant diseases. The effects of simulated rain acidified with sulfuric acid were studied on several host-parasite systems. Plants were exposed, in greenhouse or field, to simulated rain of pH 3.2 ? 0.1 or pH 6.0 ? 0.2. Simulated "rain" of pH 3.2 resulted...

  17. Acid Rain: A Resource Guide for Classroom, Laboratory, Field, and Debate Topics.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stoss, Frederick W.

    1987-01-01

    Provides a partially annotated bibliography of journals and book chapters which deal with acid rain. Includes selections which provide background information, ideas for introducing acid rain into science or social studies curricula, inventories of audio-visual aids, and non-print media to supplement classroom, laboratory, and field instruction.…

  18. Interactive effects of cadmium and acid rain on photosynthetic light reaction in soybean seedlings.

    PubMed

    Sun, Zhaoguo; Wang, Lihong; Chen, Minmin; Wang, Lei; Liang, Chanjuan; Zhou, Qing; Huang, Xiaohua

    2012-05-01

    Interactive effects of cadmium (Cd(2+)) and acid rain on photosynthetic light reaction in soybean seedlings were investigated under hydroponic conditions. Single treatment with Cd(2+) or acid rain and the combined treatment decreased the content of chlorophyll, Hill reaction rate, the activity of Mg(2+)-ATPase, maximal photochemical efficiency and maximal quantum yield, increased initial fluorescence and damaged the chloroplast structure in soybean seedlings. In the combined treatment, the change in the photosynthetic parameters and the damage of chloroplast structure were stronger than those of any single pollution. Meanwhile, Cd(2+) and acid rain had the interactive effects on the test indices in soybean seedlings. The results indicated that the combined pollution of Cd(2+) and acid rain aggravated the toxic effect of the single pollution of Cd(2+) or acid rain on the photosynthetic parameters due to the serious damage to the chloroplast structure. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Effects of acidic deposition on the erosion of carbonate stone - experimental results from the U.S. National Acid Precipitation Assessment Program (NAPAP)

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Baedecker, P.A.; Reddy, M.M.; Reimann, K.J.; Sciammarella, C.A.

    1992-01-01

    One of the goals of NAPAP-sponsored research on the effects of acidic deposition on carbonate stone has been to quantify the incremental effects of wet and dry deposition of hydrogen ion, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides on stone erosion. Test briquettes and slabs of freshly quarried Indiana limestone and Vermont marble have been exposed to ambient environmental conditions in a long-term exposure program. Physical measurements of the recession of test stones exposed to ambient conditions at an angle of 30?? to horizontal at the five NAPAP materials exposure sites range from ~15 to ~30?? ??m yr-1 for marble, and from ~25 to ~45 ??m yr -1 for limestone, and are approximately double the recession estimates based on the observed calcium content of run-off solutions from test slabs. The difference between the physical and chemical recession measurements is attributed to the loss of mineral grains from the stone surfaces that are not measured in the run-off experiments. The erosion due to grain loss does not appear to be influenced by rainfall acidity, however, preliminary evidence suggests that grain loss may be influenced by dry deposition of sulfur dioxide between rainfall events. Chemical analyses of the run-off solutions and associated rainfall blanks suggest that ~30% of erosion by dissolution can be attributed to the wet deposition of hydrogen ion and the dry deposition of sulfur dioxide and nitric acid between rain events. The remaining ~70% of erosion by dissolution is accounted for by the solubility of carbonate stone in rain that is in equilibrium with atmospheric carbon dioxide ('clean rain'). These results are for marble and limestone slabs exposed at an angle of 30?? from horizontal. The relative contribution of sulfur dioxide to chemical erosion is significantly enhanced for stone slabs having an inclination of 60?? or 85??. The dry deposition of alkaline particulate material has a mitigating effect at the two urban field exposure sites at Washington, DC

  20. Acid rain controls through the back door

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Not Available

    The paper briefly discusses the regulatory policy changes being proposed for acid rain control. Court rulings requiring the EPA to order reductions of sulfur dioxide emissions from power plants are described. Costs to utilities, and ultimately consumers, are also considered.

  1. Continued studies of acid rain and its effects on the Baton Rouge area

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Robinson, J.W.; Ghane, H.

    1983-01-01

    The acidity of rain water was measured in the Baton Rouge, Louisiana area from June 1981 to September 1982. Coordinated measurements were taken of the dissolved oxygen concentration in two local lakes before and after each rainfall. About 50% of the rainfall observed was quite acidic, with about 25% of the rain having a pH of 4 or less. Rain was more acidic during warm summers than in the winter weather. Rainfall during 1982 was, on a month to month comparison, more acidic than in 1981. Attempts were also made to discover any possible correlation of pH values with windmore » direction. The acidity of each of the two lakes increased over the time of the study. The dissolved oxygen content in each lake increased after periods of rain, probably due to a high concentration of oxygen in the rainwater. The buffering capacities of the lakes was measurable. However, it is noted that the larger lake was undergoing dredging at the time of the study and showed considerably less buffer capacity than the smaller lake. The smaller lake was far more affected by surface drainage and thus should have been more influenced by the acid rain. 7 references, 7 figures, 1 table.« less

  2. Occurrence of acid rain in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Summer 1981. The role of the catalytic converter

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Robinson, J.W.; Ghane, H.

    1982-01-01

    Between June and October 1981, acid rain falling in Baton Rouge, LA was studied. The acidity of the rain ranged for pH 3.9 to pH 5.8. Preliminary data showed that rain associated with thermal cumulo nimbus tended to be more acidic, but rain associated with active cold fronts were less acid. This may relate to dispersion and dilution of the acid aerosols by the cold front. It is proposed that exhaust from automobiles fitted with catalytic converters is a substantial contributor to the acid rain problem, and that their net value to the abatement of pollution must be questioned, particularlymore » in regions of the country where smog is not a problem. (JMT)« less

  3. Effects of acid deposition on terrestrial ecosystems and their rehabilitation strategies in China.

    PubMed

    Feng, Zong-wei; Miao, Hong; Zhang, Fu-zhu; Huang, Yi-zong

    2002-04-01

    South China has become the third largest region associated with acid deposition following Europe and North America, the area subject to damage by acid deposition increased from 1.75 million km2 in 1985 to 2.8 million km2 in 1993. Acid deposition has caused serious damage to ecosystem. Combined pollution of acid rain and SO2 showed the obvious multiple effects on crops. Vegetable was more sensitive to acid deposition than foodstuff crops. Annual economic loss of crops due to acid deposition damage in eleven provinces of south China was 4.26 billion RMB Yuan. Acid deposition caused serious damage to forest. Annual economic loss of wood volume was about 1.8 billion RMB Yuan and forest ecological benefit loss 16.2 billion in eleven provinces of south China. Acid deposition in south China was typical "sulfuric acid type". According to the thoughts of sustainable development, some strategies were brought forward as follows: (1) enhancing environmental management, specifying acid-controlling region, controlling and abating the total emission amount of SO2; (2) selecting practical energy technologies of clean coal, for example, cleansing and selecting coal, sulfur-fixed-type industrial briqutting, abating sulfur from waste gas and so on; (3) developing other energy sources to replace coal, including water electricity, atomic energy and the new energy such as solar energy, wind energy and so on; (4) in acid deposition region of south China, selecting acid-resistant type of crop and tree to decrease agricultural losses, planting more green fertilizer crops, using organic fertilizers and liming, in order to improve buffer capacities of soil.

  4. Influence of simulated acidic rain on bacterial speck of tomato. [Lycopersicon esculentum Mill var. 'Chico III', Pseudomonas tomato

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Bisessar, S.; Palmer, K.T.; Kuja, A.L.

    Ambient rain in southern Ontario has a volume-weighted average pH of approximately 4.2. Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill var. 'Chico III') seedlings were exposed to simulated acidic rain in specially designed chambers. The inoculum of Pseudomonas tomato (Okabe) Alstatt, causal agent of bacterial speck, was sprayed on plants before or after exposure to acidic rain of pH 2.5, 3.5, and 4.5, as well as on plants not exposed to the simulated acidic rain. Speck symptoms (small, dark, brown spots with yellow halos) were found on all inoculated plants. Exposure of plants to simulted acidic rain inhibited speck development, but the inhibitionmore » was greater on plants exposed to acidic rain after inoculation. Spot necrosis, a typical response to acid rain, occurred on up to 15 to 20% of the leaf area on all tomato plants treated with acidic rain at pH 2.5. Plants alos showed a decrease in growth (height and fresh and dry weights) with an increase in rain acidity. Leaves injured by simulated acidic rain and examined histopathologically displayed cellular malformations including hyperplasia and hypertrophy. Pseudomonas tomato failed to grow on acidified King B medium or Difco nutrient broth adjusted to pH 3.5 or lower.« less

  5. Combined effects of simulated acid rain and lanthanum chloride on chloroplast structure and functional elements in rice.

    PubMed

    Hu, Huiqing; Wang, Lihong; Zhou, Qing; Huang, Xiaohua

    2016-05-01

    Acid rain and rare earth element (REE) pollution exist simultaneously in many agricultural regions. However, how REE pollution and acid rain affect plant growth in combination remains largely unknown. In this study, the combined effects of simulated acid rain and lanthanum chloride (LaCl3) on chloroplast morphology, chloroplast ultrastructure, functional element contents, chlorophyll content, and the net photosynthetic rate (P n) in rice (Oryza sativa) were investigated by simulating acid rain and rare earth pollution. Under the combined treatment of simulated acid rain at pH 4.5 and 0.08 mM LaCl3, the chloroplast membrane was smooth, proteins on this membrane were uniform, chloroplast structure was integrated, and the thylakoids were orderly arranged, and simulated acid rain and LaCl3 exhibited a mild antagonistic effect; the Mg, Ca, Mn contents, the chlorophyll content, and the P n increased under this combined treatment, with a synergistic effect of simulated acid rain and LaCl3. Under other combined treatments of simulated acid rain and LaCl3, the chloroplast membrane surface was uneven, a clear "hole" was observed on the surface of chloroplasts, and the thylakoids were dissolved and loose; and the P n and contents of functional elements (P, Mg, K, Ca, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn and Mo) and chlorophyll decreased. Under these combined treatments, simulated acid rain and LaCl3 exhibited a synergistic effect. Based on the above results, a model of the combined effects of simulated acid rain and LaCl3 on plant photosynthesis was established in order to reveal the combined effects on plant photosynthesis, especially on the photosynthetic organelle-chloroplast. Our results would provide some references for further understanding the mechanism of the combined effects of simulated acid rain and LaCl3 on plant photosynthesis.

  6. Sex Differences in Environmental Concern and Knowledge: The Case of Acid Rain.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Arcury, Thomas A.; And Others

    1987-01-01

    Presents results of a telephone survey of 516 adults which focused on sex differences in concern and knowledge about one environmental issue, acid rain. The findings contradict predictions that women are more concerned about environmental issues: if there is a sex difference, men are found to be more concerned and knowledgeable about acid rain.…

  7. Effects of acidic deposition on the erosion of carbonate stone — experimental results from the U.S. National Acid Precipitation Assessment Program (NAPAP)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Baedecker, Philip A.; Reddy, Michael M.; Reimann, Karl J.; Sciammarella, Cesar A.

    One of the goals of NAPAP-sponsored research on the effects of acidic deposition on carbonate stone has been to quantify the incremental effects of wet and dry deposition of hydrogen ion, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides on stone erosion. Test briquettes and slabs of freshly quarried Indiana limestone and Vermont marble have been exposed to ambient environmental conditions in a long-term exposure program. Physical measurements of the recession of test stones exposed to ambient conditions at an angle of 30° to horizontal at the five NAPAP materials exposure sites range from ˜ 15 to ˜ 30 μm yr -1 for marble, and from ˜ 25 to ˜ 45 μm yr -1 for limestone, and are approximately double the recession estimates based on the observed calcium content of run-off solutions from test slabs. The difference between the physical and chemical recession measurements is attributed to the loss of mineral grains from the stone surfaces that are not measured in the run-off experiments. The erosion due to grain loss does not appear to be influenced by rainfall acidity, however, preliminary evidence suggests that grain loss may be influenced by dry deposition of sulfur dioxide between rainfall events. Chemical analyses of the run-off solutions and associated rainfall blanks suggest that ˜ 30% of erosion by dissolution can be attributed to the wet deposition of hydrogen ion and the dry deposition of sulfur dioxide and nitric acid between rain events. The remaining ˜ 70% of erosion by dissolution is accounted for by the solubility of carbonate stone in rain that is in equilibrium with atmospheric carbon dioxide ("clean rain"). These results are for marble and limestone slabs exposed at an angle of 30° from horizontal. The relative contribution of sulfur dioxide to chemical erosion is significantly enhanced for stone slabs having an inclination of 60° or 85°. The dry deposition of alkaline particulate material has a mitigating effect at the two urban field exposure sites at

  8. [Combined injured effects of acid rain and lanthanum on growth of soybean seedling].

    PubMed

    Liang, Chan-juan; Pan, Dan-yun; Xu, Qiu-rong; Zhou, Qing

    2010-07-01

    Combined effects of acid rain and lanthanum on growth of soybean seedling (Glycine max) and its inherent mechanism were studied in this paper. Compared with treatments by simulated acid rain (pH 3.0, 3.5, 4.5) or rare earth La(III) (60, 100 and 300 mg x L(-1)), the decrease degree of growth parameters in combined treatments was higher, indicating that there were a synergistic effects between acid rain and La. Moreover,the inhibition effects of acid rain and La(III) were more obvious when pH value of acid rain was lower or the concentration of La(III) was higher. The changes of photosynthetic parameters were similar to those of growth, but the decrease degree of each parameter was not same in the same treatment group. The decrease degree of optimal PSII photochemical efficiency (Fv/Fm) and chlorophyll content (Chl) were 9.35%-22.75% and 9.14%-24.53%, respectively, lower than that of photosynthetic rate Pn (22.78%-84.7%), Hill reaction rate (15.52%-73.38%) and Mg2+ -ATPase activity (14.51%-71.54%), showing that the sensitivity of photosynthetic parameters to the combined factors was different. Furthermore, relative analysis showed that the change of Pn were mainly affected by Hill reaction rate and Mg2+ -ATPase activity, and was less influenced by Chl and Fv/Fm. It indicates that the effect of acid rain and La on each reaction in photosynthesis was different, and the inhibition of combined treatments on photosynthesis in plants was one of the main factors affecting growth of plant.

  9. ACID RAIN AND SOIL MICROBIAL ACTIVITY: EFFECTS AND THEIR MECHANISMS

    EPA Science Inventory

    In the investigation, our aim was to determine if acid rain affects soil microbial activity and to identify possible mechanisms of observed effects. A Sierran forest soil (pH 6.4) planted with Ponderosa pine seedlings was exposed to simulated rain (pH 2.0, 3.0, 4.0 and 5.6) with ...

  10. Alterations in cytosol free calcium in horseradish roots simultaneously exposed to lanthanum(III) and acid rain.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Xuanbo; Wang, Lihong; Zhou, Anhua; Zhou, Qing; Huang, Xiaohua

    2016-04-01

    The extensive use of rare earth elements (REEs) has increased their environmental levels. REE pollution concomitant with acid rain in many agricultural regions can affect crop growth. Cytosol free calcium ions (Ca(2+)) play an important role in almost all cellular activities. However, no data have been reported regarding the role of cytosol free Ca(2+) in plant roots simultaneously exposed to REE and acid rain. In this study, the effects of exposures to lanthanum(III) and acid rain, independently and in combination, on cytosol free Ca(2+) levels, root activity, metal contents, biomass, cytosol pH and La contents in horseradish roots were investigated. The simultaneous exposures to La(III) and acid rain increased or decreased the cytosol free Ca(2+) levels, depending on the concentration of La(III), and these effects were more evident than independent exposure to La(III) or acid rain. In combined exposures, cytosol free Ca(2+) played an important role in the regulation of root activity, metal contents and biomass. These roles were closely related to La(III) dose, acid rain strength and treatment mode (independent exposure or simultaneous exposure). A low concentration of La(III) (20 mg L(-1)) could alleviate the adverse effects on the roots caused by acid rain, and the combined exposures at higher concentrations of La(III) and acid rain had synergic effects on the roots. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Atmospheric deposition of {sup 7}Be by rain events, incentral Argentina

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Ayub, J. Juri; Velasco, H.; Rizzotto, M.

    2008-08-07

    Beryllium-7 is a natural radionuclide that enters into the ecosystems through wet and dry depositions and has numerous environmental applications in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Atmospheric wet deposition of {sup 7}Be was measured in central Argentina. Rain traps were installed (1 m above ground) and individual rain events have been collected. Rain samples were filtered and analyzed by gamma spectrometry. The gamma counting was undertaken using a 40%-efficient p-type coaxial intrinsic high-purity natural germanium crystal built by Princeton Gamma-Tech. The cryostat was made from electroformed high-purity copper using ultralow-background technology. The detector was surrounded by 50 cm of lead bricksmore » to provide shielding against radioactive background. The detector gamma efficiency was determined using a water solution with known amounts of chemical compounds containing long-lived naturally occurring radioisotopes, {sup 176}Lu, {sup 138}La and {sup 40}K. Due to the geometry of the sample and its position close to the detector, the efficiency points from the {sup 176}Lu decay, had to be corrected for summing effects. The measured samples were 400 ml in size and were counted curing one day. The {sup 7}Be detection limit for the present measurements was as low as 0.2 Bq l{sup -1}. Thirty two rain events were sampled and analyzed (November 2006-May 2007). The measured values show that the events corresponding to low rainfall (<20 mm) are characterized by significantly higher activity concentrations (Bq l{sup -1}). The activity concentration of each individual event varied from 0.8 to 3.5 Bq l{sup -1}, while precipitations varied between 4 and 70 mm. The integrated activity by event of {sup 7}Be was fitted with a model that takes into account the precipitation amount and the elapsed time between two rain events. The integrated activities calculated with this model show a good agreement with experimental values.« less

  12. Antioxidant response of soybean seedlings to joint stress of lanthanum and acid rain.

    PubMed

    Liang, Chanjuan; Wang, Weimin

    2013-11-01

    Excess of rare earth elements in soil can be a serious environmental stress on plants, in particular when acid rain coexists. To understand how such a stress affects plants, we studied antioxidant response of soybean leaves and roots exposed to lanthanum (0.06, 0.18, and 0.85 mmol L(-1)) under acid rain conditions (pH 4.5 and 3.0). We found that low concentration of La3+ (0.06 mmol L(-1)) did not affect the activity of antioxidant enzymes (catalase and peroxidase) whereas high concentration of La3+ (≥0.18 mmol L(-1)) did. Compared to treatment with acid rain (pH 4.5 and pH 3.0) or La3+ alone, joint stress of La3+ and acid rain affected more severely the activity of catalase and peroxidase, and induced more H2O2 accumulation and lipid peroxidation. When treated with high level of La3+ (0.85 mmol L(-1)) alone or with acid rain (pH 4.5 and 3.0), roots were more affected than leaves regarding the inhibition of antioxidant enzymes, physiological function, and growth. The severity of oxidative damage and inhibition of growth caused by the joint stress associated positively with La3+ concentration and soil acidity. These results will help us understand plant response to joint stress, recognize the adverse environmental impact of rare earth elements in acidic soil, and develop measures to eliminate damage caused by such joint stress.

  13. EFFECTS OF SIMULATED ACIDIC RAIN APPLIED ALONE AND IN COMBINATION WITH AMBIENT RAIN ON GROWTH AND YIELD OF FIELD-GROWN SNAP BEAN

    EPA Science Inventory

    Field-grown snap bean plants were treated with simulated acidic rain applied either alone or in combination with ambient rain and the effects on growth and yield were determined. In plots where ambient rain was excluded, a retractable canopy was activated to shield the crop. Four...

  14. Characterization and Evaluation of Acid Rain in East Central Florida from 1978 to 1995 and Evaluation of Some Chromatographic/Spectroscopic Results from Leachate Samples from CELSS

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Madsen, Brooks C.

    1996-01-01

    The results of monitoring the chemical composition of rain in east-central Florida have shown that the rain is moderately acid. The measured acidity of rain is less than that observed in other regions of the U. S., however, it does suggest that the level of acidity is substantial. The annual chemical composition of rain at UCF and at KSC has shown moderate variability. Extreme daily and monthly variations are observed, however these variations are not addressed here. The total ionic composition of rain collected at FL99 is greater than that for rain collected at UCF, however this can be accounted for by site proximity to the ocean with the accompanying marine influence. Difference in acidity data collected from the UCF and FL99 sites which are separated by 50 km may be due in part to the differences that have been observed between laboratory and field pH measurements. Trend assessment for precipitation composition requires evaluation of data that covers some minimum time period. In fact, the subdivision of the multi-year UCF record into individual 10 year records as described above can lead to the conclusion that a significant increase, a significant decrease or no trend exists for acidity depending upon the time period chosen for evaluation. Trend evaluation has also been accomplished by linear and nonlinear regression analysis using monthly volume weighted average concentrations and deposition using the UCF data set and some of the Florida NADP data set.

  15. Acidic Deposition along the Appalachian Trail Corridor and its Effects on Acid-Sensitive Terrestrial and Aquatic Resources

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lawrence, G. B.; Sullivan, T. J.; Burns, D. A.; Bailey, S. W.; Cosby, B. J., Jr.; Dovciak, M.; Ewing, H. A.; McDonnell, T. C.; Riemann, R.; Quant, J.; Rice, K. C.; Siemion, J.; Weathers, K. C.

    2015-12-01

    The Appalachian National Scenic Trail (AT) spans 3,500 km from Georgia to Maine. Over its length, the trail passes through a corridor with wide variations in climate, bedrock type, soils, and stream water quality. These factors create a diverse range of ecosystems. The health of these ecosystems is a cause for concern because the AT passes through the heavily populated eastern U.S. with its many sources of sulfur (S) and nitrogen (N) emissions that produce acidic deposition. To address concerns about the health of the AT, a study was designed to evaluate the condition and sensitivity of the AT corridor with respect to acidic deposition. Collections of stream water (265 sites), soil (60 sites), tree cores (15 sites) and atmospheric deposition samples (4 sites) were made along with understory and overstory vegetation measurements (30 sites) over the full trail length within a 40 km-wide corridor. Existing data on atmospheric deposition, geology, vegetation, stream chemistry, and soil chemistry were also used in the analysis. Mean acid-neutralizing capacity (ANC) was lowest in the streams in the North section, intermediate in the Central section and highest the South section, despite the South having the highest acid rain levels. At least 40% of the study streams exhibited pH and/or Ali measurements that indicated potential harm to biota. Approximately 70% of the soil sites had values of base saturation under 20%, the threshold below which acidic deposition can mobilize inorganic aluminum (Ali), the form harmful to terrestrial and aquatic life. Compositional similarity of understory and canopy species was positively correlated with acidic deposition, suggesting that during past decades, species poorly adapted to acidic deposition were replaced with tolerant species. Target loads modeling indicated that exceedance of sulfur target loads to achieve stream ANC = 50 μeq/L by the year 2100occurred throughout the trail corridor.

  16. Acid Rain: A Description of Bilingual Friesland.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zondag, Koen

    1984-01-01

    Using acid rain as a metaphor, discusses the status of the Frisian language and culture as one which, though apparently thriving, is really threatened. Examines the sources of this threat, i.e., the education system, the church, mass communication and transportation, and the demise of the Frisian village community. (SED)

  17. Acid Rain Analysis by Standard Addition Titration.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ophardt, Charles E.

    1985-01-01

    The standard addition titration is a precise and rapid method for the determination of the acidity in rain or snow samples. The method requires use of a standard buret, a pH meter, and Gran's plot to determine the equivalence point. Experimental procedures used and typical results obtained are presented. (JN)

  18. European views on controlling acid rain. Final report

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Fay, J.A.

    The National Governors Association (NGA) will be considering a plan for alleviating acid rain effects by reduction of emissions of sulfur and nitrogen oxides. This plan, in some respects similar to current legislative proposals in Congress, was formulated by the northeastern governors with administrative support from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Lt. Governor John Kerry has undertaken to prepare this plan for consideration by the NGA. In order to provide a better understanding of how other industrialized nations are dealing with the acid rain problem, the office of Lt. Gov. Kerry arranged for a tour of European countries during the weekmore » beginning 10 January 1984. Norway, Sweden, the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), Belgium and the United Kingdom (UK) were visited, as well as the Commission of the European Communities (EEC) in Brussels.« less

  19. Combined effects of lanthanum ion and acid rain on growth, photosynthesis and chloroplast ultrastructure in soybean seedlings.

    PubMed

    Wen, Kejia; Liang, Chanjuan; Wang, Lihong; Hu, Gang; Zhou, Qing

    2011-07-01

    Rare earth elements (REEs) have been accumulated in the agricultural environment. Acid rain is a serious environmental issue. In the present work, the effects of lanthanum ion (La(3+)) and acid rain on the growth, photosynthesis and chloroplast ultrastructure in soybean seedlings were investigated using the gas exchange measurements system, chlorophyll fluorometer, transmission electron microscopy and some biochemical techniques. It was found that although the growth and photosynthesis of soybean seedlings treated with the low concentration of La(3+) was improved, the growth and photosynthesis of soybean seedlings were obviously inhibited in the combined treatment with the low concentration of La(3+) and acid rain. At the same time, the chloroplast ultrastructure in the cell of soybean seedlings was destroyed. Under the combined treatment with the high concentration of La(3+) and acid rain, the chloroplast ultrastructure in the cell of soybean seedlings was seriously destroyed, and the growth and of photosynthesis were greatly decreased compared with those of the control, the single treatment with the high concentration of La(3+) and the single treatment with acid rain, respectively. The degree of decrease and destruction on chloroplast ultrastructure depended on the increases in the concentration of La(3+) and acid rain (H(+)). In conclusion, the combined pollution of La(3+) and acid rain obviously destroyed the chloroplast ultrastructure of cell and aggravated the harmful effect of the single La(3+) and acid rain on soybean seedlings. As a new combined pollutant, the harmful effect of REEs ions and acid rain on plant should be paid attention to. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Red herring in acid rain research

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Havas, M.; Hutchinson, T.C.; Likens, G.E.

    1984-06-01

    Five common misconceptions, red herrings, regarding the effects of acid deposition on aquatic ecosystems are described in an attempt to clarify some of the confusion they have created. These misconceptions are the following: Bog lakes have been acidic for thousands of years; thus the acidification of lakes is not a recent phenomenon. The early methods for measuring pH are in error; therfore, no statements can be made regarding historical trends. Acidification of lakes and streams results from changed land use practices (forestry, agriculture, animal husbandry) and not acid deposition. The decrease in fish populations is caused by overfishing, disease, andmore » water pollution, not acidification. Because lakes that receive identical rainfall can have considerable different pHs, regional lake acidification cannot be due to acid precipitation. It is easy to suggest a whole series of alternative, and often unlikely, explanations of the causes and consequences of acid deposition. These keep scientists busy for years assembling and examining data only to conclude that the explanation is not valid. These tactics cause, and perhaps are designed to cause, continuous delay in remedial action. They fail to take into account the large body of information that deals with the sources of the acid deposition and the seriousness of its effects.« less

  1. A Gaming Approach to the Acid Rain Problem.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Baba, Norio; And Others

    1984-01-01

    Describes an educational microcomputer gaming system for dealing with the acid rain problem in Western Europe and discusses its objectives, rules, problems, and future perspectives. Usefulness of gaming as an operational aid in formulating appropriate energy policies worldwide is emphasized. (MBR)

  2. [Effects of simulated acid rain on oilseed rape (Brassica napus) physiological characteristics at flowering stage and yield].

    PubMed

    Cao, Chun-Xin; Zhou, Qin; Han, Liang-Liang; Zhang, Pei; Jiang, Hai-Dong

    2010-08-01

    A pot experiment was conducted to study the effects of different acidity simulated acid rain on the physiological characteristics at flowering stage and yield of oilseed rape (B. napus cv. Qinyou 9). Comparing with the control (pH 6.0), weak acidity (pH = 4.0-5.0) simulated acid rain stimulated the rape growth to some extent, but had less effects on the plant biomass, leaf chlorophyll content, photosynthetic characteristics, and yield. With the further increase of acid rain acidity, the plant biomass, leaf chlorophyll content, photosynthetic rate, antioxidative enzyme activities, and non-enzyme antioxidant contents all decreased gradually, while the leaf malonyldialdehyde (MDA) content and relative conductivity increased significantly. As the results, the pod number per plant, seed number per pod, seed weight, and actual yield decreased. However, different yield components showed different sensitivity to simulated acid rain. With the increasing acidity of simulated acid rain, the pod number per plant and the seed number per pod decreased significantly, while the seed weight was less affected.

  3. Activity of earthworm in Latosol under simulated acid rain stress.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Jia-En; Yu, Jiayu; Ouyang, Ying

    2015-01-01

    Acid rain is still an issue of environmental concerns. This study investigated the impacts of simulated acid rain (SAR) upon earthworm activity from the Latosol (acidic red soil). Laboratory experiment was performed by leaching the soil columns grown with earthworms (Eisenia fetida) at the SAR pH levels ranged from 2.0 to 6.5 over a 34-day period. Results showed that earthworms tended to escape from the soil and eventually died for the SAR at pH = 2.0 as a result of acid toxicity. The catalase activity in the earthworms decreased with the SAR pH levels, whereas the superoxide dismutases activity in the earthworms showed a fluctuate pattern: decreasing from pH 6.5 to 5.0 and increasing from pH 5.0 to 4.0. Results implied that the growth of earthworms was retarded at the SAR pH ≤ 3.0.

  4. Impacts of simulated acid rain on recalcitrance of two different soils.

    PubMed

    Dai, Zhongmin; Liu, Xingmei; Wu, Jianjun; Xu, Jianming

    2013-06-01

    Laboratory experiments were conducted to estimate the impacts of simulated acid rain (SAR) on recalcitrance in a Plinthudult and a Paleudalfs soil in south China, which were a variable and a permanent charge soil, respectively. Simulated acid rains were prepared at pH 2.0, 3.5, 5.0, and 6.0, by additions of different volumes of H2SO4 plus HNO3 at a ratio of 6 to 1. The leaching period was designed to represent 5 years of local annual rainfall (1,200 mm) with a 33 % surface runoff loss. Both soils underwent both acidification stages of (1) cation exchange and (2) mineral weathering at SAR pH 2.0, whereas only cation exchange occurred above SAR pH 3.5, i.e., weathering did not commence. The cation exchange stage was more easily changed into that of mineral weathering in the Plinthudult than in the Paleudalfs soil, and there were some K(+) and Mg(2+) ions released on the stages of mineral weathering in the Paleudalfs soil. During the leaching, the release of exchangeable base cations followed the order Ca(2+) >K(+) >Mg(2+) >Na(+) for the Plinthudult and Ca(2+) >Mg(2+) >Na(+) >K(+) for the Paleudalfs soil. The SARs above pH 3.5 did not decrease soil pH or pH buffering capacity, while the SAR at pH 2.0 decreased soil pH and the buffering capacity significantly. We conclude that acid rain, which always has a pH from 3.5 to 5.6, only makes a small contribution to the acidification of agricultural soils of south China in the short term of 5 years. Also, Paleudalfs soils are more resistant to acid rain than Plinthudult soils. The different abilities to prevent leaching by acid rain depend upon the parent materials, types of clay minerals, and soil development degrees.

  5. [Effects of acid rain stress on Eleocarpus glabripetalus seedlings leaf chlorophyll fluorescence characteristics and growth].

    PubMed

    Yin, Xiu-Min; Yu, Shu-Quan; Jiang, Hong; Liu, Mei-Hu

    2010-06-01

    A pot experiment was conducted to study the Eleocarpus glabripetalus seedlings leaf chlorophyll fluorescence characteristics and growth in different seasons under simulated acid rain stress (heavy, pH = 2. 5; moderate, pH = 4.0; and control, pH = 5.6). In the same treatments, the leaf relative chlorophyll content (SPAD), maximum PS II photochemical efficiency (F(v)/F(m)), actual PSII photochemical quantum yield (phi(PS II)), plant height, and stem diameter in different seasons were all in the order of October > July > April > January. In the same seasons, all the parameters were in the order of heavy acid rain > moderate acid rain > control. The interactions between different acid rain stress and seasons showed significant effects on the SPAD, F(v)/F(m), plant height, and stem diameter, but lesser effects on phi(PS II), qp and qN.

  6. Acidic deposition on Taiwan and associated precipitation patterns

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Lin, N.H.; Chen, C.S.; Peng, C.M.

    1996-12-31

    The acidic deposition on Taiwan is assessed based on precipitation chemistry observed through a nationwide monitoring network of acid rain. Ten sites have been operated since 1990. These sites were further categorized into five categories, namely, the northern (A), middle (B), southern (C), and eastern (D) Taiwan, and background (E), according to their geographical consideration. As a result, the averages (1990-1994) of pH values for the northern sites were between 4.46-4.63, whereas, the rest sites, excluding a southern site near the industrial area, had their averages greater than 5.0. The average concentrations of sulfate ions for these sites of meanmore » pH < 5.0, ranged between 103 and 148 {mu}eq {ell}{sup -1}. The mean concentrations of nitrate ions for urban sites were about 30-50% of sulfate concentrations. Using these sulfate and nitrate concentrations and rainfall data, the deposition fluxes for these sites were calculated. The overall averages of annual sulfate deposition for five areas (categories A-E) were 118, 60, 64, 60 and 25 kg ha{sup -1}, respectively, which were generally greater than those of 20-40 kg ha{sup -1} observed in the eastern USA. For the nitrate deposition, these five areas had the averages of 59, 38, 33, 40 and 16 kg ha{sup -1}, respectively. One of the important reasons why Taiwan had received higher sulfate and nitrate deposition was due to a great amount of precipitation over this subtropical island. For the northern Taiwan, more than 70% of precipitation events were stratiform and frontal precipitation associated with the northeastern monsoons, and frontal systems during the winter and spring (especially, the Mei-Yu) seasons, respectively. In addition to local effects, the long-range transport of acid substances are thought to play an important role.« less

  7. Acid rain impacts on calcium nutrition and forest health

    Treesearch

    Donald H. DeHayes; Paul G. Schaberg; Gary J. Hawley; G. Richard Strimbeck

    1999-01-01

    Forest ecosystems throughout the world are exposed to acid rain, a complex solution consisting largely of H+, SO42-, NH4+, and NO3- pollutant ions derived from sulfur and nitrogen oxides. Although the public in...

  8. The effect of simulated acid rain on the stabilization of cadmium in contaminated agricultural soils treated with stabilizing agents.

    PubMed

    Zhu, Hao; Wu, Chunfa; Wang, Jun; Zhang, Xumei

    2018-04-16

    Stabilization technology is one of widely used remediation technologies for cadmium (Cd)-contaminated agricultural soils, but stabilized Cd in soil may be activated again when external conditions such as acid rain occurred. Therefore, it is necessary to study the effect of acid rain on the performance of different stabilizing agents on Cd-polluted agriculture soils. In this study, Cd-contaminated soils were treated with mono-calcium phosphate (MCP), mono-ammonium phosphate (MAP), and artificial zeolite (AZ) respectively and incubated 3 months. These treatments were followed by two types of simulated acid rain (sulfuric acid rain and mixed acid rain) with three levels of acidity (pH = 3.0, 4.0, and 5.6). The chemical forms of Cd in the soils were determined by Tessier's sequential extraction procedure, and the leaching toxicities of Cd in the soils were assessed by toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP). The results show that the three stabilizing agents could decrease the mobility of Cd in soil to some degree with or without simulated acid rain (SAR) treatment. The stabilization performances followed the order of AZ < MAP < MCP. Acid rain soaking promoted the activation of Cd in stabilized soil, and both anion composition and pH of acid rain were two important factors that influenced the stabilization effect of Cd.

  9. Effects of intermittent acid rain on proline and antioxidant content on medicinal plant “Pereskia bleo”

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sulandjari; Dewi, W. S.

    2018-03-01

    Global warming due to CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions from human activities have led to climate change and environmental degradation. The acid rain, with the pH of rainwater below 5.6, is a serious environmental problem. Arising from air pollution and potentially harmful to health, it can damage old buildings and distract the growth and physiological metabolism of sensitive plants. How does the influence of climate change on medicinal plants such as Pereskia bleo? The leaf of Pereskia bleo (Kunth) DC. contains high antioxidants with benefits for anti-cancer, anti-tumor, anti-rheumatic, and anti-inflammatory. This research aims to investigate the influence of acid rain on the proline level and antioxidant content of Pereskia bleo. Having been carried out from June to August in Jogjakarta, this study was conducted through the use of artificial acid rain with pH 5.8, 4.9, 3.7 and 2.9, by adding sulfate acid (H2SO4) to rainwater. The interval of intermittent watering acid rain to the plants is once a day, twice a day, and once in three days with three replications for six weeks. The results showed that Acid rain with a pH less than 4.9 and the intermittent interval of acid rain twice a day and once in three days significantly suppresses growth and chlorophyll content. In contrast, it increases the proline and antioxidant levels as a tolerant action of the plant.

  10. A Simulation of the Interaction of Acid Rain with Soil Minerals

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schilling, Amber L.; Hess, Kenneth R.; Leber, Phyllis A.; Yoder, Claude H.

    2004-01-01

    The atmospheric issue of acid rains is subjected to a five-part laboratory experiment by concentrating on the chemistry of the infiltration process of acid rainwater through soils. This procedure of quantitative scrutiny helps students realize the efficacy of soil minerals in the consumption of surplus acidity in rainwater.

  11. Does simulated acid rain increase the leaching of cadmium from wood ash to toxic levels to coniferous forest humus microbes?

    PubMed

    Perkiömäki, Jonna; Fritze, Hannu

    2003-05-01

    Abstract Wood ash contains Cd in concentrations not permitted for fertilization use in agriculture (>3 mg kg(-1)). It has been shown that spiking ash with Cd to concentrations of 1000 mg kg(-1) induced no further changes in humus microbial activity and community structure as ash alone. To accelerate the weathering process and thus to liberate the spiked Cd from the ash, three treatments - wood ash (A), Cd spiked wood ash (ACd, 1000 mg Cd kg(-1) ash), both applied at a fertilization rate of 5000 kg ha(-1), together with a control (C) - were performed in microcosms and incubated in field condition under two types of irrigation - water and simulated acid rain. During the incubation period of one growing season the simulated acid rain plots received a sulfur load of 3.64 g S m(-2), which was 15 times more than the S deposition on the water irrigated plots. The treatments resulted in a mean Cd increase of the humus from 0.23 mg kg(-1) of the C treatment to 0.52 and 39.5 mg kg(-1) of the A and ACd treatments, respectively. The irrigation had no further effect on the result. The microbial activity, measured as soil basal respiration, and the microbial community structure, measured as humus phospholipid fatty acid and 16S and 18S polymerase chain reaction/denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis patterns, changed only due to the ash (A and ACd treatments) fertilization irrespective of the irrigation. The bacterial biosensor, emitting light in the presence of bioavailable Cd, did not react to any of the treatments. This result shows that Cd in ash was not leached into the humus due to increased deposition of acidified rain.

  12. Combined acid rain and lanthanum pollution and its potential ecological risk for nitrogen assimilation in soybean seedling roots.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Fan; Cheng, Mengzhu; Sun, Zhaoguo; Wang, Lihong; Zhou, Qing; Huang, Xiaohua

    2017-12-01

    Rare earth elements (REEs) are used in various fields, resulting in their accumulation in the environment. This accumulation has affected the survival and distribution of crops in various ways. Acid rain is a serious global environmental problem. The combined effects on crops from these two types of pollution have been reported, but the effects on crop root nitrogen assimilation are rarely known. To explore the impact of combined contamination from these two pollutants on crop nitrogen assimilation, the soybean seedlings were treated with simulated environmental pollution from acid rain and a representative rare earth ion, lanthanum ion (La 3+ ), then the indexes related to plant nitrogen assimilation process in roots were determined. The results showed that combined treatment with pH 4.5 acid rain and 0.08 mM La 3+ promoted nitrogen assimilation synergistically, while the other combined treatments all showed inhibitory effects. Moreover, acid rain aggravated the inhibitory effect of 1.20 or 0.40 mM La 3+ on nitrogen assimilation in soybean seedling roots. Thus, the effects of acid rain and La 3+ on crops depended on the combination levels of acid rain intensity and La 3+ concentration. Acid rain increases the bioavailability of La 3+ , and the combined effects of these two pollutants were more serious than that of either pollutant alone. These results provide new evidence in favor of limiting overuse of REEs in agriculture. This work also provides a new framework for ecological risk assessment of combined acid rain and REEs pollution on soybean crops. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Acidic Depositions: Effects on Wildlife and Habitats

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    1993-01-01

    The phenomenon of 'acid rain' is not new; it was recognized in the mid-1800s in industrialized Europe. In the 1960s a synthesis of information about acidification began in Europe, along with predictions of ecological effects. In the U.S. studies of acidification began in the 1920s. By the late 1970s research efforts in the U.S. and Canada were better coordinated and in 1980 a 10-year research program was undertaken through the National Acid Precipitation Assessment Plan (NAPAP) to determine the causes and consequences of acidic depositions. Much of the bedrock in the northeastern U.S. and Canada contains total alkalinity of 20 kg/ha/yr of wet sulphate depositions and are vulnerable to acidifying processes. Acidic depositions contribute directly to acidifying processes of soil and soil water. Soils must have sufficient acid-neutralizing capacity or acidity of soil will increase. Natural soil-forming processes that lead to acidification can be accelerated by acidic depositions. Long-term effects of acidification are predicted, which will reduce soil productivity mainly through reduced availability of nutrients and mobilization of toxic metals. Severe effects may lead to major alteration of soil chemistry, soil biota, and even loss of vegetation. Several species of earthworms and several other taxa of soil-inhabiting invertebrates, which are important food of many vertebrate wildlife species, are affected by low pH in soil. Loss of canopy in declining sugar maples results in loss of insects fed on by certain neotropical migrant bird species. No definitive studies categorically link atmospheric acidic depositions with direct or indirect effects on wild mammals. Researchers have concentrated on vegetative and aquatic effects. Circumstantial evidence suggests that effects are probable for certain species of aquatic-dependent mammals (water shrew, mink, and otter) and that these species are at risk from the loss of foods or contamination of these foods by metals

  14. Effects and mechanisms of the combined pollution of lanthanum and acid rain on the root phenotype of soybean seedlings.

    PubMed

    Sun, Zhaoguo; Wang, Lihong; Zhou, Qing; Huang, Xiaohua

    2013-09-01

    Rare earth pollution and acid rain pollution are both important environmental issues worldwide. In regions which simultaneously occur, the combined pollution of rare earth and acid rain becomes a new environmental issue, and the relevant research is rarely reported. Accordingly, we investigated the combined effects and mechanisms of lanthanum ion (La(3+)) and acid rain on the root phenotype of soybean seedlings. The combined pollution of low-concentration La(3+) and acid rain exerted deleterious effects on the phenotype and growth of roots, which were aggravated by the combined pollution of high-concentration La(3+) and acid rain. The deleterious effects of the combined pollution were stronger than those of single La(3+) or acid rain pollution. These stronger deleterious effects on the root phenotype and growth of roots were due to the increased disturbance of absorption and utilization of mineral nutrients in roots. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. [Effects of simulated acid rain on seed germination and seedling growth of different type corn Zea mays].

    PubMed

    Zhang, Hai-Yan

    2013-06-01

    Taking normal corn, waxy corn, pop corn, and sweet corn as test materials, this paper studied their seed germination and seedling growth under effects of simulated acid rain (pH 6.0, 5.0, 4.0, 3.0, 2.0, and 1.0). Simulated acid rain at pH 2.0-5.0 had no significant effects on the seed germination and seedling growth, but at pH 1.0, the germination rate of normal corn, waxy corn, pop corn, and sweet corn was 91.3%, 68.7%, 27.5%, and 11.7%, respectively. As compared with those at pH 6.0 (CK), the germination rate, germination index, vigor index, germination velocity, shoot height, root length, shoot and root dry mass, and the transformation rate of stored substances at pH 1.0 had significant decrease, and the average germination time extended apparently. At pH 1.0, the effects of acid rain were greater at seedling growth stage than at germination stage, and greater on underground part than on aboveground part. Due to the differences in gene type, normal corn and waxy corn had the strongest capability against acid rain, followed by pop corn, and sweet corn. It was suggested that corn could be categorized as an acid rain-tolerant crop, the injury threshold value of acid rain was likely between pH 1.0 and pH 2.0, and normal corn and waxy corn would be prioritized for planting in acid rain-stricken area.

  16. Effect of simulated acid rain on fluorine mobility and the bacterial community of phosphogypsum.

    PubMed

    Wang, Mei; Tang, Ya; Anderson, Christopher W N; Jeyakumar, Paramsothy; Yang, Jinyan

    2018-06-01

    Contamination of soil and water with fluorine (F) leached from phosphogypsum (PG) stacks is a global environmental issue. Millions of tons of PG is produced each year as a by-product of fertilizer manufacture, and in China, weathering is exacerbated by acid rain. In this work, column leaching experiments using simulated acid rain were run to evaluate the mobility of F and the impact of weathering on native bacterial community composition in PG. After a simulated summer rainfall, 2.42-3.05 wt% of the total F content of PG was leached and the F concentration in leachate was above the quality standard for surface water and groundwater in China. Acid rain had no significant effect on the movement of F in PG. A higher concentration of F was observed at the bottom than the top section of PG columns suggesting mobility and reprecipitation of F. Throughout the simulation, the PG was environmentally safe according the TCLP testing. The dominant bacteria in PG were from the Enterococcus and Bacillus genus. Bacterial community composition in PG leached by simulated acid rain (pH 3.03) was more abundant than at pH 6.88. Information on F mobility and bacterial community in PG under conditions of simulated rain is relevant to management of environmental risk in stockpiled PG waste.

  17. Acid rain, air pollution, and tree growth in southeastern New York

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Puckett, L.J.

    1982-01-01

    Whether dendroecological analyses could be used to detect changes in the relationship of tree growth to climate that might have resulted from chronic exposure to components of the acid rain-air pollution complex was determined. Tree-ring indices of white pine (Pinus strobus L.), eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis (L.) Cart.), pitch pine (Pinus rigida Mill.), and chestnut oak (Quercus prinus L.) were regressed against orthogonally transformed values of temperature and precipitation in order to derive a response-function relationship. Results of the regression analyses for three time periods, 1901–1920, 1926–1945, and 1954–1973 suggest that the relationship of tree growth to climate has been altered. Statistical tests of the temperature and precipitation data suggest that this change was nonclimatic. Temporally, the shift in growth response appears to correspond with the suspected increase in acid rain and air pollution in the Shawangunk Mountain area of southeastern New York in the early 1950's. This change could be the result of physiological stress induced by components of the acid rain-air pollution complex, causing climatic conditions to be more limiting to tree growth.

  18. Kriging Direct and Indirect Estimates of Sulfate Deposition: A Comparison

    Treesearch

    Gregory A. Reams; Manuela M.P. Huso; Richard J. Vong; Joseph M. McCollum

    1997-01-01

    Due to logistical and cost constraints, acidic deposition is rarely measured at forest research or sampling locations. A crucial first step to assessing the effects of acid rain on forests is an accurate estimate of acidic deposition at forest sample sites. We examine two methods (direct and indirect) for estimating sulfate deposition at atmospherically unmonitored...

  19. Witwatersrand gold deposits formed by volcanic rain, anoxic rivers and Archaean life

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Heinrich, Christoph A.

    2015-03-01

    The Witwatersrand Basin in South Africa is one of the best-preserved records of fluvial sedimentation on an Archaean continent. The basin hosts the worlds biggest gold resource in thin pebble beds, but the process for gold enrichment is debated. Mechanical accumulation of gold particles from flowing river water is the prevailing hypothesis, yet there is evidence for hydrothermal mobilization of gold by fluids invading the metasedimentary rocks after their burial. Earth's atmosphere three billion years ago was oxygen free, but already sustained some of the oldest microbial life on land. Here I use thermodynamic modelling and mass-balance calculations to show that these conditions could have led to the chemical transport and precipitation of gold in anoxic surface waters, reconciling the evidence for fluvial deposition with evidence for hydrothermal-like chemical reactions. I suggest that the release of sulphurous gases from large volcanic eruptions created acid rain that enabled the dissolution and transport of gold in surface waters as sulphur complexes. Precipitation of the richest gold deposits could have been triggered by chemical reduction of the dissolved gold onto organic material in shallow lakes and pools. I conclude that the Witwatersrand gold could have formed only during the Archaean, after the emergence of continental life but before the rise of oxygen in the Earth's atmosphere.

  20. Dispelling the North American acid rain clouds: Developing a framework for political consensus through the identification of elite viewpoints

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Bhatti, N.

    1988-01-01

    Acidic deposition has simultaneously been referred to as an environmental curiosity and as an ecological holocaust. This polarization of opinion on this pollutant has resulted in the policy stalemate in Congress over this issue and is responsible for the major part of the friction which currently besets Canada-United States relations. This study identified the distinctive viewpoints which characterize opposing attitudes. In addition, the specific areas of consensus and disagreement among these elite groups were determined. All of these objectives were carried out using the results of the Q-sort technique and interviews with members of the acid rain elite in bothmore » Canada and the United States (i.e. politicians, scientists, regulators, environmental/advocacy groups, and industry/utility personnel). Furthermore, a comprehensive, in-depth review of the scientific, legal, economic, social and political aspects of this tissue was conducted. Results show that implementation of the Acid Rain Experimental Control Program (ARECP) and the Clean Coal Technology project has the potential to break the existing stalemates over this issue and, at the same, could avert damage to many ecosystems, man-made structures and human health.« less

  1. Acid Rain - This cloud has no silver lining

    Treesearch

    Gail Michaels

    2000-01-01

    Twenty years ago, acid rain was the environmental cause du jour, a symptom of all that was wrong with humans and their relationship to the environment. Its discovery was accidental, ironic for what turned out to be such a wide-ranging problem. "Hub" Vogelman, a University of Vermont botanist, noticed something troubling in the precipitation data he and his...

  2. Acid Rain Phenomenon in Niger Delta Region of Nigeria: Economic, Biodiversity, and Public Health Concern

    PubMed Central

    Nduka, J. K. C.; Orisakwe, O. E.; Ezenweke, L. O.; Ezenwa, T. E.; Chendo, M. N.; Ezeabasili, N. G.

    2008-01-01

    Rain samples were collected from Warri and Port Harcourt, two major oil-producing cities of Nigeria in April-June, July-August, and September-October 2005 and 2006. Awka, a “non-oil” city was used as control. Samples were collected from three points, using clean plastic basins fastened to a table, 2 m above ground level and 115 m away from tall buildings and trees. Water samples were filtered and acidity determined using digital pHmeter. The results show that the rain samples were acidic. The pH values for the 2 years under study show that the rainfall in Warri was more acidic than that of Port Harcourt. Oil exploration and other anthropogenic sources may be responsible for the acid rain in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. PMID:18758657

  3. Acid rain phenomenon in niger delta region of Nigeria: economic, biodiversity, and public health concern.

    PubMed

    Nduka, J K C; Orisakwe, O E; Ezenweke, L O; Ezenwa, T E; Chendo, M N; Ezeabasili, N G

    2008-08-28

    Rain samples were collected from Warri and Port Harcourt, two major oil-producing cities of Nigeria in April-June, July-August, and September-October 2005 and 2006. Awka, a "non-oil" city was used as control. Samples were collected from three points, using clean plastic basins fastened to a table, 2 m above ground level and 115 m away from tall buildings and trees. Water samples were filtered and acidity determined using digital pH meter. The results show that the rain samples were acidic. The pH values for the 2 years under study show that the rainfall in Warri was more acidic than that of Port Harcourt. Oil exploration and other anthropogenic sources may be responsible for the acid rain in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria.

  4. Response of citrus and other selected plant species to simulated HCL - acid rain

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Knott, W. M.; Heagle, A. S.

    1980-01-01

    Mature valencia orange trees were sprayed with hydrochloric acid solutions (pH 7.8, 2.0, 1.0, and 0.5) in the field at the full bloom stage and at one month after fruit set. Potted valencia orange and dwarf citrus trees, four species of plants native to Merritt Island, and four agronomic species were exposed to various pH levels of simulated acid rain under controlled conditions. The acid rain was generated from dilutions of hydrochloric acid solutions or by passing water through an exhaust generated by burning solid rocket fuel. The plants were injured severely at pH levels below 1.0, but showed only slight injury at pH levels of 2.0 and above. Threshold injury levels were between 2.0 and 3.0 pH. The sensitivity of the different plant species to acid solutions was similar. Foliar injury symptoms were representative of acid rain including necrosis of young tissue, isolated necrotic spots or patches, and leaf abscission. Mature valencia orange trees sprayed with concentrations of 1.0 pH and 0.5 pH in the field had reduced fruit yields for two harvests after the treatment. All experimental trees were back to full productivity by the third harvest after treatment.

  5. Acid Rain: Federal Policy Action 1983-1985. A Guide to Government Documents and Commercial Sources.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lovenburg, Susan, Comp.

    The problems associated with acid rain as well as strategies on what to do and how to do it are addressed in this resource guide. The first section identifies and describes the U.S. agencies and congressional committees which play a role in acid rain research, legislation, and regulation. Actions already taken by the executive and legislative…

  6. Effects of acid deposition on dissolution of carbonate stone during summer storms in the Adirondack Mountains, New York, 1987-89

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Schuster, Paul F.; Reddy, Michael M.; Sherwood, S.I.

    1994-01-01

    This study is part of a long-term research program designed to identify and quantify acid rain damage to carbonate stone. Acidic deposition accelerates the dissolution of carbonate-stone monuments and building materials. Sequential sampling of runoff from carbonate-stone (marble) and glass (reference) microcatchments in the Adirondack Mountains in New York State provided a detailed record of the episodic fluctuations in rain rate and runoff chemistry during individual summer storms. Rain rate and chemical concentrations from carbonate-stone and glass runoff fluctuated three to tenfold during storms. Net calcium-ion concentrations from the carbonatestone runoff, a measure of stone dissolution, typically fluctuated twofold during these storms. High net sulfate and net calcium concentrations in the first effective runoff at the start of a storm indicated that atmospheric pollutants deposited on the stone surface during dry periods formed calcium sulfate minerals, an important process in carbonate stone dissolution. Dissolution of the carbonate stone generally increased up to twofold during coincident episodes of low rain rate (less than 5 millimeters per hour) and decreased rainfall (glass runoff) pH (less than 4.0); episodes of high rain rate (cloudbursts) were coincident with a rapid increase in rainfall pH and also a rapid decrease in the dissolution of carbonate-stone. During a storm, it seems the most important factors causing increased dissolution of carbonate stone are coincident periods of low rain rate and decreased rainfall pH. Dissolution of the carbonate stone decreased slightly as the rain rate exceeded about 5 millimeters per hour, probably in response to rapidly increasing rainfall pH during episodes of high rain rate and shorter contact time between the runoff and the stone surface. High runoff rates resulting from cloudbursts remove calcium sulfate minerals formed during dry periods prior to storms and also remove dissolution products formed in large

  7. The role of calcium in improving photosynthesis and related physiological and biochemical attributes of spring wheat subjected to simulated acid rain.

    PubMed

    Dolatabadian, Aria; Sanavy, Seyed Ali Mohammad Modarres; Gholamhoseini, Majid; Joghan, Aydin Khodaei; Majdi, Mohammad; Kashkooli, Arman Beyraghdar

    2013-04-01

    The response of photosynthesis parameters, catalase, superoxide dismutase and peroxidase activity, malondialdehyde, proline, chlorophyll, yield and yield components to foliar application of calcium and simulated acid rain in wheat were investigated. Foliar treatment of calcium led to significant increases in the photosynthesis rate, transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, proline, chlorophyll, yield and yield components in plants subjected to acid rain. Antioxidant enzyme activity and lipid peroxidation in the wheat leaves decreased because of calcium foliar application. Calcium hindered degradation of the rubisco subunits under acid rain treatment compared with water-treated plants. Results suggest that acid rain induces the production of free radicals resulting in lipid peroxidation of the cell membrane so that significant increase in antioxidant enzyme activity was observed. In addition, photosynthetic parameters i.e. photosynthesis rate, transpiration rate and stomatal conductance were drastically suppressed by acid rain. The cellular damage caused by free radicals might be reduced or prevented by a protective metabolism including antioxidative enzymes and calcium. We report that foliar application of calcium before acid rain may ameliorate the adverse effects of acid rain in wheat plants.

  8. [Combined effects of copper and simulated acid rain on copper accumulation, growth, and antioxidant enzyme activities of Rumex acetosa].

    PubMed

    He, Shan-Ying; Gao, Yong-Jie; Shentu, Jia-Li; Chen, Kun-Bai

    2011-02-01

    A pot experiment was conducted to study the combined effects of Cu (0-1500 mg x kg(-1)) and simulated acid rain (pH 2.5-5.6) on the copper accumulation, growth, and antioxidant enzyme activities of Rumex acetosa. With the increasing concentration of soil Cu, the Cu accumulation in R. acetosa increased, being higher in root than in stem and leaf. The exposure to low pH acid rain promoted the Cu uptake by R. acetosa. With the increase of soil Cu concentration and/or of acid rain acidity, the biomass of R. acetosa decreased, leaf and root MDA contents increased and had good correlation with soil Cu concentration, and the SOD and POD activities in leaf and root displayed a decreasing trend after an initial increase. This study showed that R. acetosa had a strong adaptive ability to Cu and acid rain stress, exhibiting a high application potential in the remediation of Cu-contaminated soil in acid rain areas.

  9. Responses of tropical legumes from the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest to simulated acid rain.

    PubMed

    Andrade, Guilherme C; Silva, Luzimar C

    2017-07-01

    We investigated the morphological and anatomical effects of simulated acid rain on leaves of two species native to the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest: Paubrasilia echinata and Libidibia ferrea var. leiostachya. Saplings were subjected to acid rain in a simulation chamber during 10 days for 15 min daily, using H 2 SO 4 solution pH 3.0 and, in the control, deionized water. At the end of the experiment, fragments from young and expanding leaves were anatomically analyzed. Although L. ferrea var. leiostachya leaves are more hydrophobic, rain droplets remained in contact with them for a longer time, as in the hydrophilic P. echinata leaves, droplets coalesce and rapidly run off. Visual symptomatology consisted in interveinal and marginal necrotic dots. Microscopic damage found included epicuticular wax flaking, turgor loss and epidermal cell shape alteration, hypertrophy of parenchymatous cells, and epidermal and mesophyll cell collapse. Formation of a wound tissue was observed in P. echinata, and it isolated the necrosis to the adaxial leaf surface. Acid rain increased thickness of all leaf tissues except spongy parenchyma in young leaves of L. ferrea var. leiostachya, and such thickness was maintained throughout leaf expansion. To our knowledge, this is the first report of acidity causing increase in leaf tissue thickness. This could represent the beginning of cell hypertrophy, which was seen in visually affected leaf regions. Paubrasilia echinata was more sensitive, showing earlier symptoms, but the anatomical damage in L. ferrea var. leiostachya was more severe, probably due to the higher time of contact with acid solution in this species.

  10. Effects of rare earth and acid rain pollution on plant chloroplast ATP synthase and element contents at different growth stages.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Fan; Hu, Huiqing; Wang, Lihong; Zhou, Qing; Huang, Xiaohua

    2018-03-01

    Combined rare earth and acid rain pollution has become a new environmental problem, seriously affecting plant survival. The effects of these two kinds of pollutants on plant photosynthesis have been reported, but the micro mechanisms are not very clear. In this research, we studied the effects of lanthanum [La(III), 0.08, 1.20 and 2.40 mM] and acid rain (pH value = 2.5, 3.5 and 4.5) on the ATPase activity and gene transcription level and the functional element contents in rice leaf chloroplasts. The results showed that the combined 0.08 mM La(III) and pH 4.5 acid rain increased the ATPase activity and gene transcription level as well as contents of some functional elements. But other combined treatments of acid rain and La(III) reduced the ATPase activity and gene transcription level as well as functional element contents. The change magnitude of the above indexes at rice booting stage was greater than that in seedling stage or grain filling stage. These results reveal that effects of La(III) and acid rain on ATPase activity and functional element contents in rice leaf chloroplasts are related to the combination of La(III) dose and acid rain intensity and the plant growth stage. In addition, the changes in the ATPase activity were related to ATPase gene transcription level. This study would provide a reference for understanding the microcosmic mechanism of rare earth and acid rain pollution on plant photosynthesis and contribute to evaluate the possible environmental risks associated with combined La(III) and acid rain pollution. The effects of La(III) and acid rain on activity and gene transcription level of rice chloroplast ATPase and contents of functional elements were different at different growth stages. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Geochemical and stable isotope characteristics of urban heavy rain in the downtown of Tokyo, Japan

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Uchiyama, Ryunosuke; Okochi, Hiroshi; Ogata, Hiroko; Katsumi, Naoya; Asai, Daisuke; Nakano, Takanori

    2017-09-01

    In order to make clear the impact of air pollution on the formation of sudden and locally-distributed heavy rain in urban area (hereafter Urban Heavy Rain: UHR), we analyzed inorganic ion concentration and stable isotope ratio of water (δD and δ18O) in rainwater. Rainwater samples were collected in Shinjuku, which is a representative downtown of Tokyo, Japan, during four years from October 2012 to December 2015. The concentration and wet deposition fluxes of acidic components (H+, NH4+, NO3-, and nss-SO42 -) in UHR were especially higher than those in other types of rain events, i.e. normal rain, typhoon heavy rain, and frontal heavy rain. UHR had distinctly lower stable isotope ratios than those in other urban rains with same rainfall amount and summer precipitation systems. There was a high negative correlation between δ18O and the distances from the sampling point to the formation area of UHR within 10 km, while there were high positive correlations between δ18O and the concentration of acidic components in UHR. These findings indicate that UHR could effectively scavenge acidic substances within cloud and suggest the use of stable isotope ratios as tracers of an urban heavy rain's water and in-cloud scavenging process.

  12. Chemistry For Kids: Pre-Chemistry Acid Rain Activities for Kids.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Barrow, Lloyd H.

    1985-01-01

    Presents two activities on acid rain for students in intermediate grades. Materials needed and procedures used are included. Also describes "chemical magic" shows performed by high school students for sixth-grade students in seven elementary schools in Altus, Oklahoma. (JN)

  13. Analysis of Natural Buffer Systems and the Impact of Acid Rain

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Powers, David C.; Yoder, Claude H.; Higgs, Andrew T.; Obley, Matt L.; Hess, Kenneth R.; Leber, Phyllis A.

    2005-01-01

    The environmental significance of acid rain on water systems of different buffer capacities is discussed. The most prevalent natural buffer system is created by the equilibrium between carbonate ions and carbon dioxide.

  14. Leaching Characteristics of Calcium and Strontium from Phosphogypsum Under Acid Rain.

    PubMed

    Wang, Mei; Luo, Houqiao; Chen, Yong; Yang, Jinyan

    2018-02-01

    Phosphogypsum (PG) stored close to phosphorus chemical plants has caused worldwide environmental problems. Column leaching experiments were conducted to evaluate Ca and Sr leaching from PG under simulated acid rain at pH levels typical for rain in the study region (Shifang, China). High concentrations of Ca and Sr in leachates in the first five leaching events could pollute the soil and groundwater around the PG. Leachates pH was lower than and had no correlation with simulated rain pH. No correlations between simulated rain pH and cumulative Ca and Sr content in leachates were noted. Around 2.0%-2.2% of Ca and 0.5%-0.6% of Sr were leached out from PG by the simulated summer rainfall in Shifang. Electrical conductivity values, Ca and Sr concentrations at bottom sections of PG columns were higher than those of top sections, while pH values showed a reverse trend. More precautions should be taken to protect the environment around PG stacks.

  15. Spatial characterization of acid rain stress in Canadian Shield lakes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tanis, Fred J.

    1986-01-01

    A major concern of the acid rain problem is the cumulative ecosystem damage to lakes and forests. The number of lakes affected in northeastern United States and on the Canadian Shield is thought to be enormous. Seasonal changes in lake transparency are examined relative to annual acidic load. The relationship between variations in lake acidification and ecophysical units is being examined. Finally, the utility of Thematic Mapper (TM) based observations is being used to measure seasonal changes in the optical transparency in acid lakes.

  16. Organic acids in cloud water and rainwater at a mountain site in acid rain areas of South China.

    PubMed

    Sun, Xiao; Wang, Yan; Li, Haiyan; Yang, Xueqiao; Sun, Lei; Wang, Xinfeng; Wang, Tao; Wang, Wenxing

    2016-05-01

    To investigate the chemical characteristics of organic acids and to identify their source, cloud water and rainwater samples were collected at Mount Lu, a mountain site located in the acid rain-affected area of south China, from August to September of 2011 and March to May of 2012. The volume-weighted mean (VWM) concentration of organic acids in cloud water was 38.42 μeq/L, ranging from 7.45 to 111.46 μeq/L, contributing to 2.50 % of acidity. In rainwater samples, organic acid concentrations varied from 12.39 to 68.97 μeq/L (VWM of 33.39 μeq/L). Organic acids contributed significant acidity to rainwater, with a value of 17.66 %. Formic acid, acetic acid, and oxalic acid were the most common organic acids in both cloud water and rainwater. Organic acids had an obviously higher concentration in summer than in spring in cloud water, whereas there was much less discrimination in rainwater between the two seasons. The contribution of organic acids to acidity was lower during summer than during spring in both cloud water (2.20 % in summer vs 2.83 % in spring) and rainwater (12.24 % in summer vs 19.89 % in spring). The formic-to-acetic acid ratio (F/A) showed that organic acids were dominated by primary emissions in 71.31 % of the cloud water samples and whole rainwater samples. Positive matrix factorization (PMF) analysis determined four factors as the sources of organic acids in cloud water, including biogenic emissions (61.8 %), anthropogenic emissions (15.28 %), marine emissions (15.07 %) and soil emissions (7.85 %). The findings from this study imply an indispensable role of organic acids in wet deposition, but organic acids may have a limited capacity to increase ecological risks in local environments.

  17. Experimental investigation of influence of acid rain on leaching and hydraulic characteristics of cement-based solidified/stabilized lead contaminated clay.

    PubMed

    Du, Yan-Jun; Jiang, Ning-Jun; Shen, Shui-Long; Jin, Fei

    2012-07-30

    Remediation of contaminated lands in China urban areas is of great concern. Degradation of construction facilities caused by acid rain is a serious environmental pollution issue in China. This paper presents an investigation of the effects of acid rain on leaching and hydraulic properties of cement-based solidified/stabilized lead contaminated soil. Laboratory tests including infiltration test and soaking test are conducted. It is found that the soil hydraulic conductivity decreases with increase in the pore volume of flow of permeant liquids (acid rain and distilled water). The decreasing rate in the case of the acid rain is lower than that in the case of the distilled water. The soaking test results show that pH and the presence of sulfate ions of acid rain have considerable influence on the leached concentrations and leaching rate of calcium. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. [Influence of simulated acid rain on nitrogen and phosphorus contents and their stoichiome-tric ratios of tea organs in a red soil region, China].

    PubMed

    Zhang, Yu Fei; Fang, Xiang Min; Chen, Fu Sheng; Zong, Ying Ying; Gu, Han Jiao; Hu, Xiao Fei

    2017-04-18

    A 25-year-old tea plantation in a typical red soil region was selected for an in situ simulated acid rain experiment treated by pH 4.5, 3.5, 2.5 and water (control, CK). Roots with different functions, leaves and twigs with different ages were collected to measure nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) contents in the third year after simulated acid rain treatment. The N/P and acid rain sensitivity coefficient of tea plant organs were also calculated. The results indicated that with the increase of acid rain intensity, the soil pH, NO 3 - -N and available P decreased, while the absorption root N content increased. Compared with the control, the N content in absorption root was increased by 32.9% under the treatment of pH 2.5. The P content in storage root significantly decreased with enhanced acid rain intensity, and the acid rain treatment significantly enhanced N/P of absorption root. Young and mature leaf N, P contents were not sensitive to different intensities of acid rain, but the mature leaf N/P was significantly increased under pH 3.5 treatment compared with the control. The effects of acid rain treatments differed with tea twig ages. Compared with the control, low intensity acid treatment (pH 4.5) significantly increased young twig N content and N/P, while no signi-ficant differences in old twig N content and N/P were observed among four acid rain treatments. Acid rain sensitivity coefficients of absorption root, young leaf and twig N contents were higher than that of storage root, old leaf and twig, respectively. And the storage root and leaf P had higher acid rain sensitivity coefficient than other tea organs. In sum, tea organs N content was sensitive to acid rain treatment, and moderate acid rain could increase young organ N content and N/P, and change the cycle and balance of N and P in tea plantation.

  19. Effects of simulated acid rain on pollen physiology and ultrastructure in the apple.

    PubMed

    Bellani, L M; Rinallo, C; Muccifora, S; Gori, P

    1997-01-01

    Viability, germination and tube length were investigated in pollen grains of field-grown 'Summerred' apple trees (Malus domestica Borkh) exposed to deionized water, rainfall or simulated acid rain at pH 5.6, 4.0 and 3.0. Pollen viability and germination significantly decreased with lower values of pH and with increasing number of treatments. The effects of pH 5.6 and natural rainfall were not significant. Electron microscope investigation of vegetative pollen cells of plants exposed to acid rain at pH 4.0 and 3.0 showed modified features in mitochondria, plastids and endoplasmic reticulum.

  20. [Effects of exogenous nitric oxide on physiological characteristics of longan (Dimocarpus longana) seedlings under acid rain stress].

    PubMed

    Liu, Jian-fu; Wang, Ming-yuan; Yang, Chen; Zhu, Ai-jun

    2013-08-01

    This paper studied the effects of exogenous nitric oxide donor sodium nitroprusside (SNP) on the chlorophyll content, antioxidant enzyme activities, and osmotic regulation substances of longan (Dimocarpus longana 'Fuyan') seedlings under acid rain (pH 3.0) stress. Under the acid rain stress, the seedling leaf superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD) and catalase (CAT) activities and chlorophyll, soluble protein and soluble sugar contents decreased obviously, while the leaf malondialdedyde content had a remarkable increase, suggesting the toxic effect of the acid rain on the seedlings. Exogenous nitric oxide had dual nature on the physiological characteristics of longan seedlings under acid rain stress. Applying 0.1-0.5 mmol x L(-1) of SNP improved the SOD, POD and CAT activities and the chlorophyll, soluble protein and soluble sugar contents significantly, and decreased the malondialdedyde content. Low concentrations SNP reduced the oxidative damage caused by the acid rain stress, and 0.5 mmol x L(-1) of SNP had the best effect. Under the application of 0.5 mmol x L(-1) of SNP, the total chlorophyll, soluble protein, and soluble sugar contents and the SOD, POD and CAT activities increased by 76.0%, 107.0%, 216.1%, 150. 0%, 350.9% and 97.1%, respectively, and the malondialdedyde content decreased by 46.4%. It was suggested that low concentration (0.1-0.5 mmol x L(-1)) SNP could alleviate the toxic effect of acid rain stress on longan seedlings via activating the leaf antioxidant enzyme activities and reducing oxidative stress, while high concentration SNP (1.0 mmol x L(-1)) lowered the mitigation effect.

  1. EFFECT OF AN ACID RAIN ENVIRONMENT ON LIMESTONE SURFACES.

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Mossotti, Victor G.; Lindsay, James R.; Hochella, Michael F.

    1987-01-01

    Salem limestone samples were exposed to weathering for 1 y in several urban and one rural environments. Samples exposed in the rural location were chemically indistinguishable from the freshly quarried limestone, whereas all samples collected from urban exposure sites developed gypsum stains on the ground-facing surfaces where the stones were not washed by precipitation. The gas-solid reaction of SO//2 with calcite was selected for detailed consideration. It appears from the model that under arid conditions, the quantity of stain deposited on an unwashed surface is independent of atmospheric SO//2 concentration once the surface has been saturated with gypsum. Under wet conditions, surface sulfation and weight loss are probably dominated by mechanisms involving wet stone. However, if the rain events are frequent and delimited by periods of dryness, the quantity of gypsum produced by a gas-solid reaction mechanism should correlate with both the frequency of rain events and the atmospheric SO//2 level.

  2. Simulated acid rain alters litter decomposition and enhances the allelopathic potential of the invasive plant Wedelia trilobata (Creeping Daisy)

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Invasive species and acid rain cause global environmental problems. Limited information exists, however, concerning the effects of acid rain on the invasiveness of these plants. For example, creeping daisy, an invasive exotic allelopathic weed, has caused great damage in southern China where acid ra...

  3. A new look at liming as an approach to accelerate recovery from acidic deposition effects

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Lawrence, Gregory B.; Burns, Douglas A.; Murray, Karen

    2016-01-01

    Acidic deposition caused by fossil fuel combustion has degraded aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems in North America for over four decades. The only management option other than emissions reductions for combating the effects of acidic deposition has been the application of lime to neutralize acidity after it has been deposited on the landscape. For this reason, liming has been a part of acid rain science from the beginning. However, continued declines in acidic deposition have led to partial recovery of surface water chemistry, and the start of soil recovery. Liming is therefore no longer needed to prevent further damage, so the question becomes whether liming would be useful for accelerating recovery of systems where improvement has lagged. As more is learned about recovering ecosystems, it has become clear that recovery rates vary with watershed characteristics and among ecosystem components. Lakes appear to show the strongest recovery, but recovery in streams is sluggish and recovery of soils appears to be in the early stages. The method in which lime is applied is therefore critical in achieving the goal of accelerated recovery. Application of lime to a watershed provides the advantage of increasing Ca availability and reducing or preventing mobilization of toxic Al, an outcome that is beneficial to both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. However, the goal should not be complete neutralization of soil acidity, which is naturally produced. Liming of naturally acidic areas such as wetlands should also be avoided to prevent damage to indigenous species that rely on an acidic environment.

  4. A new look at liming as an approach to accelerate recovery from acidic deposition effects.

    PubMed

    Lawrence, Gregory B; Burns, Douglas A; Riva-Murray, Karen

    2016-08-15

    Acidic deposition caused by fossil fuel combustion has degraded aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems in North America for over four decades. The only management option other than emissions reductions for combating the effects of acidic deposition has been the application of lime to neutralize acidity after it has been deposited on the landscape. For this reason, liming has been a part of acid rain science from the beginning. However, continued declines in acidic deposition have led to partial recovery of surface water chemistry, and the start of soil recovery. Liming is therefore no longer needed to prevent further damage, so the question becomes whether liming would be useful for accelerating recovery of systems where improvement has lagged. As more is learned about recovering ecosystems, it has become clear that recovery rates vary with watershed characteristics and among ecosystem components. Lakes appear to show the strongest recovery, but recovery in streams is sluggish and recovery of soils appears to be in the early stages. The method in which lime is applied is therefore critical in achieving the goal of accelerated recovery. Application of lime to a watershed provides the advantage of increasing Ca availability and reducing or preventing mobilization of toxic Al, an outcome that is beneficial to both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. However, the goal should not be complete neutralization of soil acidity, which is naturally produced. Liming of naturally acidic areas such as wetlands should also be avoided to prevent damage to indigenous species that rely on an acidic environment. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  5. Effects of simulated acid rain on microbial characteristics in a lateritic red soil.

    PubMed

    Xu, Hua-qin; Zhang, Jia-en; Ouyang, Ying; Lin, Ling; Quan, Guo-ming; Zhao, Ben-liang; Yu, Jia-yu

    2015-11-01

    A laboratory experiment was performed to examine the impact of simulated acid rain (SAR) on nutrient leaching, microbial biomass, and microbial activities in a lateritic red soil in South China. The soil column leaching experiment was conducted over a 60-day period with the following six SAR pH treatments (levels): 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, and 5.0 and one control treatment (pH = 7). Compared with the control treatment, the concentrations of soil organic matter, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, total potassium, soil microbial biomass carbon (MBC), soil microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN), and average well color density (AWCD) in the Ecoplates were all significantly decreased by leaching with SAR at different pH levels. The decrease in MBC and MBN indicated that acid rain reduced the soil microbial population, while the decrease in AWCD revealed that acid rain had a negative effect on soil bacterial metabolic function. Soil basal respiration increased gradually from pH 4.0 to 7.0 but decreased dramatically from pH 2.5 to 3.0. The decrease in soil nutrient was the major reason for the change of soil microbial functions. A principal component analysis showed that the major carbon sources used by the bacteria were carbohydrates and carboxylic acids.

  6. Effects of simulated acid rain and ozone on foliar chemistry of field-grown Pinus ponderosa seedlings and mature trees.

    PubMed

    Momen, B; Helms, J A

    1996-01-01

    We investigated the additive and interactive effects of simulated acid rain and elevated ozone on C and N contents, and the C:N ratio of one-year-old and current-year foliage of field-grown mature trees and their half-sib seedlings of a stress tolerant genotype of ponderosa pine. Acid rain levels (pH 5.1 and 3.0) were applied weekly to foliage only (no soil acidification or N addition), from January to April, 1992. Plants were exposed to two ozone levels (ambient and twice-ambient) during the day from September 1991 to November 1992. The sequential application of acid rain and elevated ozone mimicked the natural conditions. Twice-ambient ozone significantly decreased foliar N content (by 12-14%) and increased the C:N ratio of both one-year-old and current-year foliage of seedlings. Although similar ozone effects were also observed on one-year-old foliage of mature trees, the only statistically significant effect was an increased C:N ratio when twice-ambient ozone combined with pH 3.0 rain (acid rain by ozone interaction). Enhancing the effect of twice-ambient ozone in increasing the C:N ratio of one-year-old foliage of mature trees in June was the only significant effect of acid rain.

  7. A Fresh Look at the Benefits and Costs of the US Acid Rain ...

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    The US Acid Rain Program (Title IV of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments) has achieved substantial reductions in emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) from power plants in the United States. We compare new estimates of the benefits and costs of Title IV to those made in 1990. Important changes in our understanding of and ability to quantify the benefits of Title IV have occurred. Benefits to human health now take a much higher profile because the contribution of SO2 and NOx emissions to the formation of fine particulate (PM2.5) is substantial, and evidence of the harmful human health effects of PM2.5 has emerged in the last 15 years. New estimates of the health benefits of PM2.5 reductions are the largest category of quantified health and environmental benefits and total over US$100 billion annually for 2010 when the program is expected to be fully implemented. Although important uncertainties exist in any specific estimate of the benefits, even if the estimates were calculated using more limiting assumptions and interpretations of the literature they would still substantially exceed the costs. Estimates of annualized costs for 2010 are about US$3 billion, which is less than half of what was estimated in 1990. Research since 1990 also suggests that environmental problems associated with acid deposition and nitrogen deposition are more challenging to resolve than originally thought and will require larger reductions in emissions to re

  8. Acid Rain Effects on Adirondack Streams - Results from the 2003-05 Western Adirondack Stream Survey (the WASS Project)

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Lawrence, Gregory B.; Roy, Karen M.; Baldigo, Barry P.; Simonin, Howard A.; Passy, Sophia I.; Bode, Robert W.; Capone, Susan B.

    2009-01-01

    Traditionally lakes have been the focus of acid rain assessments in the Adirondack region of New York. However, there is a growing recognition of the importance of streams as environmental indicators. Streams, like lakes, also provide important aquatic habitat, but streams more closely reflect acid rain effects on soils and forests and are more prone to acidification than lakes. Therefore, a large-scale assessment of streams was undertaken in the drainage basins of the Oswegatchie and Black Rivers; an area of 4,585 km2 in the western Adirondack region where acid rain levels tend to be highest in New York State.

  9. Learning about Acid Rain: A Teacher's Guide for Grades 6 through 8. EPA 430-F-08-002

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    US Environmental Protection Agency, 2008

    2008-01-01

    Acid rain is a complex environmental problem which affects the United States and many other countries around the world. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was established in 1970 to address environmental issues, such as acid rain. Through its programs, EPA works to protect human health and the environment in the United States…

  10. Effects of silicon on Oryza sativa L. seedling roots under simulated acid rain stress.

    PubMed

    Ju, Shuming; Yin, Ningning; Wang, Liping; Zhang, Cuiying; Wang, Yukun

    2017-01-01

    Silicon (Si) has an important function in reducing the damage of environmental stress on plants. Acid rain is a serious abiotic stress factor, and Si can alleviate the stress induced by acid rain on plants. Based on these assumptions, we investigated the effects of silicon on the growth, root phenotype, mineral element contents, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and antioxidative enzymes of rice (Oryza sativa L.) seedling roots under simulated acid rain (SAR) stress. The results showed that the combined or single effects of Si and/or SAR on rice roots depend on the concentration of Si and the pH of the SAR. The combined or single effects of a low or moderate concentration of Si (1.0 or 2.0 mM) and light SAR (pH 4.0) enhanced the growth of rice roots, and the combined effects were stronger than those of the single treatment. A high concentration of Si (4.0 mM) or severe SAR (pH 2.0) exerted deleterious effects. The incorporation of Si (1.0, 2.0 or 4.0 mM) into SAR with pH 3.0 or 2.0 promoted the rice root growth, decreased the H2O2 content, increased the Si concentration and the superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activities, maintained the balance of mineral element (K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, and Cu) concentrations in the roots of rice seedlings compared with SAR alone. The alleviatory effects observed with a moderate concentration of Si (2.0 mM) were better than the effects obtained with a low or high concentration of Si (1.0 or 4.0 mM). The observed effects were due to disruptions in the absorption and utilization of mineral nutrients and impacts on the activity of antioxidant enzymes in roots, and this conclusion suggests that the degree of rice root damage caused by acid rain might be attributed to not only acid rain but also the level of Si in the soil.

  11. Effects of silicon on Oryza sativa L. seedling roots under simulated acid rain stress

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Liping; Zhang, Cuiying; Wang, Yukun

    2017-01-01

    Silicon (Si) has an important function in reducing the damage of environmental stress on plants. Acid rain is a serious abiotic stress factor, and Si can alleviate the stress induced by acid rain on plants. Based on these assumptions, we investigated the effects of silicon on the growth, root phenotype, mineral element contents, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and antioxidative enzymes of rice (Oryza sativa L.) seedling roots under simulated acid rain (SAR) stress. The results showed that the combined or single effects of Si and/or SAR on rice roots depend on the concentration of Si and the pH of the SAR. The combined or single effects of a low or moderate concentration of Si (1.0 or 2.0 mM) and light SAR (pH 4.0) enhanced the growth of rice roots, and the combined effects were stronger than those of the single treatment. A high concentration of Si (4.0 mM) or severe SAR (pH 2.0) exerted deleterious effects. The incorporation of Si (1.0, 2.0 or 4.0 mM) into SAR with pH 3.0 or 2.0 promoted the rice root growth, decreased the H2O2 content, increased the Si concentration and the superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activities, maintained the balance of mineral element (K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, and Cu) concentrations in the roots of rice seedlings compared with SAR alone. The alleviatory effects observed with a moderate concentration of Si (2.0 mM) were better than the effects obtained with a low or high concentration of Si (1.0 or 4.0 mM). The observed effects were due to disruptions in the absorption and utilization of mineral nutrients and impacts on the activity of antioxidant enzymes in roots, and this conclusion suggests that the degree of rice root damage caused by acid rain might be attributed to not only acid rain but also the level of Si in the soil. PMID:28291806

  12. [Responses of rhizosphere nitrogen and phosphorus transformations to different acid rain intensities in a hilly red soil tea plantation].

    PubMed

    Chen, Xi; Chen, Fu-sheng; Ye, Su-qiong; Yu, Su-qin; Fang, Xiang-min; Hu, Xiao-fei

    2015-01-01

    Tea (Camellia sinensis) plantation in hilly red soil region has been long impacted by acid deposition, however its effects on nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) transformations in rhizosphere soils remain unclear. A 25-year old tea plantation in a typical hilly red soil region was selected for an in situ simulation experiment treated by pH 4.5, pH 3.5, pH 2.5 and control. Rhizosihere and bulk soils were collected in the third year from the simulated acid deposition experiment. Soil mineral N, available P contents and major enzyme activities were analyzed using the chemical extraction and biochemical methods, and N and P mineralization rates were estimated using the indoor aerobic incubation methods. Our results showed that compared to the control, the treatments of pH 4.5, pH 3.5 and pH 2.5, respectively decreased 7.1%, 42.1% and 49.9% NO3(-)-N, 6.4%, 35.9% and 40.3% mineral N, 10.5%, 41.1% and 46.9% available P, 18.7%, 30.1% and 44.7% ammonification rate, 3.6%, 12.7% and 38.8% net N-mineralization rate, and 31.5%, 41.8% and 63.0% P mineralization rate in rhizosphere soils; however, among the 4 treatments, rhizosphere soil nitrification rate was not significantly different, the rhizosphere soil urease and acid phosphatase activities generally increased with the increasing intensity of acid rain (P<0.05). In bulk soil, compared with the control, the treatments of pH 4.5, pH 3.5 and pH 2.5 did not cause significant changes in NO3(-)-N, mineral N, available P as well as in the rates of nitrification, ammonification, net N-mineralization and P mineralization. With increasing the acid intensity, the rhizosphere effects of NH4+-N, NO3(-)-N, mineral N, ammonification and net N-mineralization rates were altered from positive to negative effects, those of urease and acid phosphatease showed the opposite trends, those of available P and P mineralization were negative and that of nitrification was positive. In sum, prolonged elevated acid rain could reduce N and P transformation

  13. Influence of long-term exposure to simulated acid rain on development, reproduction and acaricide susceptibility of the carmine spider mite, Tetranychus cinnabarinus

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Jin-Jun; Zhang, Jian-Ping; He, Lin; Zhao, Zhi-Mo

    2006-01-01

    Development, reproduction and acaricide susceptibility of Tetranychus cinnabarinus (Boisduvals) (Acari: Tetranychidae) were investigated after long-term (about 40 generations) exposure to various levels of acid rain; pH 2.5, 3.0, 4.0, and 5.6. Deionized water (pH 6.8) served as a control. The mites were reared on eggplant leaves at 28°C, 80%RH and a photoperiod of 14:10 (L:D) in the laboratory. The results showed that the duration of the immature stage was significantly affected by acid rain exposure. The shortest duration (8.90 days) was recorded for populations exposed to pH 5.6 acid rain, while the longest duration (9.37 days) occurred after exposure to pH 2.5 acid rain. Compared with the control population, adult longevity was shortened with an increase in acidity. Similarly, the oviposition duration was also shortened by an increase in acidity. Statistically, female fecundity did not differ significantly between pH 5.6, pH 4.0 and control populations, but did differ significantly between the control population and those exposed to pH 2.5 and pH 3.0 acid rain. This suggested that the mite suffered reproductive defects after long-term exposure to acid rain with higher acidity (pH 2.5 and 3.0). The intrinsic rate of increase among different populations was not significantly affected, but the net reproductive rate of populations exposed to pH 2.5 and 3.0 acid rain was significantly less than pH4.0, 5.6, and control populations. Bioassay results showed that after long-term exposure to acid rain, susceptibility of the mites to two acaricides, dichlorvos and fenpropathrin, did not change significantly. PMID:19537978

  14. Impact of simulated acid rain on trace metals and aluminum leaching in latosol from Guangdong Province, China

    Treesearch

    Jia-En Zhang; Jiayu Yu; Ying Ouyang; Huaqin Xu

    2014-01-01

    Acid rain is one of the most serious ecological and environmental problems worldwide. This study investigated the impacts of simulated acid rain (SAR) upon leaching of trace metals and aluminum (Al) from a soil. Soil pot leaching experiments were performed to investigate the impacts of SAR at five different pH levels (or treatments) over a 34-day period upon the...

  15. Effect of exogenous abscisic acid on morphology, growth and nutrient uptake of rice (Oryza sativa) roots under simulated acid rain stress.

    PubMed

    Liu, Hongyue; Ren, Xiaoqian; Zhu, Jiuzheng; Wu, Xi; Liang, Chanjuan

    2018-05-31

    Application of proper ABA can improve acid tolerance of rice roots by balancing endogenous hormones and promoting nutrient uptake. Abscisic acid (ABA) has an important signaling role in enhancing plant tolerance to environmental stress. To alleviate the inhibition on plant growth and productivity caused by acid rain, it is crucial to clarify the regulating mechanism of ABA on adaptation of plants to acid rain. Here, we studied the effects of exogenously applied ABA on nutrients uptake of rice roots under simulated acid rain (SAR) stress from physiological, biochemical and molecular aspects. Compared to the single SAR treatment (pH 4.5 or 3.5), exogenous 10 μM ABA alleviated the SAR-induced inhibition of root growth by balancing endogenous hormones (abscisic acid, indole-3-acetic acid, gibberellic acid and zeatin), promoting nutrient uptake (nitrate, P, K and Mg) in rice roots, and increasing the activity of the plasma membrane H + -ATPase by up-regulating expression levels of genes (OSA2, OSA4, OSA9 and OSA10). However, exogenous 100 μM ABA exacerbated the SAR-caused inhibition of root growth by disrupting the balance of endogenous hormones, and inhibiting nutrient uptake (nitrate, P, K, Ca and Mg) through decreasing the activity of the plasma membrane H + -ATPase. These results indicate that proper concentration of exogenous ABA could enhance tolerance of rice roots to SAR stress by promoting nutrients uptake and balancing endogenous hormones.

  16. Spatial characterization of acid rain stress in Canadian Shield lakes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tanis, Fred J.

    1986-01-01

    The acidification of lake waters from airborne pollutants is of continental proportions both in North America and Europe. A major concern of the acid rain problem is the cumulative ecosystem damage to lakes and forest. The number of lakes affected in northeastern United States and on the Canadian Shield is though to be enormous. The principle objective is to examine how seasonal changes in lake water transparency are related to annual acidic load. Further, the relationship between variations in lake acidification and ecophysical units is being examined. Finally, the utility of Thematic Mapper (TM) based observations to measure seasonal changes in the optical transparency in acid lakes is being investigated.

  17. Modeled dosage-response relationship on the net photosynthetic rate for the sensitivity to acid rain of 21 plant species.

    PubMed

    Deng, Shihuai; Gou, Shuzhen; Sun, Baiye; Lv, Wenlin; Li, Yuanwei; Peng, Hong; Xiao, Hong; Yang, Gang; Wang, Yingjun

    2012-08-01

    This study investigated the sensitivity of plant species to acid rain based on the modeled dosage-response relationship on the net photosynthetic rate (P (N)) of 21 types of plant species, subjected to the exposure of simulated acid rain (SAR) for 5 times during a period of 50 days. Variable responses of P (N) to SAR occurred depending on the type of plant. A majority (13 species) of the dosage-response relationship could be described by an S-shaped curve and be fitted with the Boltzmann model. Model fitting allowed quantitative evaluation of the dosage-response relationship and an accurate estimation of the EC(10), termed as the pH of the acid rain resulting in a P (N) 10 % lower than the reference value. The top 9 species (Camellia sasanqua, Cinnamomum camphora, etc. EC(10) ≤ 3.0) are highly endurable to very acid rain. The rare, relict plant Metasequoia glyptostroboides was the most sensitive species (EC(10) = 5.1) recommended for protection.

  18. Effects of calcium on seed germination, seedling growth and photosynthesis of six forest tree species under simulated acid rain.

    PubMed

    Liu, Ting-Wu; Wu, Fei-Hua; Wang, Wen-Hua; Chen, Juan; Li, Zhen-Ji; Dong, Xue-Jun; Patton, Janet; Pei, Zhen-Ming; Zheng, Hai-Lei

    2011-04-01

    We selected six tree species, Pinus massoniana Lamb., Cryptomeria fortunei Hooibr. ex Otto et Dietr., Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb.) Hook., Liquidambar formosana Hance, Pinus armandii Franch. and Castanopsis chinensis Hance, which are widely distributed as dominant species in the forest of southern China where acid deposition is becoming more and more serious in recent years. We investigated the effects and potential interactions between simulated acid rain (SiAR) and three calcium (Ca) levels on seed germination, radicle length, seedling growth, chlorophyll content, photosynthesis and Ca content in leaves of these six species. We found that the six species showed different responses to SiAR and different Ca levels. Pinus armandii and C. chinensis were very tolerant to SiAR, whereas the others were more sensitive. The results of significant SiAR × Ca interactions on different physiological parameters of the six species demonstrate that additional Ca had a dramatic rescue effect on the seed germination and seedling growth for the sensitive species under SiAR. Altogether, we conclude that the negative effects of SiAR on seed germination, seedling growth and photosynthesis of the four sensitive species could be ameliorated by Ca addition. In contrast, the physiological processes of the two tolerant species were much less affected by both SiAR and Ca treatments. This conclusion implies that the degree of forest decline caused by long-term acid deposition may be attributed not only to the sensitivity of tree species to acid deposition, but also to the Ca level in the soil.

  19. Environmental Externalities in Electric Power Markets: Acid Rain, Urban Ozone, and Climate Change

    EIA Publications

    1995-01-01

    This article discusses the emissions resulting from the generation of electricity by utilities and their role in contributing to the environmental problems of acid rain, urban ozone, and climate change.

  20. Patterns of Phakopsora pachyrhizi spore deposition detected in North America rain and their use to calibrate IAMS soybean rust forecasts in 2007

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    In 2007, rain was assayed for Phakopsora pachyrhizi spores (the causal agent of Asian soybean rust) at 75 National Atmospheric Deposition Program sites in the US and at 12 sites in Canada using two types of rain collectors. A nested real-time PCR assay was used to detect P. pachyrhizi DNA in the fil...

  1. Efficient inhibition of heavy metal release from mine tailings against acid rain exposure by triethylenetetramine intercalated montmorillonite (TETA-Mt).

    PubMed

    Gong, Beini; Wu, Pingxiao; Huang, Zhujian; Li, Yuanyuan; Yang, Shanshan; Dang, Zhi; Ruan, Bo; Kang, Chunxi

    2016-11-15

    The potential application of triethylenetetramine intercalated montmorillonite (TETA-Mt) in mine tailings treatment and AMD (acid mine drainage) remediation was investigated with batch experiments. The structural and morphological characteristics of TETA-Mt were analyzed with XRD, FTIR, DTG-TG and SEM. The inhibition efficiencies of TETA-Mt against heavy metal release from mine tailings when exposed to acid rain leaching was examined and compared with that of triethylenetetramine (TETA) and Mt. Results showed that the overall inhibition by TETA-Mt surpassed that by TETA or Mt for various heavy metal ions over an acid rain pH range of 3-5.6 and a temperature range of 25-40°C. When mine tailings were exposed to acid rain of pH 4.8 (the average rain pH of the mining site where the mine tailings were from), TETA-Mt achieved an inhibition efficiency of over 90% for Cu(2+), Zn(2+), Cd(2+) and Mn(2+) release, and 70% for Pb(2+) at 25°C. It was shown that TETA-Mt has a strong buffering capacity. Moreover, TETA-Mt was able to adsorb heavy metal ions and the adsorption process was fast, suggesting that coordination was mainly responsible. These results showed the potential of TETA-Mt in AMD mitigation, especially in acid rain affected mining area. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. [Effects of simulated acid rain on respiration rate of cropland system with different soil pH].

    PubMed

    Zhu, Xue-zhu; Zhang, Gao-chuan; Li, Hui

    2009-10-15

    To evaluate the effects of acid rain on the respiration rate of cropland system, an outdoor pot experiment was conducted with paddy soils of pH 5.48 (S1), pH 6.70 (S1) and pH 8.18 (S3) during the 2005-2007 wheat-growing seasons. The cropland system was exposed to acid rain by spraying the wheat foliage and irrigating the soil with simulated rainwater of T1 (pH 6.0), T2 (pH 6.0, ionic concentration was twice as rainwater T1), and T3 (pH 4.4, ionic concentration was twice as rainwater T1), respectively. The static opaque chamber-gas chromatograph method was used to measure CO2 fluxes from cropland system. The results showed that acid rain affected the respiration rate of cropland system through crop plant, and the cropland system could adapt to acid rain. Acid rainwater significantly increased the average respiration rate in alkaline soil (S3) cropland system, while it had no significant effects on the average respiration rate in neutral soil (S2) and acidic soil (S1) cropland systems. During 2005-2006, after the alkaline soil cropland system was treated with rainwater T3, the average respiration rate was 23.6% and 27.6% higher than that of alkaline soil cropland system treated with rainwater T1 and T2, respectively. During March to April, the respiration rate was enhanced with the increase of rainwater ionic concentration, while it was dropped with the decrease of rainwater pH value in acidic soil cropland system. It was demonstrated that soil pH and crop plant played important roles on the respiration rate of cropland system.

  3. Sources of sulphur in rain collected below a wheat canopy.

    PubMed

    Raybould, C C; Unsworth, M H; Gregory, P J

    1977-05-12

    Vegetation plays an important role in the cycle of sulphur between the atmosphere and the soil. We have measured the quantity of sulphur in rain collected below a maturing wheat canopy. This sulphur has three sources: first, the atmosphere, from which falling rain gains SO2 and sulphate; second, leaf surfaces, from which rain washes sulphur which was previously deposited by turbulent transfer ('dry deposition'), and third, leaf tissue, from which rain leaches sulphur. We have now deduced from field and laboratory measurements that leaching supplied nearly 90% of the sulphur gained by rain as it fell through the wheat canopy. Only a small fraction of sulphur which had been dry-deposited on the surface of leaves could be washed off.

  4. Acid Precipitation in the Pacific Northwest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Baldwin, John; Kozak, David

    1988-01-01

    Discusses the causes, sources, and problems associated with acid deposition in the Pacific Northwest. Includes a learning activity about acid rain, "Deadly Skies," which was adapted from the Project WILD Aquatic Supplement. (TW)

  5. Response of soil respiration to acid rain in forests of different maturity in southern China.

    PubMed

    Liang, Guohua; Liu, Xingzhao; Chen, Xiaomei; Qiu, Qingyan; Zhang, Deqiang; Chu, Guowei; Liu, Juxiu; Liu, Shizhong; Zhou, Guoyi

    2013-01-01

    The response of soil respiration to acid rain in forests, especially in forests of different maturity, is poorly understood in southern China despite the fact that acid rain has become a serious environmental threat in this region in recent years. Here, we investigated this issue in three subtropical forests of different maturity [i.e. a young pine forest (PF), a transitional mixed conifer and broadleaf forest (MF) and an old-growth broadleaved forest (BF)] in southern China. Soil respiration was measured over two years under four simulated acid rain (SAR) treatments (CK, the local lake water, pH 4.5; T1, water pH 4.0; T2, water pH 3.5; and T3, water pH 3.0). Results indicated that SAR did not significantly affect soil respiration in the PF, whereas it significantly reduced soil respiration in the MF and the BF. The depressed effects on both forests occurred mostly in the warm-wet seasons and were correlated with a decrease in soil microbial activity and in fine root biomass caused by soil acidification under SAR. The sensitivity of the response of soil respiration to SAR showed an increasing trend with the progressive maturity of the three forests, which may result from their differences in acid buffering ability in soil and in litter layer. These results indicated that the depressed effect of acid rain on soil respiration in southern China may be more pronounced in the future in light of the projected change in forest maturity. However, due to the nature of this field study with chronosequence design and the related pseudoreplication for forest types, this inference should be read with caution. Further studies are needed to draw rigorous conclusions regarding the response differences among forests of different maturity using replicated forest types.

  6. Response of Soil Respiration to Acid Rain in Forests of Different Maturity in Southern China

    PubMed Central

    Chen, Xiaomei; Qiu, Qingyan; Zhang, Deqiang; Chu, Guowei; Liu, Juxiu; Liu, Shizhong; Zhou, Guoyi

    2013-01-01

    The response of soil respiration to acid rain in forests, especially in forests of different maturity, is poorly understood in southern China despite the fact that acid rain has become a serious environmental threat in this region in recent years. Here, we investigated this issue in three subtropical forests of different maturity [i.e. a young pine forest (PF), a transitional mixed conifer and broadleaf forest (MF) and an old-growth broadleaved forest (BF)] in southern China. Soil respiration was measured over two years under four simulated acid rain (SAR) treatments (CK, the local lake water, pH 4.5; T1, water pH 4.0; T2, water pH 3.5; and T3, water pH 3.0). Results indicated that SAR did not significantly affect soil respiration in the PF, whereas it significantly reduced soil respiration in the MF and the BF. The depressed effects on both forests occurred mostly in the warm-wet seasons and were correlated with a decrease in soil microbial activity and in fine root biomass caused by soil acidification under SAR. The sensitivity of the response of soil respiration to SAR showed an increasing trend with the progressive maturity of the three forests, which may result from their differences in acid buffering ability in soil and in litter layer. These results indicated that the depressed effect of acid rain on soil respiration in southern China may be more pronounced in the future in light of the projected change in forest maturity. However, due to the nature of this field study with chronosequence design and the related pseudoreplication for forest types, this inference should be read with caution. Further studies are needed to draw rigorous conclusions regarding the response differences among forests of different maturity using replicated forest types. PMID:23626790

  7. Source tagging modeling study of regional contributions to acid rain in summer over Liaoning Province, Northeastern China.

    PubMed

    Gbaguidi, Alex E; Wang, Zifa; Wang, Wei; Yang, Ting; Chen, Huan-Sheng

    2018-04-01

    Strong acid rain was recently observed over Northeastern China, particularly in summer in Liaoning Province where alkaline dust largely neutralized acids in the past. This seems to be related to the regional transboundary pollution and poses new challenges in acid rain control scheme in China. In order to delve into the regional transport impact, and quantify its potential contributions to such an "eruption" of acid rain over Liaoning, this paper employs an online source tagging model in coupling with the Nested Air Quality Prediction Modeling System (NAQPMS). Validation of predictions shows the model capability in reproducing key meteorological and chemical features. Acid concentration over Liaoning is more pronounced in August (average of 0.087 mg/m 3 ) with strong pollutant import from regional sources against significant depletion of basic species. Seasonal mean contributions from regional sources are assessed at both lower and upper boundary layers to elucidate the main pathways of the impact of regional sources on acid concentration over Liaoning. At the upper layer (1.2 km), regional sources contribute to acid concentration over Liaoning by 67%, mainly from Shandong (16%), Hebei (13%), Tianjin (11%) and Korean Peninsula (9%). Identified main city-receptors in Liaoning are Dandong, Dalian, Chaohu, Yingkou, Liaoyang, Jinfu, Shengyang, Panjin, Tieling, Benxi, Anshan and Fushun. At lower layer (120 m) where Liaoning local contribution is dominant (58%), regional sources account for 39% in acid concentration. However, inter-municipal acid exchanges are prominent at this layer and many cities in Liaoning are revealed as important sources of local acid production. Seasonal acid contribution average within 1.2 km-120 m attains 55%, suggesting dominance of vertical pollutant transport from regional sources towards lower boundary layer in Liaoning. As direct environmental implication, this study provides policy makers with a perspective of regulating the

  8. Acid rain at Kennedy Space Center, Florida - Recent observations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Madsen, B. C.

    1981-01-01

    During the period July, 1977 to September, 1979, rainfall was collected in the vicinity of the Kennedy Space Center and subjected to appropriate chemical analysis for purposes of characterization of general composition and acidity. Results obtained form the basis for future comparisons, should significant alteration of the chemical composition of rain occur during the space shuttle era. Acidity extremes calculated on a monthly basis from event samples collected from five sites within a 200 sq km area varied from pH 5.1 in November, 1977, and April, 1978 to pH 4.3 in July, 1978 and July, 1979. Weighted average pH for the entire period was 4.55. Acidity was due to the presence of sulfuric and nitric acids. The mole ratio of excess SO4(-2):NO3(-) was typically greater than one. Monthly weighted average Cl(-) concentrations ranged from 20-240 micromoles/liter. The Cl(-):Na(+) ratio was slightly lower than that present in sea water.

  9. Acid rain and deterioration of monuments: How old is the phenomenon?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Camuffo, Dario

    The first known articles on acid rain appeared when atmospheric pollution reached high levels in the industrial towns of England. Research was carried out to ascertain and interpret earlier documentation, mainly written or printed in Italy, that could throw new light on both the environmental history and the relationship between present-day pollution and weathering of monuments. Very important discussions on dispersion and transport of airborne pollutants, atmospheric scavenging, acid rain, as well as descriptions of effects on fruit, monuments and people, were found in scientific treatises of the 1600s and 1700s. The cause of acidification can be found in volcanic activity, especially that of Stromboli, Vulcano, Vesuvius and Etna, which increased in the 17th and 18th century. Although in the past some pollutants may have reached higher concentrations locally than at present, nowadays air pollution has become a global problem; there are many new species of pollutants and catalysts, and their combined action has increased impressively the environmental risk and the deterioration rate of historic buildings and monuments.

  10. Characterizing the release of different composition of dissolved organic matter in soil under acid rain leaching using three-dimensional excitation-emission matrix spectroscopy.

    PubMed

    Liu, Li; Song, Cunyi; Yan, Zengguang; Li, Fasheng

    2009-09-01

    Although excitation-emission matrix spectroscopy (EEMS) has been widely used to characterize dissolved organic matter (DOM), there has no report that EEMS has been used to study the effects of acid rain on DOM and its composition in soil. In this work, we employed three-dimensional EEMS to characterize the compositions of DOM leached by simulated acid rain from red soil. The red soil was subjected to leaching of simulated acid rain of different acidity, and the leached DOM presented five main peaks in its EEMS: peak-A, related to humic acid-like (HA-like) material, at Ex/Em of 310-330/395-420nm; peak-B, related to UV fulvic acid-like (FA-like) material, at Ex/Em of 230-280/400-435nm; peak-C and peak-D, both related to microbial byproduct-like material, at Ex/Em of 250-280/335-355nm and 260-280/290-320nm, respectively; and peak-E, related to simple aromatic proteins, at Ex/Em of 210-240/290-340nm. EEMS analysis results indicated that most DOM could be lost from red soil in the early phase of acid rain leaching. In addition to the effects of the pH of acid rain, the loss of DOM also depended on the properties of its compositions and the solubility of their complexes with aluminum. HA-like and microbial byproduct-like materials could be more easily released from red soil by acid rain at both higher pH (4.5 and 5.6) and lower pH (2.5 and 3) than that at middle pH (3.5). On the contrary, FA-like material lost in a similar manner under the action of different acid rains with pH ranging from 2.5 to 5.6.

  11. A transcriptomic study reveals differentially expressed genes and pathways respond to simulated acid rain in Arabidopsis thaliana.

    PubMed

    Liu, Ting-Wu; Niu, Li; Fu, Bin; Chen, Juan; Wu, Fei-Hua; Chen, Juan; Wang, Wen-Hua; Hu, Wen-Jun; He, Jun-Xian; Zheng, Hai-Lei

    2013-01-01

    Acid rain, as a worldwide environmental issue, can cause serious damage to plants. In this study, we provided the first case study on the systematic responses of arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh.) to simulated acid rain (SiAR) by transcriptome approach. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that the expression of a set of genes related to primary metabolisms, including nitrogen, sulfur, amino acid, photosynthesis, and reactive oxygen species metabolism, were altered under SiAR. In addition, transport and signal transduction related pathways, especially calcium-related signaling pathways, were found to play important roles in the response of arabidopsis to SiAR stress. Further, we compared our data set with previously published data sets on arabidopsis transcriptome subjected to various stresses, including wound, salt, light, heavy metal, karrikin, temperature, osmosis, etc. The results showed that many genes were overlapped in several stresses, suggesting that plant response to SiAR is a complex process, which may require the participation of multiple defense-signaling pathways. The results of this study will help us gain further insights into the response mechanisms of plants to acid rain stress.

  12. EFFECTS OF ACID RAIN ON APPLE TREE PRODUCTIVITY AND FRUIT QUALITY

    EPA Science Inventory

    Mature 'McIntosh', 'Empire', and 'Golden Delicious' apple trees (Malus domestica) were sprayed with simulated acid rain solutions in the pH range of 2.5 to 5.5 at full bloom in 1980 and 1981. In 1981, weekly sprays were applied at pH 2.75 and pH 3.25. Necrotic lesions developed o...

  13. Direct damage to vegetation caused by acid rain and polluted cloud: definition of critical levels for forest trees.

    PubMed

    Cape, J N

    1993-01-01

    The concept of critical levels was developed in order to define short-term and long-term average concentrations of gaseous pollutants above which plants may be damaged. Although the usual way in which pollutants in precipitation (wet deposition) influence vegetation is by affecting soil processes, plant foliage exposed to fog and cloud, which often contain much greater concentrations of pollutant ions than rain, may be damaged directly. The idea of a critical level has been extended to define concentrations of pollutants in wet deposition above which direct damage to plants is likely. Concentrations of acidity and sulphate measured in mountain and coastal cloud are summarised. Vegetation at risk of injury is identified as montane forest growing close to the cloud base, where ion concentrations are highest. The direct effects of acidic precipitation on trees are reviewed, based on experimental exposure of plants to simulated acidic rain, fog or mist. Although most experiments have reported results in terms of pH (H(+) concentration), the accompanying anion is important, with sulphate being more damaging than nitrate. Both conifers and broadleaved tree seedlings showing subtle changes in the structural characteristics of leaf surfaces after exposure to mist or rain at or about pH 3.5, or sulphate concentration of 150 micromol litre(-1). Visible lesions on leaf surfaces occur at around pH 3 (500 micromol litre(-1) sulphate), broadleaved species tending to be more sensitive than conifers. Effects on photosynthesis and water relations, and interactions with other stresses (e.g. frost), have usually been observed only for treatments which have also caused visible injury to the leaf surface. Few experiments on the direct effects of polluted cloud have been conducted under field conditions with mature trees, which unlike seedlings in controlled conditions, may suffer a growth reduction in the absence of visible injury. Although leaching of cations (Ca(2+), Mg(2+), K(+)) is

  14. Effect of acid rain pH on leaching behavior of cement stabilized lead-contaminated soil.

    PubMed

    Du, Yan-Jun; Wei, Ming-Li; Reddy, Krishna R; Liu, Zhao-Peng; Jin, Fei

    2014-04-30

    Cement stabilization is a practical approach to remediate soils contaminated with high levels of lead. However, the potential for leaching of lead out of these stabilized soils under variable acid rain pH conditions is a major environmental concern. This study investigates the effects of acid rain on the leaching characteristics of cement stabilized lead contaminated soil under different pH conditions. Clean kaolin clay and the same soil spiked with 2% lead contamination are stabilized with cement contents of 12 and 18% and then cured for 28 days. The soil samples are then subjected to a series of accelerated leaching tests (or semi-dynamic leaching tests) using a simulated acid rain leachant prepared at pH 2.0, 4.0 or 7.0. The results show that the strongly acidic leachant (pH ∼2.0) significantly altered the leaching behavior of lead as well as calcium present in the soil. However, the differences in the leaching behavior of the soil when the leachant was mildly acidic (pH ∼4.0) and neutral (pH ∼7.0) prove to be minor. In addition, it is observed that the lead contamination and cement content levels can have a considerable impact on the leaching behavior of the soils. Overall, the leachability of lead and calcium is attributed to the stability of the hydration products and their consequent influence on the soil buffering capacity and structure. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. [Seasonality and contribution to acid rain of the carbon abundance in rainwater].

    PubMed

    Xu, Tao; Song, Zhi-guang; Liu, Jun-feng; Wang, Cui-ping

    2008-02-01

    This paper reports the results from a study of the carbon abundance in rainwater of Guangzhou city, China. The determination of TOC, DOC, POC and PEC helps to study the seasonality of carbon abundance and its contribution to the acid rain. The results display the fact that the average contents of TOC, DOC, POC and PEC are 7.10 mg/L, 3.58 mg/L, 3.60 mg/L and 0.72 mg/L, respectively. These results confirm the deep effect of the organic pollutant to the rain. The seasonality exists in the carbon abundance of rainwater. The contents of TOC and DOC are up to the maximum in spring and the minimum in summer; the contribution of POC to TOC in summer is obviously higher than that in other seasons; and the relative content of POC is clearly higher in dry season than that in wet season. The seasonality reflects the more emission of the total pollutant in spring and the solid particle pollutant in summer than those in other seasons. Moreover, the emission of the organic pollutant from the mobile vehicles is more obvious in dry season than that in wet season. The contents of TOC and DOC have the negative correlation to the pH values, which confirms the contribution effect of the organic pollutant, such as vehicle emission, to the acid rain.

  16. Sulfur and Nitrogen Deposition on Ecosystems in the United States

    EPA Science Inventory

    The ecological impacts of atmospheric sulfur and nitrogen deposition first gained attention in the United States in the early 1970s with reports of "acid rain" falling to earth, causing lakes and streams to become acidic and resulting in conditions that were unsuitable for repro...

  17. Modeling estimates of the effect of acid rain on background radiation dose.

    PubMed Central

    Sheppard, S C; Sheppard, M I

    1988-01-01

    Acid rain causes accelerated mobilization of many materials in soils. Natural and anthropogenic radionuclides, especially 226Ra and 137Cs, are among these materials. Okamoto is apparently the only researcher to date who has attempted to quantify the effect of acid rain on the "background" radiation dose to man. He estimated an increase in dose by a factor of 1.3 following a decrease in soil pH of 1 unit. We reviewed literature that described the effects of changes in pH on mobility and plant uptake of Ra and Cs. Generally, a decrease in soil pH by 1 unit will increase mobility and plant uptake by factors of 2 to 7. Thus, Okamoto's dose estimate may be too low. We applied several simulation models to confirm Okamoto's ideas, with most emphasis on an atmospherically driven soil model that predicts water and nuclide flow through a soil profile. We modeled a typical, acid-rain sensitive soil using meteorological data from Geraldton, Ontario. The results, within the range of effects on the soil expected from acidification, showed essentially direct proportionality between the mobility of the nuclides and dose. This supports some of the assumptions invoked by Okamoto. We conclude that a decrease in pH of 1 unit may increase the mobility of Ra and Cs by a factor of 2 or more. Our models predict that this will lead to similar increases in plant uptake and radiological dose to man. Although health effects following such a small increase in dose have not been statistically demonstrated, any increase in dose is probably undesirable. PMID:3203639

  18. From the Fur Trade to Acid Rain: A Study of Canadian Natural Resources.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Winans, Linda

    1988-01-01

    Presents a teaching module for upper elementary students that devotes eight class periods of study to Canadian resources. Includes study of the Canadian fur trade, fishing industry, forestry, and the problems caused by acid rain. Includes the unit evaluation. (DB)

  19. Environmental Policy-Making and Their Impacts in the Case of Acid Rain Abatement.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Boehmer-Christiansen, Sonja

    1992-01-01

    Great Britain and Germany accepted European Community acid rain reduction directives. Discusses the differences in the amount of reduction required from each country, the strategies adopted to attain those reductions, and the levels of emission reductions already achieved.(52 references) (MDH)

  20. Predicting recovery from acid rain using the micro-spatial heterogeneity of soil columns downhill the infiltration zone of beech stemflow: introduction of a hypothesis.

    PubMed

    Berger, Torsten W; Muras, Alexander

    Release of stored sulfur may delay the recovery of soil pH from Acid Rain. It is hypothesized that analyzing the micro-spatial heterogeneity of soil columns downhill of a beech stem enables predictions of soil recovery as a function of historic acid loads and time. We demonstrated in a very simplified approach, how these two different factors may be untangled from each other using synthetic data. Thereafter, we evaluated the stated hypothesis based upon chemical soil data with increasing distance from the stem of beech trees. It is predicted that the top soil will recover from acid deposition, as already recorded in the infiltration zone of stemflow near the base of the stem. However, in the between trees areas and especially in deeper soil horizons recovery may be highly delayed.

  1. ACID PRECIPITATION IN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE: AWARENESS OF THE ACID RAIN PROBLEM HAS DEVELOPED IN MANY COUNTRIES OVER MORE THAN A CENTURY

    EPA Science Inventory

    Awareness of the acid rain problem has developed in many countries over more than a century. This brief article is an attempt to illuminate some of the questions, such as, why did it take so long for acid precipitation to be recognized as an important environmental problem. What ...

  2. Lots of data, how do we use it? Strengths and inaccuracies of utility acid rain electronic data reports

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Schott, J.

    1996-12-31

    Entergy Corporation is a Phase II utility with a fossil generation base composed primarily natural gas and low sulfur coal. This paper presents an analysis of a large Phase II utility`s continuous emissions monitoring data reported to EPA under Title IV Acid Rain. Electric utilities currently report hourly emissions of NOx, SO{sub 2}, CO{sub 2}, fuel use, and generation through electronic data reports to EPA. This paper describes strengths and weaknesses of the data reported to EPA as determined through an analysis of 1995 data. Emissions reported by this company tinder acid rain for SO{sub 2} and NOx are verymore » different from emissions reported to state agencies for annual emission inventory purposes in past years and will represent a significant break with historic trends. A comparison of emissions has been made of 1995 emissions reported under Electronic Data Reports to the emissions that would have been reported using emission factors and fuel data in past years. In addition, the paper examines the impacts of 40 CFR Part 75 Acid Rain requirements such as missing data substitution and monitor bias adjustments. Measurement system errors including stack flow measurement and false NOx Lb/MMBtu readings at very low loads are discussed. This paper describes the implications for public policy, compliance, emissions inventories, and business decisions of Part 75 acid rain monitoring and reporting requirements.« less

  3. Complex toxic effects of Cd2+, Zn2+, and acid rain on growth of kidney bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L).

    PubMed

    Liao, Bo-han; Liu, Hong-yu; Zeng, Qing-ru; Yu, Ping-zhong; Probst, Anne; Probst, Jean-Luc

    2005-08-01

    Complex toxic effects of Cd2+, Zn2+, and acid rain on growth of kidney bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L) were studied in a pot experiment by measurement of fresh weights of the plants, determination of surperoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and lipid peroxidation (MDA) in the plant organs, and observation of injury symptoms. The experimental results demonstrated that all treatments of Cd2+, Zn2+, and/or acid rain significantly decreased fresh weights of kidney bean and caused toxic effects on growth of the plants, especially higher amounts of Cd2+ and Zn2+ and higher acidity of acid rain. Combination of these three pollutant factors resulted in more serious toxic effects than any single pollutant and than combinations of any two pollutants. SOD, POD, and MDA in the plant organs changed with different pollution levels, but MDA content in the leaves showed the best relationship between the pollution levels and toxic effects.

  4. Terrestrial acidification and ecosystem services: effects of acid rain on bunnies, baseball, and Christmas trees

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Irvine, Irina C.; Greaver, Tara; Phelan, Jennifer

    Often termed “acid rain,” combined nitrogen and sulfur deposition can directly and indirectly impact the condition and health of forest ecosystems. Researchers use critical loads (CLs) to describe response thresholds, and recent studies on acid-sensitive biological indicators show that forests continue to be at risk from terrestrial acidification. However, rarely are impacts translated into changes in “ecosystem services” that impact human well-being. Further, the relevance of this research to the general public is seldom communicated in terms that can motivate action to protect valuable resources. To understand how changes in biological indicators affect human well-being, we used the STEPS (Stressor–Ecologicalmore » Production function–final ecosystem Services) Framework to quantitatively and qualitatively link CL exceedances to ecosystem service impacts. We specified the cause-and-effect ecological processes linking changes in biological indicators to final ecosystem services. The Final Ecosystem Goods and Services Classification System (FEGS-CS) was used within the STEPS Framework to classify the ecosystem component and the beneficiary class that uses or values the component. We analyzed two acid-sensitive tree species, balsam fir (Abies balsamea) and white ash (Fraxinus americana), that are common in northeastern USA. These well-known species provide habitat for animals and popular forest products that are relatable to a broad audience. We identified 160 chains with 10 classes of human beneficiaries for balsam fir and white ash combined, concluding that there are resources at risk that the public may value. Two stories resulting from these explorations into the cascading effects of acid rain on terrestrial resources are ideal for effective science communication: the relationship between (1) balsam fir as a popular Christmas tree and habitat for the snowshoe hare, a favorite of wildlife viewers, and (2) white ash because it is used for half of all

  5. Terrestrial acidification and ecosystem services: effects of acid rain on bunnies, baseball, and Christmas trees

    DOE PAGES

    Irvine, Irina C.; Greaver, Tara; Phelan, Jennifer; ...

    2017-06-22

    Often termed “acid rain,” combined nitrogen and sulfur deposition can directly and indirectly impact the condition and health of forest ecosystems. Researchers use critical loads (CLs) to describe response thresholds, and recent studies on acid-sensitive biological indicators show that forests continue to be at risk from terrestrial acidification. However, rarely are impacts translated into changes in “ecosystem services” that impact human well-being. Further, the relevance of this research to the general public is seldom communicated in terms that can motivate action to protect valuable resources. To understand how changes in biological indicators affect human well-being, we used the STEPS (Stressor–Ecologicalmore » Production function–final ecosystem Services) Framework to quantitatively and qualitatively link CL exceedances to ecosystem service impacts. We specified the cause-and-effect ecological processes linking changes in biological indicators to final ecosystem services. The Final Ecosystem Goods and Services Classification System (FEGS-CS) was used within the STEPS Framework to classify the ecosystem component and the beneficiary class that uses or values the component. We analyzed two acid-sensitive tree species, balsam fir (Abies balsamea) and white ash (Fraxinus americana), that are common in northeastern USA. These well-known species provide habitat for animals and popular forest products that are relatable to a broad audience. We identified 160 chains with 10 classes of human beneficiaries for balsam fir and white ash combined, concluding that there are resources at risk that the public may value. Two stories resulting from these explorations into the cascading effects of acid rain on terrestrial resources are ideal for effective science communication: the relationship between (1) balsam fir as a popular Christmas tree and habitat for the snowshoe hare, a favorite of wildlife viewers, and (2) white ash because it is used for half of all

  6. Effect of simulated acid rain on nitrate and ammonium production in soils from three ecosystems of Camels Hump Mountain, Vermont

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Like, D.E.; Klein, R.M.

    1985-11-01

    The authors removed intact soil columns from the Harwood (550 to 790 m), Transition (790 to 1050 m), and Conifer (1050 to 1160 m) ecological zones of Camels Hump Mountain, Vermont, treated them with simulated acid rain (pH 4.0) or nonacidic (pH 5.6) rain, and examined the percolates for ammonium and nitrate ions. Nitrification in soils from all three ecosystems was unaffected by acidic treatments, but mineralization was stimulated by acidic treatment of soil from the Transition Zone. Irrespective of treatment, Conifer Zone soils released less nitrate than did either Transition or Hardwood Zone soils. Soil columns from the Hardwoodmore » Zone were treated with acidic or nonacidic simulated rainfall supplemented with nitrate, ammonium, or both N sources. NO3-N in percolates increased when acidic simulated rain was supplemented with ammonium ion or both ammonium and nitrate ions. Efflux of NH4-N was unaffected by supplementing precipitation with either ammonium or nitrate ions.« less

  7. Student Teacher Understanding of the Greenhouse Effect, Ozone Layer Depletion, and Acid Rain.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dove, Jane

    1996-01-01

    Describes the results of a survey designed to ascertain details of student teachers' knowledge and misconceptions about the greenhouse effect, acid rain, and ozone layer depletion. Results indicate familiarity with the issues but little understanding of the concepts involved and many commonly held misconceptions. (JRH)

  8. Effects of simulated acid rain on germination, seedling growth and oxidative metabolism of recalcitrant-seeded Trichilia dregeana grown in its natural seed bank.

    PubMed

    Ramlall, Chandika; Varghese, Boby; Ramdhani, Syd; Pammenter, Norman W; Bhatt, Arvind; Berjak, Patricia; Sershen

    2015-01-01

    Increased air pollution in a number of developing African countries, together with the reports of vegetation damage typically associated with acid precipitation in commercial forests in South Africa, has raised concerns over the potential impacts of acid rain on natural vegetation in these countries. Recalcitrant (i.e. desiccation sensitive) seeds of many indigenous African species, e.g. must germinate shortly after shedding and hence, may not be able to avoid exposure to acid rain in polluted areas. This study investigated the effects of simulated acid rain (rainwater with pH adjusted to pH 3.0 and 4.5 with 70:30, H2 SO4 :HNO3 ) on germination, seedling growth and oxidative metabolism in a recalcitrant-seeded African tree species Trichilia dregeana Sond., growing in its natural seed bank. The results suggest that acid rain did not compromise T. dregeana seed germination and seedling establishment significantly, relative to the control (non-acidified rainwater). However, pH 3.0 treated seedlings exhibited signs of stress typically associated with acid rain: leaf tip necrosis, abnormal bilobed leaf tips, leaf necrotic spots and chlorosis, reduced leaf chlorophyll concentration, increased stomatal density and indications of oxidative stress. This may explain why total and root biomass of pH 3.0 treated seedlings were significantly lower than the control. Acid rain also induced changes in the species composition and relative abundance of the different life forms emerging from T. dregeana's natural seed bank and in this way could indirectly impact on T. dregeana seedling establishment success. © 2014 Scandinavian Plant Physiology Society.

  9. An anticipatory integrated assessment of regional acidification: The RAINS-Asia model

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Amann, M.; Carmichael, G.R.; Foell, W.

    1996-12-31

    Across large parts of Asia, air pollution problems are becoming more and more evident. Rainfall in some areas, including China, Japan, and Thailand, has been measured to be 10 times more acidic than unpolluted rain. Increasing evidence of acidification damage to ecosystems such as surface waters, soils, and economically important crops, is beginning to appear. In addition, urban air quality in many areas of the region continues to decrease. Current economic forecasts predict continued rapid economic growth in the region, which will bring with it increasing emissions of air pollutants, especially sulfur. The total primary energy demand in Asia currentlymore » doubles every twelve years (as compared to a world average of every 28 years). Coal is expected to continue to be the dominant energy source, with coal demand projected to increase by 65 percent per year, a rate that outpaces regional economic growth. If current trends in economic development and energy use in Asia continue, emissions of sulfur dioxide, one of the key components in acid rain, will more than triple within the next 30 years. Many ecosystems will be unable to continue to absorb these increased levels of pollution without harmful effects, thus creating a potential danger for irreversible environmental damage in many areas. In view of the potential environmental consequences of projected growth in Asian energy consumption, emissions, and air pollution, the World Bank, together with the Asian Development Bank, have funded a project to develop and implement an integrated assessment model for the acid deposition phenomenon in Asia. The Regional Air Pollution INformation and Simulation model for Asia (RAINS-Asia) is a software tool to help decision makers assess and project future trends in emissions, transport, and deposition of air pollutants, and their potential environmental effects.« less

  10. Effect of simulated acid rain on the mutualism between tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) and an endophytic fungus (Acremonium coenophialum)

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Cheplick, G.P.

    Biotic interactions between plants and microorganisms have the potential to be affected by acidic precipitation. I examined the effect of simulated sulfuric acid rain on the mutualism between a perennial forage grass (Festuca arundinacea) and a fungal endophyte (Acremonium coenophialum). Acid water was supplied as mists sprayed onto leaf surfaces or as water added to the soil for two groups in a greenhouse: one group had high levels of endophyte infection, while the other was predominantly noninfected. Control plants received distilled water (pH 6), while others received sulfuric acid water at pH 4.5 or pH 3. Plants were harvested aftermore » 4, 6, 8, and 23 wk. Leaf endophyte infection intensity as measured by hyphal counts was not affected by acid water treatment. Root mass and root: shoot ratios generally decreased with increasing acidity of both foliar sprays and soil water, but shoot mass was mostly not affected. There was a significant pH x infection interaction for plants exposed to acidic foliar sprays for 4 wk; root and shoot mass decreased with acidity, but only for infected plants. It was found that acid rain may be deleterious to tall fescue growth at specific stages of development, but biomass production in response to acid rain is not likely to be influenced by fungal endophytes within mature plants. 55 refs., 2 figs., 3 tabs.« less

  11. Urban dew and rain in Paris, France: Occurrence and physico-chemical characteristics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Beysens, D.; Mongruel, A.; Acker, K.

    2017-06-01

    This paper summarizes one year (April 2011 to March 2012) measurements on planar condensing surfaces of dew and rain events and related physico-chemical characteristics in the urban environment of Paris (city center). Yearly collected water was 3.48 mm for dew (63 events) and 593 mm for rain (146 events). The latter value compares well with rain data (547 mm and 107 events) collected within 12 km at Paris-Orly airport. An estimation of dew yield based on meteo data gives 2.35 mm and 74 events, to be compared with 17.11 mm and 196 events at Paris-Orly. These differences highlight the large reduction in dew events and dew yields in an urban area as compared to a close rural-like area. This reduction is not due to a sky view reduction but to heat island that increases air temperature and decreases relative humidity. Analysis of dew (34) and rain (77) samples were done concerning pH, electrical conductivity (EC), major anions and cations as well as selected trace metals and other minor ions. Mean pH values are found similar for both, dew (6.5) and rain (6.1), rain being slightly more acidic than dew. The mean dew total ionic content (TIC 1.8 meq/l) and EC value (124 μS/cm) are about four times that of rain (0.45 meq/l; 35 μS/cm), meaning that total dissolved solids in dew is nearly four times that in rain. Sulfate and nitrate are the most acidifying components, calcium the most neutralizing constituent with ratio of mean total acidity/total alkalinity comparable for dew and rain ( 0.9). Sulfate and nitrate have mainly anthropogenic sources, whereas chloride and magnesium are mostly connected with marine air masses. Dew is a considerable factor of wet deposition of pollutants; dew and rain ion concentrations, however, meet the WHO requirements for drinking water.

  12. [Effects of simulating acid rain on photosynthesis and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters of Quercus glauca Quercus glauca].

    PubMed

    Wang, Sai; Yi, Li-Ta; Yu, Shu-Quan; Zhang, Chao; Shi, Jing-Jing

    2014-08-01

    At three levels of simulated acid rainfall intensities with pH values of 2.5 (severe), 40 (medium) and 5.6 (light) respectively, the responses of chlorophyll fluorescence and photosynthetic parameters of Quercus glauca seedlings were studied in three acid rainfall treatments, i. e. only the aboveground of seedlings exposed to acid rain (T1), both of the seedlings and soil exposed to acid rain (T2), only the soil exposed to acid rain (T3) compared with blank control (CK). Under the severe acid rainfall, T1 significantly inhibited chlorophyll synthesis, and thus reduced the primary photochemical efficiency of PS II ( F(v)/F(m)), potential activity of PS II (F(v)/F(o)) , apparent quantum (Y), net photosynthetic rate (P(n)), and transpiration rate (T(r)), but increased the light compensation point (LCP) and dark respiration rate (R(d)) of Q. glauca seedlings. T2 inhibited, but T3 played a little enhancement on the aforementioned parameters of Q. glauca seedlings. Under the conditions of medium and light acid rainfall intensities, the above parameters in the three treatments were higher than that of CK, except with lower R(d). The chlorophyll fluorescence and photosynthetic parameters showed a similar tendency in the three treatments, i. e. T2>T3 >T1. It indicated that T1 had the strongest inhibition on seedlings in condition of the severe acid rainfall, while T2 had the most dramatic facilitating effect on seedlings under the medium and light acid rainfall. Intensity of acid rainfall had significant influences on SPAD, F(v)/F(m), F(v)/F(o), Y, P(n), T(r), and maximum photosynthetic rate (A(max)), whereas treatments of acid rainfall affected SPAD, F(v)/F(m), Y, P(n), T(r), A(max) and light saturation point (LSP). The interaction of acid rainfall intensities and treatments played significant effects on SPAD, F(v)/F(m), Y, P(n) and A(max).

  13. Rain water chemistry in Ankara, Turkey

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tuncel, Semra G.; Ungör, Sevgi

    Samples of rain water were collected in Ankara for the period between September 1989 and May 1990, by using wet-only sampler. Concentrations of major cations (H +, Na + K + Ca 2+ and NH 4+) and major anions (Cl -, NO 3- and SO 42-) were determined for the first time in Turkey. The rain water was not acidic owing to high concentrations of alkaline soil particles in the atmosphere. However, the concentrations of acid forming ions, such as SO 4- and N03, were higher than the concentrations expected in a typical urban atmosphere. Most of the SO 4- in rain water was in the form of CaSO 4. Rain-aerosol coupling were examined by simultaneous sampling of aerosols with rain. The ions most efficiently scavenged from the atmosphere were found to be SO 42- and Ca 2+.

  14. Effects of simulated acid rain on the allelopathic potential of invasive weed Wedelia trilobata

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Acid rain continues to pose a major threat to natural ecosystems in rapidly-developing industrialized regions such as southern China. Despite the significant environmental impact of this phenomenon, relatively little is known concerning its effects on important aspects of ecosystem dynamics such as ...

  15. Silicon alleviates simulated acid rain stress of Oryza sativa L. seedlings by adjusting physiology activity and mineral nutrients.

    PubMed

    Ju, Shuming; Wang, Liping; Yin, Ningning; Li, Dan; Wang, Yukun; Zhang, Cuiying

    2017-11-01

    Silicon (Si) has been a modulator in plants under abiotic stresses, such as acid rain. To understand how silicon made an effect on rice (Oryza sativa L.) exposed to simulated acid rain (SAR) stress, the growth, physiologic activity, and mineral nutrient content in leaves of rice were investigated. The results showed that combined treatments with Si (1.0, 2.0, or 4.0 mM) and SAR (pH 4.0, 3.0, or 2.0) obviously improved the rice growth compared with the single treatment with SAR. Incorporation of Si into SAR treatment decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) content; increased soluble protein and proline contents; promoted CAT, POD, SOD, and APX activity; and maintained the K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, Cu content balance in leaves of rice seedlings under SAR stress. The moderate concentration of Si (2.0 mM) was better than the low and high concentration of Si (1.0 and 4.0 mM). Therefore, application of Si could be a better strategy for maintaining the crop productivity in acid rain regions.

  16. Effect of simulated acid rain on the litter decomposition of Quercus acutissima and Pinus massoniana in forest soil microcosms and the relationship with soil enzyme activities.

    PubMed

    Wang, Congyan; Guo, Peng; Han, Guomin; Feng, Xiaoguang; Zhang, Peng; Tian, Xingjun

    2010-06-01

    With the continuing increase in human activities, ecologists are increasingly interested in understanding the effects of acid rain on litter decomposition. Two dominant litters were chosen from Zijin Mountain in China: Quercus acutissima from a broad-leaved forest and Pinus massoniana from a coniferous forest. The litters were incubated in microcosms and treated with simulated acid rain (gradient pH levels). During a six-month incubation, changes in chemical composition (i.e., lignin, total carbohydrate, and nitrogen), litter mass losses, soil pH values, and activities of degradative enzymes were determined. Results showed that litter mass losses were depressed after exposure to acid rain and the effects of acid rain on the litter decomposition rates of needles were higher than on those of leaves. Results also revealed that simulated acid rain restrained the activities of cellulase, invertase, nitrate reductase, acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase, polyphenol oxidase, and urease, while it enhanced the activities of catalase in most cases during the six-month decomposition process. Catalase and polyphenol oxidase were primarily responsible for litter decomposition in the broad-leaved forest, while invertase, nitrate reductase, and urease were primarily responsible for litter decomposition in the coniferous forest. The results suggest acid rain-restrained litter decomposition may be due to the depressed enzymatic activities. According to the results of this study, soil carbon in subtropical forests would accumulate as a long-term consequence of continued acid rain. This may presumably alter the balance of ecosystem carbon flux, nutrient cycling, and humus formation, which may, in turn, have multiple effects on forest ecosystems. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. The Influence of a Collaborative Learning Environment on Primary Students' Conceptions about Acid Rain.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Marinopoulos, Dimitrios; Stavridou, Heleni

    2002-01-01

    Investigates primary students' conceptions of acid rain formation and its consequences to people and the environment before and after a 10-hour constructivist teaching intervention. Reports improvement in conceptions of physical and chemical phenomena among the experimental group participants. (Contains 23 references.) (Author/YDS)

  18. PERSISTENT EPISODIC ACIDIFICATION OF STREAMS LINKED TO ACID RAIN EFFECTS ON SOIL

    EPA Science Inventory

    Episodic acidification of streams, identified in the late 1980s as one of the most significant environmental problems caused by acidic deposition, had not been evaluated since the early 1990s despite decreasing levels of acidic deposition over the past decade. This analysis indic...

  19. Physiological responses of root-less epiphytic plants to acid rain.

    PubMed

    Kováčik, Jozef; Klejdus, Bořivoj; Bačkor, Martin; Stork, František; Hedbavny, Josef

    2011-03-01

    Selected physiological responses of Tillandsia albida (Bromeliaceae) and two lichens (Hypogymnia physodes and Xanthoria parietina) exposed to simulated acid rain (AR) over 3 months were studied. Pigments were depressed in all species being affected the most in Tillandsia. Amounts of hydrogen peroxide and superoxide were elevated and soluble proteins decreased only in AR-exposed Hypogymnia. Free amino acids were slightly affected among species and only glutamate sharply decreased in AR-exposed Xanthoria. Slight increase in soluble phenols but decrease in flavonoids in almost all species suggests that the latter are not essential for tolerance to AR. Almost all phenolic acids in Tillandsia leaves decreased in response to AR and activities of selected enzymes (phenylalanine ammonia-lyase, polyphenol oxidase, ascorbate- and guaiacol-peroxidase) were enhanced by AR. In lichens, considerable increase in metabolites (physodalic acid, atranorin and parietin) in response to AR was found but amount of ergosterol was unchanged. Macronutrients (K, Ca, Mg) decreased more pronouncedly in comparison with micronutrients in all species. Xanthoria showed higher tolerance in comparison with Hypogymnia, suggesting that could be useful for long-term biomonitoring.

  20. Effects of simulated acid rain on the morphology, phenology and dry biomass of a local variety of maize (Suwan-1) in Southwestern Nigeria.

    PubMed

    Macaulay, Babajide Milton; Enahoro, Gloria Ebarunosen

    2015-10-01

    Effects of acid rain on the morphology, phenology and dry biomass of maize (Suwan-1 variety) were investigated. The maize seedlings were subjected to different pH treatments (1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, 5.0 and 6.0) of simulated acid rain (SAR) with pH 7.0 as the control for a period of 90 days. The common morphological defects due to SAR application were necrosis and chlorosis. It was observed that necrosis increased in severity as the acidity increased whilst chlorosis was dominant as the acidity decreased. SAR encouraged rapid floral and cob growth but with the consequence of poor floral and cob development in pH 1.0 to 3.0 treatments. The result for the dry biomass indicates that pH treatments 2.0 to 7.0 for total plant biomass were not significantly different (P > 0.05) from one another, but were all significantly higher (P < 0.05) than pH 1.0. Therefore, it may be deduced that Suwan-1 has the potential to withstand acid rain but with pronounced morphological and phenological defects which, however, have the capacity to reduce drastically the market value of the crop. Therefore, it may be concluded that Suwan-1 tolerated acid rain in terms of the parameters studied at pH 4.0 to 7.0 which makes it a suitable crop in acid rain-stricken climes. This research could also serve as a good reference for further SAR studies on maize or other important cereals.

  1. Persistent episodic acidification of streams linked to acid rain effects on soil

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Lawrence, G.B.

    2002-01-01

    Episodic acidification of streams, identified in the late 1980s as one of the most significant environmental problems caused by acidic deposition, had not been evaluated since the early 1990s despite decreasing levels of acidic deposition over the past decade. This analysis indicates that episodic acidification of streams in upland regions in the northeastern United States persists, and is likely to be much more widespread than chronic acidification. Depletion of exchangeable Ca in the mineral soil has decreased the neutralization capacity of soils and increased the role of the surface organic horizon in the neutralization of acidic soil water during episodes. Increased accumulation of N and S in the forest floor from decades of acidic deposition will delay the recovery of soil base status, and therefore, the elimination of acidic episodes, which is anticipated from decreasing emissions.

  2. Effects of lanthanum and acid rain stress on the bio-sequestration of lanthanum in phytoliths in germinated rice seeds

    PubMed Central

    Si, Yong; Wang, Lihong; Huang, Xiaohua

    2018-01-01

    REEs in the environment can be absorbed by plants and sequestered by plant phytoliths. Acid rain can directly or indirectly affect plant physiological functions. Currently, the effects of REEs and acid rain on phytolith-REEs complex in plants are not yet fully understood. In this study, a high-silicon accumulation crop, rice (Oryza sativa L.), was selected as a representative of plants, and orthogonal experiments were conducted under various levels of lanthanum [La(III)] and pH. The results showed that various La(III) concentrations could significantly improve the efficiency and sequestration of phytolith La(III) in germinated rice seeds. A pH of 4.5 promoted phytolith La(III) sequestration, while a pH of 3.5 inhibited sequestration. Compared with the single treatment with La(III), the combination of La(III) and acid rain inhibited the efficiency and sequestration of phytolith La(III). Correlation analysis showed that the efficiency of phytolith La(III) sequestration had no correlation with the production of phytolith but was closely correlated with the sequestration of phytolith La(III) and the physiological changes of germinated rice seeds. Phytolith morphology was an important factor affecting phytolith La(III) sequestration in germinated rice seeds, and the effect of tubes on sequestration was more significant than that of dumbbells. This study demonstrated that the formation of the phytolith and La(III) complex could be affected by exogenous La(III) and acid rain in germinated rice seeds. PMID:29763463

  3. Spatial characterization of acid rain stress in Canadian Shield Lakes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tanis, F. J.; Marshall, E. M.

    1989-01-01

    The lake acidification in Northern Ontario was investigated using LANDSAT TM to sense lake volume reflectance and also to provide important vegetation and terrain characteristics. The purpose of this project was to determine the ability of LANDSAT to assess water quality characteristics associated with lake acidification. Results demonstrate that a remote sensor can discriminate lake clarity based upon reflection. The basic hypothesis is that seasonal and multi-year changes in lake optical transparency are indicative of sensitivity to acidic deposition. In many acid-sensitive lakes optical transparency is controlled by the amount of dissolved organic carbon present. Seasonal changes in the optical transparency of lakes can potentially provide an indication of the stress due to acid deposition and loading.

  4. Atmospheric nitrogen deposition in south-east Scotland: Quantification of the organic nitrogen fraction in wet, dry and bulk deposition

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    González Benítez, Juan M.; Cape, J. Neil; Heal, Mathew R.; van Dijk, Netty; Díez, Alberto Vidal

    Water soluble organic nitrogen (WSON) compounds are ubiquitous in precipitation and in the planetary boundary layer, and therefore are a potential source of bioavailable reactive nitrogen. This paper examines weekly rain data over a period of 22 months from June 2005 to March 2007 collected in 2 types of rain collector (bulk deposition and "dry + wet" deposition) located in a semi-rural area 15 km southwest of Edinburgh, UK (N55°51'44″, W3°12'19″). Bulk deposition collectors are denoted in this paper as "standard rain gauges", and they are the design used in the UK national network for monitoring precipitation composition. "Dry + wet" deposition collectors are flushing rain gauges and they are equipped with a rain detector (conductivity array), a spray nozzle, a 2-way valve and two independent bottles to collect funnel washings (dry deposition) and true wet deposition. On average, for the 27 weekly samples with 3 valid replicates for the 2 types of collectors, dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) represented 23% of the total dissolved nitrogen (TDN) in bulk deposition. Dry deposition of particles and gas on the funnel surface, rather than rain, contributed over half of all N-containing species (inorganic and organic). Some discrepancies were found between bulk rain gauges and flushing rain gauges, for deposition of both TDN and DON, suggesting biological conversion and loss of inorganic N in the flushing samplers.

  5. Leaching behavior of heavy metals and transformation of their speciation in polluted soil receiving simulated acid rain.

    PubMed

    Zheng, Shun-an; Zheng, Xiangqun; Chen, Chun

    2012-01-01

    Heavy metals that leach from contaminated soils under acid rain are of increasing concern. In this study, simulated acid rain (SAR) was pumped through columns of artificially contaminated purple soil. Column leaching tests and sequential extraction were conducted for the heavy metals Cu, Pb, Cd, and Zn to determine the extent of their leaching as well as to examine the transformation of their speciation in the artificially contaminated soil columns. Results showed that the maximum leachate concentrations of Cu, Pb, Cd, and Zn were less than those specified in the Chinese Quality Standards for Groundwater (Grade IV), thereby suggesting that the heavy metals that leached from the polluted purple soil receiving acid rain may not pose as risks to water quality. Most of the Pb and Cd leachate concentrations were below their detection limits. By contrast, higher Cu and Zn leachate concentrations were found because they were released by the soil in larger amounts as compared with those of Pb and Cd. The differences in the Cu and Zn leachate concentrations between the controls (SAR at pH 5.6) and the treatments (SAR at pH 3.0 and 4.5) were significant. Similar trends were observed in the total leached amounts of Cu and Zn. The proportions of Cu, Pb, Cd, and Zn in the EXC and OX fractions were generally increased after the leaching experiment at three pH levels, whereas those of the RES, OM, and CAR fractions were slightly decreased. Acid rain favors the leaching of heavy metals from the contaminated purple soil and makes the heavy metal fractions become more labile. Moreover, a pH decrease from 5.6 to 3.0 significantly enhanced such effects.

  6. Leaching Behavior of Heavy Metals and Transformation of Their Speciation in Polluted Soil Receiving Simulated Acid Rain

    PubMed Central

    Zheng, Shun-an; Zheng, Xiangqun; Chen, Chun

    2012-01-01

    Heavy metals that leach from contaminated soils under acid rain are of increasing concern. In this study, simulated acid rain (SAR) was pumped through columns of artificially contaminated purple soil. Column leaching tests and sequential extraction were conducted for the heavy metals Cu, Pb, Cd, and Zn to determine the extent of their leaching as well as to examine the transformation of their speciation in the artificially contaminated soil columns. Results showed that the maximum leachate concentrations of Cu, Pb, Cd, and Zn were less than those specified in the Chinese Quality Standards for Groundwater (Grade IV), thereby suggesting that the heavy metals that leached from the polluted purple soil receiving acid rain may not pose as risks to water quality. Most of the Pb and Cd leachate concentrations were below their detection limits. By contrast, higher Cu and Zn leachate concentrations were found because they were released by the soil in larger amounts as compared with those of Pb and Cd. The differences in the Cu and Zn leachate concentrations between the controls (SAR at pH 5.6) and the treatments (SAR at pH 3.0 and 4.5) were significant. Similar trends were observed in the total leached amounts of Cu and Zn. The proportions of Cu, Pb, Cd, and Zn in the EXC and OX fractions were generally increased after the leaching experiment at three pH levels, whereas those of the RES, OM, and CAR fractions were slightly decreased. Acid rain favors the leaching of heavy metals from the contaminated purple soil and makes the heavy metal fractions become more labile. Moreover, a pH decrease from 5.6 to 3.0 significantly enhanced such effects. PMID:23185399

  7. The effects of acid rain on nitrogen fixation in Western Washington coniferous forests

    Treesearch

    Robert Denison; Bruce Caldwell; Bernard Bormann; Lindell Eldred; Cynthia Swanberg; Steven Anderson

    1976-01-01

    We investigated both the current status of nitrogen fixation in Western Washington forests, and the potential effects of acid rain on this vital process. Even the low concentrations of sulfur dioxide presently found in the Northwest are thought to have an adverse effect on nitrogen fixation by limiting the distribution of the epiphytic nitrogen-fixing lichen, ...

  8. Leaf surface and histological perturbations of leaves of Phaseolus vulgaris and Helianthus annuus after exposure to simulated acid rain

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Evans, L.S.; Gmur, N.F.; Da Costa, F.

    1977-08-01

    Initial injury to adaxial leaf surfaces of Phaseolus vulgaris and Helianthus annuus occurred near trichomes and stomata after exposure to simulated sulfate acid rain. Lesion frequency was not correlated with density of either stomata or trichomes but was correlated with degree of leaf expansion. The number of lesions per unit area increased with total leaf area. Results suggest that characteristics of the leaf indumentum such as development of trichomes and guard cells and/or cuticle thickness near these structures may be involved in lesion development. Adaxial epidermal cell collapse was the first event in lesion development. Palisade cells and eventually spongymore » mesophyll cells collapsed after continued, daily exposure to simulated rain of low pH. Lesion development on Phaseolus vulgaris followed a specific course of events after exposure to simulated rain of known composition, application rate, drop size frequency, drop velocities, and frequency of exposures. These results allow development of further experiments to observe accurately other parameters, such as nutrient inputs and nutrient leaching from foliage, after exposure to simulated sulfate acid rain.« less

  9. National Acid Precipitation Assessment Program Report to Congress: An integrated assessment

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Burns, Douglas A.; Fenn, Mark E.; Baron, Jill S.; Lynch, Jason A.; Cosby, Bernard J.

    2011-01-01

    Acid deposition, more commonly known as acid rain, occurs when emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) react in the atmosphere with water, oxygen, and oxidants to form various acidic compounds. Prevailing winds transport the acidic compounds hundreds of miles, often across state and national borders. These acidic compounds then fall to earth in either a wet form (rain, snow, and fog) or a dry form (gases, aerosols, and particles). At certain levels, the acidic compounds, including small particles such as sulfates and nitrates, can cause many negative human health and environmental effects.

  10. Analysis of the combined effects of lanthanum and acid rain, and their mechanisms, on nitrate reductase transcription in plants.

    PubMed

    Xia, Binxin; Sun, Zhaoguo; Wang, Lihong; Zhou, Qing; Huang, Xiaohua

    2017-04-01

    Rare earth element (REE) pollution and acid rain are major global environmental concerns, and their spatial distributions overlap. Thus, both forms of pollution combine to act on plants. Nitrogen is important for plant growth, and nitrate reductase (NR) is a key plant enzyme that catalyzes nitrogen assimilation. Studying the combined effects of REEs and acid rain on plant nitrogen-based nutrients has important environmental significance. Here, soybean (Glycine max) plants, commonly used for toxicological studies, were exposed to lanthanum (La), a REE, and acid rain to study the NR activities and NR transcriptional levels in the roots. To explain how the pollution affected the NR transcriptional level, we simultaneously observed the contents of intracellular La and nutrient elements, protoplast morphology, membrane lipid peroxidation and intracellular pH. A combined treatment of 0.08mmol/L La and pH 4.5 acid rain increased the NR activity, decreased the NR transcriptional level, increased the intracellular nutrient elements' contents and caused deformations in membrane structures. Other combined treatments significantly decreased the aforementioned parameters and caused serious damage to the membrane structures. The variation in the amplitudes of combined treatments was greater than those of individual treatments. Compared with the control and individual treatments, combined treatments increased membrane permeability, the malondialdehyde content, and intracellular H + and La contents, and with an increasing La concentration or acid strength, the change in amplitude increased. Thus, the combined effects on NR gene transcription in soybean seedling roots were related to the intracellular nutrient elements' contents, protoplast morphology, membranous lipid peroxidation, intracellular pH and La content. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. [THE EFFECT OF ACID RAIN ON ULTRASTRUCTURE AND FUNCTIONAL PARAMETERS OF PHOTOSYNTHETIC APPARATUS OF PEA LEAVES].

    PubMed

    Polishchuk, A V; Vodka, M V; Belyavskaya, N A; Khomochkin, A P; Zolotareva, E K

    2016-01-01

    The effects of simulated acid rain (SAR) on the ultrastructure and functional parameters of the photosynthetic apparatus were studied using 14-day-old pea leaves as test system. Pea plants were sprayed with an aqueous solution containing NaNO₃(0.2 mM) and Na₂SO₄(0.2 mM) (pH 5.6, a control variant), or with the same solution, which was acidified to pH 2.5 (acid variant). Functional characteristics were determined by chlorophyll fluorescence analysis. Acid rain application caused reduction in the efficiency of the photosynthetic electron transport by 25%, which was accompanied by an increase by 85% in the quantum yield of thermal dissipation of excess light quanta. Ultrastructural changes in chloroplast were registered by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) after two days of the SAR-treatment of pea leaves. In this case, the changes in the structure of grana, heterogeneity of thylakoids packaging in granum, namely, the increase of intra-thylakoid gaps and thickness of granal thylakoids compared to the control were found. The migration of protein complexes in thylakoid membranes of chloroplasts isolated from leaves treated with SAR was suppressed. It was shown also that carbonic anhydrase activity was inhibited in chloroplast preparations isolated from SAR-treated pea leaves. We proposed a hypothesis on the possible inactivation of thylakoid carbonic anhydrase under SAR and its involvement in the inhibition of photochemical activity of chloroplasts. The data obtained allows to suggest that acid rains negatively affect the photosynthetic apparatus disrupting the membrane system of chloroplast.

  12. Acid Rain and the Environment: An Ethical Perspective.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1985-01-01

    reactive products are deposited from the air in locations remote from the major source of the pollution.1 This is the opening statement in a report...22.5 4million tons/year of SO2 , and only slightly less NOx Natural mechanisms are able to neutralize a portion of the annual acid production , and...possibly the entire natural production , but they do not appear to be able to neutralize the tremendous additional amounts of acid generated by human

  13. A Fresh Look at the Benefits and Costs of the US Acid Rain Program

    EPA Science Inventory

    The US Acid Rain Program (Title IV of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments) has achieved substantial reductions in emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) from power plants in the United States. We compare new estimates of the benefits and costs of Title IV to th...

  14. Micro - ring resonator with variety of gap width for acid rain sensing application: preliminary study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mulyanti, B.; Ramza, H.; Pawinanto, R. E.; Rahman, J. A.; Ab-Rahman, M. S.; Putro, W. S.; Hasanah, L.; Pantjawati, A. B.

    2017-05-01

    The acid rain is an environmental disaster that it will be intimidates human life. The development micro-ring resonator sensor created from SOI (Silicon on insulator) and it used to detect acid rain index. In this study, the LUMERICAL software was used to simulate SOI material micro-ring resonator. The result shows the optimum values of fixed parameters from ring resonator have dependent variable in gap width. The layers under ring resonator with silicone (Si) and wafer layer of silicone material (Si) were added to seen three conditions of capability model. Model - 3 is an additional of bottom layer that gives the significant effect on the factor of quality. The optimum value is a peak value that given by the FSR calculation. FSR = 0, it means that is not shows the light propagation in the ring resonator and none of the light coming out on the bus - line.

  15. Biomass burning in the Amazon-fertilizer for the mountaineous rain forest in Ecuador.

    PubMed

    Fabian, Peter; Kohlpaintner, Michael; Rollenbeck, Ruetger

    2005-09-01

    mountaineous rain forest in south Ecuador has developed on poor and acid soils, with low nutrient availability. The additional ferilization resulting from anthropogenic biomass burning constitutes a significant disturbance of this ecosystem, its functioning and biodiversity. Thus it is planned to employ isotope analyses for quantifying the pathways. of nitrate and sulfate deposition in these natural forests.

  16. The role of urban forest to reduce rain acid in urban industrial areas

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Slamet, B.; Agustiarni, Y.; Hidayati; Basyuni, M.

    2018-03-01

    Urban forest has many functions mainly on improving the quality of the urban environment. One of the functions is to increase pH and reduce dangerous chemical content. The aim of the research is to find out the role of vegetation density of urban forest around the industrial area in reducing the acid rain. The condition of land cover was classified into four classes which are dense, medium, sparse and open area. The water of the throughfall and stemflow was taken from each type of land cover except in the open area. Parameters measured in this study are water acidity (pH), anion content (SO4 2- and NO3 -), cation content (Ca2+, Mg2+, and NH4 +) and electrical conductivity (EC). The results indicated that urban forest vegetation was able to increase the pH of rain water from 5.42 which is in an open area without vegetation to be 7.13 and 7.32 in dense and moderate vegetation cover by throughfall mechanism, respectively. Rain water acidity also decreased through stemflow mechanism with a pH ranged from 5.92 - 6.43. Urban forest vegetation decreased sulfate content (SO42-) from 528.67 mg/l in open area to 44 - 118 mg/l by throughfall mechanism and ranged from 90 to 366.67 mg/l through stemflow mechanism. Urban forest vegetation significantly decreased the rainwater nitrate content from 27 mg/l to 0.03 - 0.70 mg/l through the mechanism of throughfall and between 1.53 - 8.82 mg/l through the stemflow mechanism. Urban forest vegetation also increased the concentration of cations (NH4+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+) compared with open areas. Urban forest vegetation showed increased the electrical conductivity (EC) from 208.12 μmhos/cm to 344.67 - 902.17 μmhos/cm through the through fall mechanism and 937.67 - 1058.70 μmhos/cm through the stemflow mechanism. The study suggested that urban forests play a significant role in reducing rainwater acidity and improving the quality of rainwater that reached the soil surface.

  17. Preliminary study of the acid deposition in the Tijuana Area (Mexico)

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Bravo, H.; Sosa, R.; Torres, R.

    1988-01-01

    Transboundary air pollution is of widespread international concern. Tijuana, Mexico, and San Diego, California, form one of the fastest growing border communities in the world. Projections place the current population of three million residents at nearly five million by the year 2000. Although the two cities are divided by an international border they share a common air base. Tijuana and southern portions of San Diego County are particularly affected by the exchange of air flow through the Tijuana River Canyon. The development of an air pollution acid rain monitoring and sampling program across the border, particularly in Tijuana is imperativemore » because of a planned new Tijuana industrial city, large numbers of existing industries without adequate emission controls, and thousands of vehicles generated pollutants on both sides of the border. The first steps toward an acid rain study along the mexican border began in 1985, with a project between the National Council of Science and Technology - (CONACYT) and the Center of the Atmospheric Sciences of the University of Mexico (CCA, UNAM). The goal of this project is to obtain acid rain data from five sites along the border. One of these sites is Tijuana, B.C., Mexico. The data obtained are reported in the paper.« less

  18. Effects of simulated acid rain on microbial characteristics in a lateritic red soil

    Treesearch

    Hua-qin Xu; Jia-en Zhang; Ying Ouyang; Ling Lin; Guo-ming Quan; Ben-liang Zhao; Jia-yu Yu

    2015-01-01

    A laboratory experiment was performed to examine the impact of simulated acid rain (SAR) on nutrient leaching, microbial biomass, and microbial activities in a lateritic red soil in South China. The soil column leaching experiment was conducted over a 60-day period with the following six SAR pH treatments (levels): 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, and 5.0 and one control...

  19. ACID RAIN MODELING

    EPA Science Inventory

    This paper provides an overview of existing statistical methodologies for the estimation of site-specific and regional trends in wet deposition. The interaction of atmospheric processes and emissions tend to produce wet deposition data patterns that show large spatial and tempora...

  20. Dust in Rain During Drought: An Overlooked Pathway for Elemental Flux to Ecosystems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ponette-González, A.; Collins, J. D., Jr.; Manuel, J. E.; Byers, T. A.; Glass, G. A.; Weathers, K. C.; Gill, T. E.

    2017-12-01

    Airborne dust has the potential to alter ecosystem productivity and biogeochemical cycles at local to global scales by enhancing atmospheric deposition of critical limiting nutrients and toxic pollutants. Suspended dust particles are delivered to ecosystems directly via dry deposition or in precipitation (wet deposition) by rainout and washout. Compared to dry deposition, dust removal by precipitation (dust-in-rain) is a seldom quantified yet potentially significant flux between the atmosphere and ecosystems. We quantified dust effects on the ionic and elemental composition of precipitation and on wet deposition rates at a National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP) monitoring site in west Texas during the extreme 2012 drought. Dust events were identified using meteorological data for stations within a 150-km radius buffer surrounding the NADP site. Data on the dissolved chemistry of weekly wet deposition samples and elemental analysis of the particulate fraction were analyzed. Calcium was the dominant dissolved ion in rainwater, comprising 61% of the total measured solute content during dust-in rain weeks. In the particulate fraction, Fe alone made up 81% of the elemental composition during dust-in-rain weeks. At this site, five dust-in-rain weeks delivered 19% of the annual water input (51 mm water). However, these weeks contributed 46-70% of the annual dissolved Ca2+, Mg2+, K+, Na+, PO43-, and Cl- flux and >55% of the particulate Fe, Ti, V, Ni, Rb, Ga, and Br flux. Sourcing analysis, conducted using an End-Member Mixing Algorithm (EMMA) on the particulate fraction identified Fe, Cu, Rb, and Sr end-members, representing 87% of the total elemental variance. In addition, EMMA showed that dust-in-rain weeks were more well mixed than other rainfall weeks. Preliminary findings for this west Texas site show that infrequent dust-in-rain events constitute an important but overlooked proportion of the elemental flux to ecosystems during severe drought.

  1. Exogenous Melatonin Mitigates Acid Rain Stress to Tomato Plants through Modulation of Leaf Ultrastructure, Photosynthesis and Antioxidant Potential.

    PubMed

    Debnath, Biswojit; Hussain, Mubasher; Irshad, Muhammad; Mitra, Sangeeta; Li, Min; Liu, Shuang; Qiu, Dongliang

    2018-02-11

    Acid rain (AR) is a serious global environmental issue causing physio-morphological changes in plants. Melatonin, as an indoleamine molecule, has been known to mediate many physiological processes in plants under different kinds of environmental stress. However, the role of melatonin in acid rain stress tolerance remains inexpressible. This study investigated the possible role of melatonin on different physiological responses involving reactive oxygen species (ROS) metabolism in tomato plants under simulated acid rain (SAR) stress. SAR stress caused the inhibition of growth, damaged the grana lamella of the chloroplast, photosynthesis, and increased accumulation of ROS and lipid peroxidation in tomato plants. To cope the detrimental effect of SAR stress, plants under SAR condition had increased both enzymatic and nonenzymatic antioxidant substances compared with control plants. But such an increase in the antioxidant activities were incapable of inhibiting the destructive effect of SAR stress. Meanwhile, melatonin treatment increased SAR-stress tolerance by repairing the grana lamella of the chloroplast, improving photosynthesis and antioxidant activities compared with those in SAR-stressed plants. However, these possible effects of melatonin are dependent on concentration. Moreover, our study suggests that 100-μM melatonin treatment improved the SAR-stress tolerance by increasing photosynthesis and ROS scavenging antioxidant activities in tomato plants.

  2. Contributions of acid rain research to the forest science-policy interface: learning from the national acid precipitation assessment program.

    Treesearch

    Charles E. Peterson; David S. Shriner

    2004-01-01

    During the 1970s, there was growing concern by scientists, policy officials and the general public in the USA over the possible effects of acid rain on human health and the environment (crops, forests, water, etc.). The lack of science-based information needed for policy and regulatory decisions led Congress to create an interagency task force in 1980 called the...

  3. Effects of simulated acid rain, EDTA, or their combination, on migration and chemical fraction distribution of extraneous metals in Ferrosol.

    PubMed

    Wen, Fang; Hou, Hong; Yao, Na; Yan, Zengguang; Bai, Liping; Li, Fasheng

    2013-01-01

    A laboratory repacked soil-leaching column experiment was conducted to study the effects of simulated acid rain or EDTA by themselves or in combination, on migration and chemical speciation distribution of Pb and its alternative rare metals including Ag, Bi, In, Sb, and Sn. Experimental results demonstrate that leaching with simulated acid rain promoted the migration of Bi, In and Pb, and their migration reached down to 8 cm in the soil profile, no enhancement of Sb, Ag or Sn migration was observed. Addition of EDTA significantly enhanced the migration of all six metals, especially Bi, In and Pb. The migration of metals was in the order Pb>Bi>In>Sb>Sn>Ag. The individual and combined effects of acid rain and EDTA increased the environmental risk of metals, by increasing the soluble content of metals in soil solutions and the relative distribution of the exchangeable fraction. Leaching risks of Bi, In and Pb were higher than other three metals. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Acid rain effects on aluminum mobilization clarified by inclusion of strong organic acids.

    PubMed

    Lawrence, G B; Sutherland, J W; Boylen, C W; Nierzwicki-Bauer, S W; Momen, B; Baldigo, B P; Simonin, H A

    2007-01-01

    Assessments of acidic deposition effects on aquatic ecosystems have often been hindered by complications from naturally occurring organic acidity. Measurements of pH and ANCG, the most commonly used indicators of chemical effects, can be substantially influenced by the presence of organic acids. Relationships between pH and inorganic Al, which is toxic to many forms of aquatic biota, are also altered by organic acids. However, when inorganic Al concentrations are plotted against ANC (the sum of Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, and K+, minus S042-, N03-, and Cl-), a distinct threshold for Al mobilization becomes apparent. If the concentration of strong organic anions is included as a negative component of ANC, the threshold occurs at an ANC value of approximately zero, the value expected from theoretical charge balance constraints. This adjusted ANC is termed the base-cation surplus. The threshold relationship between the base-cation surplus and Al was shown with data from approximately 200 streams in the Adirondack region of New York, during periods with low and high dissolved organic carbon concentrations, and for an additional stream from the Catskill region of New York. These results indicate that (1) strong organic anions can contribute to the mobilization of inorganic Al in combination with SO42- and N03-, and (2) the presence of inorganic Al in surface waters is an unambiguous indication of acidic deposition effects.

  5. Acid Rain

    MedlinePlus

    ... Clean Air Status and Trends Network (CASTNET) Surface Water Monitoring National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP) Exit Interstate Air Pollution Transport Contact Us to ask a question, provide ...

  6. Pesticides in Mississippi air and rain: a comparison between 1995 and 2007.

    PubMed

    Majewski, Michael S; Coupe, Richard H; Foreman, William T; Capel, Paul D

    2014-06-01

    A variety of current-use pesticides were determined in weekly composite air and rain samples collected during the 1995 and 2007 growing seasons in the Mississippi Delta (MS, USA) agricultural region. Similar sampling and analytical methods allowed for direct comparison of results. Decreased overall pesticide use in 2007 relative to 1995 generally resulted in decreased detection frequencies in air and rain; observed concentration ranges were similar between years, however, even though the 1995 sampling site was 500 m from active fields whereas the 2007 sampling site was within 3 m of a field. Mean concentrations of detections were sometimes greater in 2007 than in 1995, but the median values were often lower. Seven compounds in 1995 and 5 in 2007 were detected in ≥50% of both air and rain samples. Atrazine, metolachlor, and propanil were detected in ≥50% of the air and rain samples in both years. Glyphosate and its degradation product, aminomethyl-phosphonic acid (AMPA), were detected in ≥75% of air and rain samples in 2007 but were not measured in 1995. The 1995 seasonal wet depositional flux was dominated by methyl parathion (88%) and was >4.5 times the 2007 flux. Total herbicide flux in 2007 was slightly greater than in 1995 and was dominated by glyphosate. Malathion, methyl parathion, and degradation products made up most of the 2007 nonherbicide flux. © 2014 SETAC.

  7. Pesticides in Mississippi air and rain: A comparison between 1995 and 2007

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Majewski, Michael S; Coupe, Richard H.; Foreman, William T.; Capel, Paul D.

    2014-01-01

    A variety of current-use pesticides were determined in weekly composite air and rain samples collected during the 1995 and 2007 growing seasons in the Mississippi Delta (MS, USA) agricultural region. Similar sampling and analytical methods allowed for direct comparison of results. Decreased overall pesticide use in 2007 relative to 1995 generally resulted in decreased detection frequencies in air and rain; observed concentration ranges were similar between years, however, even though the 1995 sampling site was 500 m from active fields whereas the 2007 sampling site was within 3 m of a field. Mean concentrations of detections were sometimes greater in 2007 than in 1995, but the median values were often lower. Seven compounds in 1995 and 5 in 2007 were detected in ≥50% of both air and rain samples. Atrazine, metolachlor, and propanil were detected in ≥50% of the air and rain samples in both years. Glyphosate and its degradation product, aminomethyl-phosphonic acid (AMPA), were detected in ≥75% of air and rain samples in 2007 but were not measured in 1995. The 1995 seasonal wet depositional flux was dominated by methyl parathion (88%) and was >4.5 times the 2007 flux. Total herbicide flux in 2007 was slightly greater than in 1995 and was dominated by glyphosate. Malathion, methyl parathion, and degradation products made up most of the 2007 nonherbicide flux.

  8. Spatial and spectral characterization of acid rain stress in Canadian Shield lakes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Marshall, Elizabeth J.; Tanis, Frederick J.

    1989-01-01

    Results from this study demonstrate that a remote sensor can discriminate lake clarity based upon reflection. The basic hypothesis was that seasonal and multiyear changes in lake optical transparency are indicative of sensitivity to acidic deposition. In many acid-sensitive lakes optical transparency is controlled by the amount of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) present. DOC is a strong absorbing, nonscattering material which has the greatest impact at short visible wavelengths, including Thematic Mapper band 1. Acid-sensitive lakes have high concentrations of aluminum which have been mobilized by acidic components contained in the runoff. Aluminum complexing with DOC is considered to be the primary mechanism to account for observed increases in lake transparency in acid-sensitive lakes. Thus seasonal changes in the optical transparency of lakes should provide an indication of the stress due to acid deposition and loading.

  9. Acid rain effects on aluminum mobilization clarified by inclusion of strong organic acids

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Lawrence, G.B.; Sutherland, J.W.; Boylen, C.W.; Nierzwicki-Bauer, S. W.; Momen, B.; Baldigo, Barry P.; Simonin, H.A.

    2007-01-01

    Assessments of acidic deposition effects on aquatic ecosystems have often been hindered by complications from naturally occurring organic acidity. Measurements of pH and ANCG, the most commonly used indicators of chemical effects, can be substantially influenced by the presence of organic acids. Relationships between pH and inorganic Al, which is toxic to many forms of aquatic biota, are also altered by organic acids. However, when inorganic Al concentrations are plotted against ANC (the sum of Ca2+, Mg 2+, Na+, and K+, minus SO42-, NO3-, and Cl-), a distinct threshold for Al mobilization becomes apparent. If the concentration of strong organic anions is included as a negative component of ANC, the threshold occurs at an ANC value of approximately zero, the value expected from theoretical charge balance constraints. This adjusted ANC is termed the base-cation surplus. The threshold relationship between the base-cation surplus and Al was shown with data from approximately 200 streams in the Adirondack region of New York, during periods with low and high dissolved organic carbon concentrations, and for an additional stream from the Catskill region of New York. These results indicate that (1) strong organic anions can contribute to the mobilization of inorganic Al in combination with SO42- and NO 3-, and (2) the presence of inorganic Al in surface waters is an unambiguous indication of acidic deposition effects. ?? 2007 American Chemical Society.

  10. The Fugitive Literature of Acid Rain: Making Use of Nonconventional Information Sources in a Vertical File.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lovenburg, Susan L.; Stoss, Frederick W.

    1988-01-01

    Discusses the advantages of vertical file collections for nonconventional literature, and describes the classification scheme used for fugitive literature by the Acid Rain Information Clearinghouse at the Center for Environmental Information. An annotated list of organizations and examples of titles they offer is provided. (8 notes with…

  11. Effects of acid rain on plant microbial associations in California. Research report (final)

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Harris, D.; Paul, E.A.

    1984-04-13

    The effects of simulated acid rain of pH 5.6 to 3.0, with ionic composition similar to that found in California, on Trifolium repens, Lupinus densiflorus and L. benthamii grown in two soils were tested. The interactions of treatment intensity, soil type, phosphorus uptake and mycorrhizal influences on growth, carbon fixation and allocation and nitrogen fixation were determined. Acidic treatments generally decreased plant growth, nodulation and nitrogenase activity. The exposure of plants to a large number of simulated rainfall conditions of shorter duration did not result in the negative growth effects. Plants adequately supplied with P, either as fertilizer or bymore » mycorrhizal fungi, were much more resistant to conditions caused by acidic precipitation and in some cases growth increases were found.« less

  12. Potential human health effects of acid rain: report of a workshop

    PubMed Central

    Goyer, Robert A.; Bachmann, John; Clarkson, Thomas W.; Ferris, Benjamin G.; Graham, Judith; Mushak, Paul; Perl, Daniel P.; Rall, David P.; Schlesinger, Richard; Sharpe, William; Wood, John M.

    1985-01-01

    This report summarizes the potential impact of the acid precipitation phenomenon on human health. There are two major components to this phenomenon: the predepositional phase, during which there is direct human exposure to acidic substances from ambient air, and the post-depositional phase, in which the deposition of acid materials on water and soil results in the mobilization, transport, and even chemical transformation of toxic metals. Acidification increases bioconversion of mercury to methylmercury, which accumulates in fish, increasing the risk to toxicity in people who eat fish. Increase in water and soil content of lead and cadmium increases human exposure to these metals which become additive to other sources presently under regulatory control. The potential adverse health effects of increased human exposure to aluminum is not known at the present time. PMID:3896772

  13. Annual monsoon rains recorded by Jurassic dunes.

    PubMed

    Loope, D B; Rowe, C M; Joeckel, R M

    2001-07-05

    Pangaea, the largest landmass in the Earth's history, was nearly bisected by the Equator during the late Palaeozoic and early Mesozoic eras. Modelling experiments and stratigraphic studies have suggested that the supercontinent generated a monsoonal atmospheric circulation that led to extreme seasonality, but direct evidence for annual rainfall periodicity has been lacking. In the Mesozoic era, about 190 million years ago, thick deposits of wind-blown sand accumulated in dunes of a vast, low-latitude desert at Pangaea's western margin. These deposits are now situated in the southwestern USA. Here we analyse slump masses in the annual depositional cycles within these deposits, which have been described for some outcrops of the Navajo Sandstone. Twenty-four slumps, which were generated by heavy rainfall, appear within one interval representing 36 years of dune migration. We interpret the positions of 20 of these masses to indicate slumping during summer monsoon rains, with the other four having been the result of winter storms. The slumped lee faces of these Jurassic dunes therefore represent a prehistoric record of yearly rain events.

  14. Protective effect of Mn(III)-desferrioxamine B upon oxidative stress caused by ozone and acid rain in the Brazilian soybean cultivar Glycine max "Sambaiba".

    PubMed

    Esposito, Jéssica Bordotti Nobre; Esposito, Breno Pannia; Azevedo, Ricardo Antunes; Cruz, Luciano Soares; da Silva, Luzimar Campos; de Souza, Silvia Ribeiro

    2015-04-01

    This study aimed to investigate the effects of the Mn complex (Mn(III)-desferrioxamine B (MnDFB)) on oxidative stress in the Brazilian soybean cultivar Glycine max "Sambaiba" following exposure to ozone and acid rain. We determined the suitable dose of MnDFB to apply to G. max seedlings using a dose-response curve. The highest superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and Mn content in leaves were found upon the application of 8 μM MnDFB. Thus, G. max seedlings pretreated with 8 μM MnDFB were individually exposed to ozone and acid rain simulated. Pretreatment with MnDFB reduced lipid peroxidation upon ozone exposure and increased SOD activity in leaves; it did not alter the metal content in any part of the plant. Conversely, following acid rain exposure, neither the metal content in leaves nor SOD enzyme activity were directly affected by MnDFB, unlike pH. Our findings demonstrated that exogenous MnDFB application before ozone exposure may modulate the MnSOD, Cu/ZnSOD, and FeSOD activities to combat the ROS excess in the cell. Here, we demonstrated that the applied dose of MnDFB enhances antioxidative defenses in soybean following exposure to acid rain and especially to ozone.

  15. Acid rain recovery may help to mitigate the impacts of climate change on thermally sensitive fish in lakes across eastern North America.

    PubMed

    Warren, Dana R; Kraft, Clifford E; Josephson, Daniel C; Driscoll, Charles T

    2017-06-01

    From the 1970s to 1990s, more stringent air quality regulations were implemented across North America and Europe to reduce chemical emissions that contribute to acid rain. Surface water pH slowly increased during the following decades, but biological recovery lagged behind chemical recovery. Fortunately, this situation is changing. In the past few years, northeastern US fish populations have begun to recover in lakes that were historically incapable of sustaining wild fish due to acidic conditions. As lake ecosystems across the eastern United States recover from acid deposition, the stress to the most susceptible populations of native coldwater fish appears to be shifting from acidification effects to thermal impacts associated with changing climate. Extreme summer temperature events - which are expected to occur with increasing frequency in the coming century - can stress and ultimately kill native coldwater fish in lakes where thermal stratification is absent or highly limited. Based on data from northeastern North America, we argue that recovery from acid deposition has the potential to improve the resilience of coldwater fish populations in some lakes to impacts of climate change. This will occur as the amount of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in the water increases with increasing lake pH. Increased DOC will reduce water clarity and lead to shallower and more persistent lake thermoclines that can provide larger areas of coldwater thermal refuge habitat. Recovery from acidification will not eliminate the threat of climate change to coldwater fish, but secondary effects of acid recovery may improve the resistance of coldwater fish populations in lakes to the effects of elevated summer temperatures in historically acidified ecosystems. This analysis highlights the importance of considering the legacy of past ecosystem impacts and how recovery or persistence of those effects may interact with climate change impacts on biota in the coming decades. © 2016 John

  16. The future of emissions trading in light of the acid rain experience

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    McLean, B.J.; Rico, R.

    1995-12-31

    The idea of emissions trading was developed more than two decades ago by environmental economists eager to provide new ideas for how to improve the efficiency of environmental protection. However, early emissions trading efforts were built on the historical {open_quotes}command and control{close_quotes} infrastructure which has dominated U.S. environmental protection until today. The {open_quotes}command and control{close_quotes} model initially had advantages that were of a very pragmatic character: it assured large pollution reductions in a time when large, cheap reductions were available and necessary; and it did not require a sophisticated government infrastructure. Within the last five years, large-scale emission trading programsmore » have been successfully designed and started that are fundamentally different from the earlier efforts, creating a new paradigm for environmental control just when our understanding of environmental problems is changing as well. The purpose of this paper is to focus on the largest national-scale program--the Acid Rain Program--and from that experience, forecast when emission trading programs may be headed based on our understanding of the factors currently influencing environmental management. The first section of this paper will briefly review the history of emissions trading programs, followed by a summary of the features of the Acid Rain Program, highlighting those features that distinguish it from previous efforts. The last section addresses the opportunities for emissions trading (and its probable future directions).« less

  17. Acid Rain Data System: Progressive application of information technology for operation of a market-based environmental program

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Price, D.A.

    1995-12-31

    Under the Acid Rain Program, by statute and regulation, affected utility units are allocated annual allowances. Each allowance permits a unit to emit one ton of SO{sub 2} during or after a specified year. At year end, utilities must hold allowances equal to or greater than the cumulative SO{sub 2} emissions throughout the year from their affected units. The program has been developing, on a staged basis, two major computer-based information systems: the Allowance Tracking System (ATS) for tracking creation, transfer, and ultimate use of allowances; and the Emissions Tracking System (ETS) for transmission, receipt, processing, and inventory of continuousmore » emissions monitoring (CEM) data. The systems collectively form a logical Acid Rain Data System (ARDS). ARDS will be the largest information system ever used to operate and evaluate an environmental program. The paper describes the progressive software engineering approach the Acid Rain Program has been using to develop ARDS. Iterative software version releases, keyed to critical program deadlines, add the functionality required to support specific statutory and regulatory provisions. Each software release also incorporates continual improvements for efficiency, user-friendliness, and lower life-cycle costs. The program is migrating the independent ATS and ETS systems into a logically coordinated True-Up processing model, to support the end-of-year reconciliation for balancing allowance holdings against annual emissions and compliance plans for Phase 1 affected utility units. The paper provides specific examples and data to illustrate exciting applications of today`s information technology in ARDS.« less

  18. Economic, Environmental, and Coal Market Impacts of Sulfur Dioxide Emissions Trading under Alternative Acid Rain Control Proposals (1989)

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    This report examines the ramifications of diferent levels of emissions trading in the context of tro representative electric utility sulfur dioxide emisson reduction proposals designed to control acid rain, and in the absence of any new control program.

  19. Anthropogenic and volcanic emission impacts on SO2 dynamics and acid rain profiles. Numerical study using WRF-Chem in a high-resolution modeling

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vela, A. V.; González, C. M.; Ynoue, R.; Rojas, N. Y.; Aristizábal, B. H.; Wahl, M.

    2017-12-01

    Eulerian 3-D chemistry transport models (CTM) have been widely used for the study of air quality in urban environments, becoming an essential tool for studying the impacts and dynamics of gases and aerosols on air quality. However, their use in Colombia is scarce, especially in medium-sized cities, which are experimenting a fast urban growth, increasing the risk associated with possible air pollution episodes. In the densely populated medium-sized Andean city of Manizales, Colombia - a city located on the western slopes of the central range of the Andes (urban population 368000; 2150 m.a.s.l), there is an influence of the active Nevado del Ruiz volcano, located 28 km to the southwest. This natural source emits daily gas and particle fluxes, which could influence the atmospheric chemistry of the city and neighboring towns. Hence, the zone presents a unique combination of anthropogenic and volcanic sulfur gas emissions, which affects SO2 dynamics in the urban area, influencing also in the formation of acid rain phenomenon in the city. Therefore, studies analyzing the relative contribution of anthropogenic and volcanic emission could contribute with a deep understanding about causes and dynamics of both acid rain phenomenon and ambient SO2 levels in Manizales. This work aimed to analyze the influence of anthropogenic (on-road vehicular and industrial point-sources) and volcanic sulfur emissions in SO2 atmospheric chemistry dynamics, evaluating its possible effects on acid rain profiles. Ambient SO2 levels and day-night rain samples were measured and used to analyze results obtained from the application of the fully-coupled on-line WRF-Chem model. Two high-resolution simulations were performed during two dry and wet one-week periods in 2015. Analysis of SO2 dispersion patterns and comparison with SO2 observations in the urban area were performed for three different scenarios in which natural and anthropogenic emissions were simulated separately. Results suggest that

  20. Sequestering CO(2) by mineral carbonation: stability against acid rain exposure.

    PubMed

    Allen, Daniel J; Brent, Geoff F

    2010-04-01

    Mineral carbonation is a potentially attractive alternative to storage of compressed CO(2) in underground repositories, known as geosequestration. Processes for the conversion of basic ores, such as magnesium silicates, to carbonates have been proposed by various researchers, with storage of the carbonate as backfill in the original mine representing a solid carbon sink. The stability of such carbon sinks against acid rain and other sources of strong acids is examined here. It is acknowledged that in the presence of strong acid, carbonates will dissolve and release carbon dioxide. A sensitivity analysis covering annual average rainfall and pH that may be encountered in industrialized areas of the United States, China, Europe, and Australia was conducted to determine maximum CO(2) rerelease rates from mineral carbonation carbon sinks. This analysis is based on a worst-case premise that is equivalent to assuming infinitely rapid kinetics of dissolution of the carbonate. The analysis shows that under any likely conditions of pH and rainfall, leakage rates of stored CO(2) are negligible. This is illustrated in a hypothetical case study under Australian conditions. It is thus proposed that sequestration by mineral carbonation can be considered to be permanent on practical human time scales. Other possible sources of acid have also been considered.

  1. Low-Vacuum Deposition of Glutamic Acid and Pyroglutamic Acid: A Facile Methodology for Depositing Organic Materials beyond Amino Acids

    PubMed Central

    Sugimoto, Iwao; Maeda, Shunsaku; Suda, Yoriko; Makihara, Kenji; Takahashi, Kazuhiko

    2014-01-01

    Thin layers of pyroglutamic acid (Pygl) have been deposited by thermal evaporation of the molten L-glutamic acid (L-Glu) through intramolecular lactamization. This deposition was carried out with the versatile handmade low-vacuum coater, which was simply composed of a soldering iron placed in a vacuum degassing resin chamber evacuated by an oil-free diaphragm pump. Molecular structural analyses have revealed that thin solid film evaporated from the molten L-Glu is mainly composed of L-Pygl due to intramolecular lactamization. The major component of the L-Pygl was in β-phase and the minor component was in γ-phase, which would have been generated from partial racemization to DL-Pygl. Electron microscopy revealed that the L-Glu-evaporated film generally consisted of the 20 nm particulates of Pygl, which contained a periodic pattern spacing of 0.2 nm intervals indicating the formation of the single-molecular interval of the crystallized molecular networks. The DL-Pygl-evaporated film was composed of the original DL-Pygl preserving its crystal structures. This methodology is promising for depositing a wide range of the evaporable organic materials beyond amino acids. The quartz crystal resonator coated with the L-Glu-evaporated film exhibited the pressure-sensing capability based on the adsorption-desorption of the surrounding gas at the film surface. PMID:25254114

  2. Low-Vacuum Deposition of Glutamic Acid and Pyroglutamic Acid: A Facile Methodology for Depositing Organic Materials beyond Amino Acids.

    PubMed

    Sugimoto, Iwao; Maeda, Shunsaku; Suda, Yoriko; Makihara, Kenji; Takahashi, Kazuhiko

    2014-01-01

    Thin layers of pyroglutamic acid (Pygl) have been deposited by thermal evaporation of the molten L-glutamic acid (L-Glu) through intramolecular lactamization. This deposition was carried out with the versatile handmade low-vacuum coater, which was simply composed of a soldering iron placed in a vacuum degassing resin chamber evacuated by an oil-free diaphragm pump. Molecular structural analyses have revealed that thin solid film evaporated from the molten L-Glu is mainly composed of L-Pygl due to intramolecular lactamization. The major component of the L-Pygl was in β-phase and the minor component was in γ-phase, which would have been generated from partial racemization to DL-Pygl. Electron microscopy revealed that the L-Glu-evaporated film generally consisted of the 20 nm particulates of Pygl, which contained a periodic pattern spacing of 0.2 nm intervals indicating the formation of the single-molecular interval of the crystallized molecular networks. The DL-Pygl-evaporated film was composed of the original DL-Pygl preserving its crystal structures. This methodology is promising for depositing a wide range of the evaporable organic materials beyond amino acids. The quartz crystal resonator coated with the L-Glu-evaporated film exhibited the pressure-sensing capability based on the adsorption-desorption of the surrounding gas at the film surface.

  3. Structure of a microbial community in soil after prolonged addition of low levels of simulated acid rain

    PubMed

    Pennanen; Fritze; Vanhala; Kiikkila; Neuvonen; Baath

    1998-06-01

    Humus samples were collected 12 growing seasons after the start of a simulated acid rain experiment situated in the subarctic environment. The acid rain was simulated with H2SO4, a combination of H2SO4 and HNO3, and HNO3 at two levels of moderate acidic loads close to the natural anthropogenic pollution levels of southern Scandinavia. The higher levels of acid applications resulted in acidification, as defined by humus chemistry. The concentrations of base cations decreased, while the concentrations of exchangeable H+, Al, and Fe increased. Humus pH decreased from 3.83 to 3.65. Basal respiration decreased with decreasing humus pH, and total microbial biomass, measured by substrate-induced respiration and total amount of phospholipid fatty acids (PLFA), decreased slightly. An altered PLFA pattern indicated a change in the microbial community structure at the higher levels of acid applications. In general, branched fatty acids, typical of gram-positive bacteria, increased in the acid plots. PLFA analysis performed on the bacterial community growing on agar plates also showed that the relative amount of PLFA specific for gram-positive bacteria increased due to the acidification. The changed bacterial community was adapted to the more acidic environment in the acid-treated plots, even though bacterial growth rates, estimated by thymidine and leucine incorporation, decreased with pH. Fungal activity (measured as acetate incorporation into ergosterol) was not affected. This result indicates that bacteria were more affected than fungi by the acidification. The capacity of the bacterial community to utilize 95 different carbon sources was variable and only showed weak correlations to pH. Differences in the toxicities of H2SO4 and HNO3 for the microbial community were not found.

  4. Chapter 5: Acid deposition

    Treesearch

    Cliff F. Hunt; Warren E. Heilman

    1999-01-01

    This publication provides information about the atmospheric conditions in and near the national forest in the Ozark-Ouachita Highlands: the Mark Twain in Missouri, the Ouachita in Arkansas and Oklahoma, and the Ozark and St. Francis in Arkansas. This report includes information about particulate matter, visibility, ozone concentrations, and acid deposition in the Ozark...

  5. Separating analysis from politics: Acid rain in Europe

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Patt, A.

    Over the last twenty years, policy-makers in Europe have attempted to solve the problem of acid rain using detailed analysis grounded in natural science and economics. The results are impressive, as Europeans have successfully implemented a number of international agreements to reduce pollution emissions, agreements that in theory achieve the greatest environmental benefit at the lowest aggregate cost across Europe. This article examines the analysis on which these policies were based. First, it finds a pattern of investigating the use of cost-benefit analysis, together with a lack of usefulness associated with the actual results of such analysis. Second, it findsmore » that the analytic framework that came to replace cost-benefit analysis--critical loads--contained many of the same uncertainties and political decisions that plagued cost-benefit analysis. Nevertheless, critical loads analysis was seen as less value-laden and more reliable, and contributed significantly to policy development. Desire for rapid action led policy-makers to ignore or overlook the politics and uncertainties inherent in efforts at scientific assessment and modeling.« less

  6. Effects of simulated acid rain, ozone and sulfur dioxide on suitability of elms for elm leaf beetle

    Treesearch

    Richard W. Hall; Jack H. Barger; Alden M. Townsend

    1988-01-01

    Cuttings from two clonally propagated elm hybrids ('Pioneer' and 'Homestead') were treated with ozone (03), sulfur dioxide (S02), simulated acid rain or left untreated. Fumigants were applied 7 hours per day, 5 days per week for 9 weeks in open-top chambers. Fumigation treatments were: 0.1 ppm 0

  7. Atmospheric wet deposition of sulfur and nitrogen in Jiuzhaigou National Nature Reserve, Sichuan Province, China.

    PubMed

    Qiao, Xue; Xiao, Weiyang; Jaffe, Daniel; Kota, Sri Harsha; Ying, Qi; Tang, Ya

    2015-04-01

    In the last two decades, remarkable ecological changes have been observed in Jiuzhaigou National Nature Reserve (JNNR). Some of these changes might be related to excessive deposition of sulfur (S) and nitrogen (N), but the relationship has not been quantified due to lack of monitoring data, particularly S and N deposition data. In this study, we investigated the concentrations, fluxes, and sources of S and N wet deposition in JNNR from April 2010 to May 2011. The results show that SO4(2-), NO3-, and NH4+ concentrations in the wet deposition were 39.4-170.5, 6.2-34.8, and 0.2-61.2 μeq L(-1), with annual Volume-Weighted Mean (VWM) concentrations of 70.5, 12.7, and 13.4 μeq L(-1), respectively. Annual wet deposition fluxes of SO4(2-), NO3-, and NH4+ were 8.06, 1.29, and 1.39 kg S(N)ha(-1), respectively, accounting for about 90% of annual atmospheric inputs of these species at the monitoring site. The results of Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) analysis show that fossil fuel combustion, agriculture, and aged sea salt contributed to 99% and 83% of annual wet deposition fluxes of SO4(2-) and NO3-, respectively. Agriculture alone contributed to 89% of annual wet deposition flux of NH4+. Although wet deposition in JNNR was polluted by anthropogenic acids, the acidity was largely neutralized by the Ca2+ from crust and 81% of wet deposition samples had a pH higher than 6.00. However, acid rain mainly caused by SO4(2-) continued to occur in the wet season, when ambient alkaline dust concentration was lower. Since anthropogenic emissions have elevated S and N deposition and caused acid rain in JNNR, further studies are needed to better quantify the regional sources and ecological effects of S and N deposition for JNNR. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. Enhancing tolerance of rice (Oryza sativa) to simulated acid rain by exogenous abscisic acid.

    PubMed

    Wu, Xi; Liang, Chanjuan

    2017-02-01

    Abscisic acid (ABA) regulates much important plant physiological and biochemical processes and induces tolerance to different stresses. Here, we studied the regulation of exogenous ABA on adaptation of rice seedlings to simulated acid rain (SAR) stress by measuring biomass dry weight, stomatal conductance, net photosynthesis rate, nutrient elements, and endogenous hormones. The application of 10 μM ABA alleviated the SAR-induced inhibition on growth, stomatal conductance, net photosynthesis rate, and decreases in contents of nutrient (K, Mg, N, and P) and hormone (auxin, gibberellins, and zeatin). Moreover, 10 μM ABA could stimulate the Ca content as signaling molecules under SAR stress. Contrarily, the application of 100 μM ABA aggravated the SAR-induced inhibition on growth, stomatal conductance, net photosynthesis rate, and contents of nutrient and hormone. The results got after a 5-day recovery (without SAR) show that exogenous 10 μM ABA can promote self-restoration process in rice whereas 100 μM ABA hindered the restoration by increasing deficiency of nutrients and disturbing the balance of hormones. These results confirmed that exogenous ABA at proper concentration could enhance the tolerance of rice to SAR stress.

  9. [Relationships between soil moisture and needle-fall in Masson pine forests in acid rain region of Chongqing, Southwest China].

    PubMed

    Wang, Yi-Hao; Wang, Yan-Hui; Li, Zhen-Hua; Yu, Peng-Tao; Xiong, Wei; Hao, Jia; Duan, Jian

    2012-10-01

    From March 2009 to November 2011, an investigation was conducted on the spatiotemporal variation of soil moisture and its effects on the needle-fall in Masson pine (Pinus massoniana) forests in acid rain region of Chongqing, Southeast China, with the corresponding soil moisture thresholds determined. No matter the annual precipitation was abundant, normal or less than average, the seasonal variation of soil moisture in the forests could be obviously divided into four periods, i.e., sufficient (before May), descending (from June to July), drought (from August to September), and recovering (from October to November). With increasing soil depth, the soil moisture content increased after an initial decrease, but the difference of the soil moisture content among different soil layers decreased with decreasing annual precipitation. The amount of monthly needle-fall in the forests in growth season was significantly correlated with the water storage in root zone (0-60 cm soil layer), especially in the main root zone (20-50 cm soil layer). Soil field capacity (or capillary porosity) and 82% of field capacity (or 80% of capillary porosity) were the main soil moisture thresholds affecting the litter-fall. It was suggested that in acid rain region, Masson pine forest was easily to suffer from water deficit stress, especially in dry-summer period. The water deficit stress, together with already existed acid rain stress, would further threaten the health of the Masson forest.

  10. Estimating lake susceptibility to acidification due to acid deposition.

    Treesearch

    Dale S. Nichols

    1990-01-01

    Presents a graphical procedure for evaluating the same sensitivity of lakes to acidification due to acid deposition. The procedure is based on empirical relationships between sulfur (and in some cases nitrogen) deposition rates and lake pH, acid-neutralizing capacity, base cation concentrations, and the amount of runoff.

  11. Selection, procurement and description of Salem Limestone samples used to study the effects of acid rain

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ross, M.; Knab, L.

    1984-07-01

    The selection, procurement, and description of the Salem Limestone to be used in field exposure tests to assess the effects of acid rain on building stone are described. The rationale for choosing Salem Limestone is given and a brief geological description of the stone is provided. Preparation of the stone samples for field exposure, including cutting, surface finishing and labelling is presented.

  12. Acid rain mitigation experiment shifts a forested watershed from a net sink to a net source of nitrogen

    PubMed Central

    Rosi-Marshall, Emma J.; Bernhardt, Emily S.; Buso, Donald C.; Driscoll, Charles T.; Likens, Gene E.

    2016-01-01

    Decades of acid rain have acidified forest soils and freshwaters throughout montane forests of the northeastern United States; the resulting loss of soil base cations is hypothesized to be responsible for limiting rates of forest growth throughout the region. In 1999, an experiment was conducted that reversed the long-term trend of soil base cation depletion and tested the hypothesis that calcium limits forest growth in acidified soils. Researchers added 1,189 kg Ca2+ ha−1 as the pelletized mineral wollastonite (CaSiO3) to a 12-ha forested watershed within the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Significant increases in the pH and acid-neutralizing capacity of soils and streamwater resulted, and the predicted increase in forest growth occurred. An unanticipated consequence of this acidification mitigation experiment began to emerge a decade later, with marked increases in dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) exports in streamwater from the treated watershed. By 2013, 30-times greater DIN was exported from this base-treated watershed than from adjacent reference watersheds, and DIN exports resulting from this experiment match or exceed earlier reports of inorganic N losses after severe ice-storm damage within the study watershed. The discovery that CaSiO3 enrichment can convert a watershed from a sink to a source of N suggests that numerous potential mechanisms drive watershed N dynamics and provides new insights into the influence of acid deposition mitigation strategies for both carbon cycling and watershed N export. PMID:27335456

  13. Acid rain mitigation experiment shifts a forested watershed from a net sink to a net source of nitrogen.

    PubMed

    Rosi-Marshall, Emma J; Bernhardt, Emily S; Buso, Donald C; Driscoll, Charles T; Likens, Gene E

    2016-07-05

    Decades of acid rain have acidified forest soils and freshwaters throughout montane forests of the northeastern United States; the resulting loss of soil base cations is hypothesized to be responsible for limiting rates of forest growth throughout the region. In 1999, an experiment was conducted that reversed the long-term trend of soil base cation depletion and tested the hypothesis that calcium limits forest growth in acidified soils. Researchers added 1,189 kg Ca(2+) ha(-1) as the pelletized mineral wollastonite (CaSiO3) to a 12-ha forested watershed within the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Significant increases in the pH and acid-neutralizing capacity of soils and streamwater resulted, and the predicted increase in forest growth occurred. An unanticipated consequence of this acidification mitigation experiment began to emerge a decade later, with marked increases in dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) exports in streamwater from the treated watershed. By 2013, 30-times greater DIN was exported from this base-treated watershed than from adjacent reference watersheds, and DIN exports resulting from this experiment match or exceed earlier reports of inorganic N losses after severe ice-storm damage within the study watershed. The discovery that CaSiO3 enrichment can convert a watershed from a sink to a source of N suggests that numerous potential mechanisms drive watershed N dynamics and provides new insights into the influence of acid deposition mitigation strategies for both carbon cycling and watershed N export.

  14. Acid deposition in east Asia

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Phadnis, M.J.; Carmichael, G.R.; Ichikawa, Y.

    1996-12-31

    A comparison between transport models was done to study the acid deposition in east Asia. The two models in question were different in the way the treated the pollutant species and the way simulation was carried out. A single-layer, trajectory model with simple (developed by the Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry (CRIEPI), Japan) was compared with a multi-layered, eulerian type model (Sulfur Transport Eulerian Model - II [STEM-II]) treating the chemical processes in detail. The acidic species used in the simulation were sulfur dioxide and sulfate. The comparison was done for two episodes: each a month long inmore » winter (February) and summer (August) of 1989. The predicted results from STEM-II were compared with the predicted results from the CRIEPI model as well as the observed data at twenty-one stations in Japan. The predicted values from STEM-II were similar to the ones from the CRIEPI results and the observed values in regards to the transport features. The average monthly values of SO{sub 2} in air, sulfate in air and sulfate in precipitation were in good agreement. Sensitivity studies were carried out under different scenarios of emissions, dry depositions velocities and mixing heights. The predicted values in these sensitivity studies showed a strong dependence on the mixing heights. The predicted wet deposition of sulfur for the two months is 0.7 gS/m2.mon, while the observed deposition is around 1.1 gS/m2.mon. It was also observed that the wet deposition on the Japan sea side of the islands is more than those on the Pacific side and the Okhotsk sea, mainly because of the continental outflow of pollutant air masses from mainland China and Korea. The effects of emissions from Russia and volcanoes were also evaluated.« less

  15. Evaluating Potential Bias in Media Coverage of the Public Debate over Acid Rain and Chlorofluorocarbons in the 1980s

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Williams, Tiffany Dawn; Moore, Rebecca; Markewitz, Daniel

    2012-01-01

    This study evaluates media coverage of two important environmental issues from the 1980s (acid rain and chlorofluorocarbons), providing historical context for current media coverage analysis. Focusing on popular magazine articles, this study identifies key characteristics of content and presentation. Content-related characteristics are inclusion…

  16. ESTIMATES OF CLOUD WATER DEPOSITION AT MOUNTAIN DEPOSITION AT MOUNTAIN ACID DEPOSITION PROGRAM SITES IN THE APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS

    EPA Science Inventory

    Cloud water deposition was estimated at three high elevation sites in the Appalachian Mountains of the eastern United States (Whiteface Mountain, NY, Whitetop Mountain, VA, and Clingrnan's Dome, TN) from 1994 through 1999 as part of the Mountain Acid Deposition Program (MADPro). ...

  17. Haloacetates in fog and rain.

    PubMed

    Römpp, A; Klemm, O; Fricke, W; Frank, H

    2001-04-01

    Atmospheric haloacetates can arise from photochemical degradation of halogenated hydrocarbons and from direct anthropogenic emissions. Furthermore, there is also evidence of natural sources although these are quantitatively uncertain. As haloacetates are highly soluble in water, hydrometeors are most significant for their deposition. Fogwater (96 samples) and rainwater samples (over 100 samples) were collected from July 1998 to March 1999 at an ecological research site in northeastern Bavaria, Germany. They were analyzed for monofluoroacetate (MFA), difluoroacetate (DFA), trifluoroacetate (TFA), monochloroacetate (MCA), dichloroacetate (DCA), trichloroacetate (TCA), monobromoacetate (MBA), and dibromoacetate (DBA). The major inorganic ions were also determined. High concentrations of up to 11 microg/L MCA, 5 microg/L DCA, 2 microg/L TCA, and 2 microg/L TFA were found in fogwater associated with westerly winds. Backward trajectories were calculated to determine the origin of the air masses. MBA and DBA have highest concentrations in fogwater advected with air originating from the Atlantic, suggesting the marine origin of these two compounds. All analyzed substances show higher average concentrations in fog than in rain. Estimates of the deposition of haloacetates suggest that the contribution of fog may be more important than rain for the total burden of a forest ecosystem.

  18. The rain of terror

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Zern, E.

    The problem of acid rain as it effects fish populations in the United States and Canada is briefly reviewed. The emphasis of the article is on the future of fishing in acid precipitation areas. The author concludes with a recommendation that fishermen write their Congressman urging support of Congressman Henry A. Waxman's House Bill 555. The bill would require a ten-year program to reduce sulfur-dioxide emisions in Central and Eastern states by approximately one-third. (JMT)

  19. Methods for measuring bird-mediated seed rain: Insights from a Hawaiian mesic forest

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Rose, Eli; Stewart, Meredith; Brinkman, Andrew; Paxton, Eben H.; Yelenik, Stephanie G.

    2017-01-01

    Amount and diversity of bird-dispersed seed rain play important roles in determining forest composition, yet neither is easy to quantify. The complex ecological processes that influence seed movement make the best approach highly context specific. Although recent advances in seed rain theory emphasize quantifying source-specific seed shadows, many ecological questions can be addressed u sing a less mechanistic approach that requires fewer assumptions. Using seed rain rates from 0.38 m2 hoop traps sampled twice monthly over the course of a year, we show that number of traps required to identify changes in seed rain varies across seed species and forest type. Detecting a 50% increase in amount of seed rain required from 65 to >300 traps, while detecting a 200% increase generally required ≤⃒50 traps. Trap size and ecological context dictate the number of seeds found in each trap, but the coefficient of variation (CV) across traps in a given ecological context can help inform future studies about number of traps needed to detect change. To better understand factors influencing variation around estimates of seed rain, we simulated both clustered and evenly distributed patterns of fecal deposition using three different levels of seed aggregation (number of seeds in each fecal deposit). When patterns of fecal deposition were clustered, rather than evenly dispersed across the study area, they required >1.5 times the number of traps to identify a 100% increase in seed rain. Similarly, we found that low seed aggregation required >1.5 times the number of traps to detect a 100% change than when aggregation was medium or high. At low aggregations, fewer seed rain traps contained seeds (low, 33 ± 5%; medium, 23 ± 4%; high, 24 ± 5%), resulting in more variation across traps than medium and high aggregations. We also illustrate the importance of training observers to discern between morphologically similar seeds from different species and provide resources to help identify

  20. Combining Long-Term Watershed Monitoring at Buck Creek with Spatially Extensive Ecosystem Data to Understand the Processes of Acid Rain Effects and Recovery

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lawrence, G. B.; Ross, D. S.; Sullivan, T. J.; McDonnell, T. C.; Bailey, S. W.; Dukett, J. E.

    2014-12-01

    The Buck Creek Monitoring Watershed, in the western Adirondack Region of New York, has provided long-term data back to 1982 for tracking acid rain effects and recovery, and for supporting fundamental research on environmental change. At Buck Creek, monitoring acidic deposition effects as they worsened, then diminished, has advanced our understanding of key biogeochemical processes such as Al mobilization. Although Al mobilization has been one of the primary adverse effects of acidic deposition, in the recovery phase it is now affecting terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems in new ways that could be both positive and negative, as soils and surface waters respond to further declines in acidic deposition. Using stream Al measurements from Buck Creek over varying seasons and flows, a new index, the base cation surplus (BCS), was developed to account for dissolved organic carbon (DOC) effects on the relationship between ANC and inorganic Al. Mobilization of inorganic Al, the form toxic to biota, occurs below a BCS of zero, regardless of DOC concentrations. Soil and stream data from Adirondack surveys showed that a BCS value of zero corresponds to a soil base saturation value in the B horizon of approximately 12%. Additional Adirondack survey work indicated that, where sugar maple stands grew in soils with base saturation values below 12%, seedling regeneration was nearly zero, suggesting a link between Al mobilization and impairment of tree regeneration. In recovering Adirondack lakes, the BCS was also used to show that increasing trends in DOC were accelerating decreases of inorganic Al beyond what would be expected from the increasing trends of ANC. Similar decreases of inorganic Al in Buck Creek, were coupled with increases in organic Al concentrations, which resulted in no trend in total Al concentrations despite a strong increase in pH. Sampling of Buck Creek soils in 1997, and again in 2009-2010, indicated a substantial decrease in forest floor exchangeable Al, of

  1. Elevated nitrogen metabolism and nitric oxide production are involved in Arabidopsis resistance to acid rain.

    PubMed

    Qiao, Fang; Zhang, Xi-Min; Liu, Xiang; Chen, Juan; Hu, Wen-Jun; Liu, Ting-Wu; Liu, Ji-Yun; Zhu, Chun-Quan; Ghoto, Kabir; Zhu, Xue-Yi; Zheng, Hai-Lei

    2018-06-01

    Acid rain (AR) can induce great damages to plants and could be classified into different types according to the different SO 4 2- /NO 3 - ratio. However, the mechanism of plants' responding to different types of AR has not been elucidated clearly. Here, we found that nitric-rich simulated AR (N-SiAR) induced less leaves injury as lower necrosis percentage, better physiological parameters and reduced oxidative damage in the leaves of N-SiAR treated Arabidopsis thaliana compared with sulfate and nitrate mixed (SN-SiAR) or sulfuric-rich (S-SiAR) simulated AR treated ones. Of these three types of SiAR, N-SiAR treated Arabidopsis maintained the highest of nitrogen (N) content, nitrate reductase (NR) and nitrite reductase (NiR) activity as well as N metabolism related genes expression level. Nitric oxide (NO) content showed that N-SiAR treated seedlings had a higher NO level compared to SN-SiAR or S-SiAR treated ones. A series of NO production and elimination related reagents and three NO production-related mutants were used to further confirm the role of NO in regulating acid rain resistance in N-SiAR treated Arabidopsis seedlings. Taken together, we concluded that an elevated N metabolism and enhanced NO production are involved in the tolerance to different types of AR in Arabidopsis. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  2. Microbial activity in an acid resin deposit: biodegradation potential and ecotoxicology in an extremely acidic hydrocarbon contamination.

    PubMed

    Kloos, Karin; Schloter, Michael; Meyer, Ortwin

    2006-11-01

    Acid resins are residues produced in a recycling process for used oils that was in use in the forties and fifties of the last century. The resin-like material is highly contaminated with mineral oil hydrocarbons, extremely acidic and co-contaminated with substituted and aromatic hydrocarbons, and heavy metals. To determine the potential for microbial biodegradation the acid resin deposit and its surroundings were screened for microbial activity by soil respiration measurements. No microbial activity was found in the core deposit. However, biodegradation of hydrocarbons was possible in zones with a lower degree of contamination surrounding the deposit. An extreme acidophilic microbial community was detected close to the core deposit. With a simple ecotoxicological approach it could be shown that the pure acid resin that formed the major part of the core deposit, was toxic to the indigenous microflora due to its extremely low pH of 0-1.

  3. Transport and fate of acid rains out of North America. Final report, April 14, 1982-April 13, 1983

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Knap, A.H.

    1983-06-01

    A program to determine the transport of acid rain has been undertaken at Bermuda. The results indicate that precipitation at Bermuda is acidified to a pH of 4.8 over a one-year period with a seasonal component of greater acidity (pH 4.4) corresponding to back trajectories of the North American air mass. A detailed study of the composition of Bermuda rainwater compared to a North American coastal site has been carried out as well as a shipboard collection program between eastern North America and Bermuda. The results indicate that the strong acid acidity is due to long-range transport of the Northmore » American air mass.« less

  4. Phenolic acids as bioindicators of fly ash deposit revegetation.

    PubMed

    Djurdjević, L; Mitrović, M; Pavlović, P; Gajić, G; Kostić, O

    2006-05-01

    The floristic composition, the abundance, and the cover of pioneer plant species of spontaneously formed plant communities and the content of total phenolics and phenolic acids, as humus constituents, of an ash deposit after 7 years of recultivation were studied. The restoration of both the soil and the vegetation on the ash deposits of the "Nikola Tesla-A" thermoelectric power plant in Obrenovac (Serbia) is an extremely slow process. Unfavorable physical and chemical characteristics, the toxicity of fly ash, and extreme microclimatic conditions prevented the development of compact plant cover. The abundance and cover of plants increased from the central part of the deposit towards its edges (ranging from 1-80%). Festuca rubra L., Crepis setosa Hall., Erigeron canadensis L., Cirsium arvense (L.) Scop., Calamagrostis epigeios (L.) Roth., and Tamarix gallica L. were the most abundant species, thus giving the highest cover. Humus generated during the decomposition process of plant remains represents a completely new product absent in the ash as the starting material. The amount of total phenolics and phenolic acids (38.07-185.16 microg/g of total phenolics and 4.12-27.28 microg/g of phenolic acids) in fly ash increased from the center of the deposit towards its edges in correlation with the increase in plant abundance and cover. Ash samples contained high amounts of ferulic, vanillic, and p-coumaric acid, while the content of both p-hydroxybenzoic and syringic acid was relatively low. The presence of phenolic acids indicates the ongoing process of humus formation in the ash, in which the most abundant pioneer plants of spontaneously formed plant communities play the main role. Phenolic compounds can serve as reliable bioindicators in an assessment of the success of the recultivation process of thermoelectric power plants' ash deposits.

  5. Natural or anthropogenic? On the origin of atmospheric sulfate deposition in the Andes of southeastern Ecuador

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Makowski Giannoni, S.; Rollenbeck, R.; Trachte, K.; Bendix, J.

    2014-10-01

    Atmospheric sulfur deposition above certain limits can represent a threat to tropical forests, causing nutrient imbalances and mobilizing toxic elements that impact biodiversity and forest productivity. Atmospheric sources of sulfur deposited by precipitation have been roughly identified in only a few lowland tropical forests. Even scarcer are studies of this type in tropical mountain forests, many of them mega-diversity hotspots and especially vulnerable to acidic deposition. In these places, the topographic complexity and related streamflow conditions affect the origin, type, and intensity of deposition. Furthermore, in regions with a variety of natural and anthropogenic sulfur sources, like active volcanoes and biomass burning, no source emission data has been used for determining the contribution of each source to the deposition. The main goal of the current study is to evaluate sulfate (SO4- deposition by rain and occult precipitation at two topographic locations in a tropical mountain forest of southern Ecuador, and to trace back the deposition to possible emission sources applying back-trajectory modeling. To link upwind natural (volcanic) and anthropogenic (urban/industrial and biomass-burning) sulfur emissions and observed sulfate deposition, we employed state-of-the-art inventory and satellite data, including volcanic passive degassing as well. We conclude that biomass-burning sources generally dominate sulfate deposition at the evaluated sites. Minor sulfate transport occurs during the shifting of the predominant winds to the north and west. Occult precipitation sulfate deposition and likely rain sulfate deposition are mainly linked to biomass-burning emissions from the Amazon lowlands. Volcanic and anthropogenic emissions from the north and west contribute to occult precipitation sulfate deposition at the mountain crest Cerro del Consuelo meteorological station and to rain-deposited sulfate at the upriver mountain pass El Tiro meteorological station.

  6. Natural or anthropogenic? On the origin of atmospheric sulfate deposition in the Andes of southeastern Ecuador

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Makowski Giannoni, S.; Rollenbeck, R.; Trachte, K.; Bendix, J.

    2014-05-01

    Atmospheric sulfur deposition above certain limits can represent a threat to tropical forests, causing nutrient imbalances and mobilizing toxic elements that impact biodiversity and forest productivity. Atmospheric sources of sulfur deposited by precipitation have being roughly identified in only a few lowland tropical forests. Even scarcer are these type of studies in tropical mountain forests, many of them megadiversity hotspots and especially vulnerable to acidic deposition. Here, the topographic complexity and related streamflow condition the origin, type, and intensity of deposition. Furthermore, in regions with a variety of natural and anthropogenic sulfur sources, like active volcanoes and biomass-burning, no source-emission data has been used for determining the contribution of each of them to the deposition. The main goal of the current study is to evaluate sulfate (SO4-) deposition by rain and occult precipitation at two topographic locations in a tropical mountain forest of southern Ecuador, and to trace back the deposition to possible emission sources applying back trajectory modeling. To link upwind natural (volcanic) and anthropogenic (urban/industrial and biomass-burning) sulfur emissions and observed sulfate deposition, we employed state of the art inventory and satellite data, including volcanic passive degassing as well. We conclude that biomass-burning sources generally dominate sulfate deposition at the evaluated sites. Minor sulfate transport occurs during the shifting of the predominant winds to the north and west. Occult precipitation sulfate deposition and likely rain sulfate deposition are mainly linked to biomass-burning emissions from the Amazon lowlands. Volcanic and anthropogenic emissions from the north and west contribute to occult precipitation sulfate deposition at the mountain crest Cerro del Consuelo meteorological station and to rain-deposited sulfate at the upriver mountain-pass El Tiro meteorological station.

  7. Spectral Characterization of Suspected Acid Deposition Damage in Red Spruce (picea Rubens) Stands from Vermont

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Vogelmann, J. E.; Rock, B. N.

    1985-01-01

    In an attempt to demonstrate the utility of remote sensing systems to monitor sites of suspected acid rain deposition damage, intensive field activities, coupled with aircraft overflights, were centered on red spruce stands in Vermont during August and September of 1984. Remote sensing data were acquired using the Airborne Imaging Spectrometer, Thematic Mapper Simulator, Barnes Model 12 to 1000 Modular Multiband Radiometer and Spectron Engineering Spectrometer (the former two flown on the NASA C-130; the latter two on A Bell UH-1B Iroquois Helicopter). Field spectral data were acquired during the week of the August overflights using a high spectral resolution spectrometer and two broad-band radiometers. Preliminary analyses of these data indicate a number of spectral differences in vegetation between high and low damage sites. Some of these differences are subtle, and are observable only with high spectral resolution sensors; others are less subtle and are observable using broad-band sensors.

  8. [Relationship between atmospheric particles and rain water chemistry character].

    PubMed

    Huo, Ming-Qun; Sun, Qian; Xie, Peng; Bai, Yu-Hua; Liu, Zhao-Rong; Li, Ji-Long; Lu, Si-Hua

    2009-11-01

    Rain and atmospheric particle samples were collected in the rural area of Taian and Shenzhen in 2007, respectively. Rain sampling was carried out during the precipitation process and several samples were got from the beginning of one precipitation to the end. The chemical character changes during precipitation and the changes of concentration of particles before and after rain were studied in this research to understand the contribution of particles on the rain chemical character and the rain-out effect for particles. The volume-weighted mean pH of rainwater in Taian was 5.97 and the total concentration of ions was 1 187.96 microeq x L(-1). The mass concentration of PM10 in Taian was 131.76 microg/m3 and that of PM2.5 was 103.84 microg/m3. The volume-weighted mean pH of rainwater in Shenzhen was 4.72 and the total concentration of ions was 175.89 microeq x L(-1). The mass concentration of PM10 in Shenzhen was 56.66 microg/m3 and that of PM2.5 was 41.52 microg/m3. During precipitation process pH and ion concentration of rain decrease and it is shown the neutralizing effect happens. The difference between rainwater of Taian and Shenzhen is due to cloud water acidity, atmospheric particles character and atmospheric acid-basic gases concentration. The clean-up effect of Na+ and Ca2+ by rain is high and which of NH4+ and NO3- is low. The clean-up effect for mass concentration, ions concentration and element concentration of particles by rain are significant.

  9. Estimating Rain Rates from Tipping-Bucket Rain Gauge Measurements

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wang, Jianxin; Fisher, Brad L.; Wolff, David B.

    2007-01-01

    This paper describes the cubic spline based operational system for the generation of the TRMM one-minute rain rate product 2A-56 from Tipping Bucket (TB) gauge measurements. Methodological issues associated with applying the cubic spline to the TB gauge rain rate estimation are closely examined. A simulated TB gauge from a Joss-Waldvogel (JW) disdrometer is employed to evaluate effects of time scales and rain event definitions on errors of the rain rate estimation. The comparison between rain rates measured from the JW disdrometer and those estimated from the simulated TB gauge shows good overall agreement; however, the TB gauge suffers sampling problems, resulting in errors in the rain rate estimation. These errors are very sensitive to the time scale of rain rates. One-minute rain rates suffer substantial errors, especially at low rain rates. When one minute rain rates are averaged to 4-7 minute or longer time scales, the errors dramatically reduce. The rain event duration is very sensitive to the event definition but the event rain total is rather insensitive, provided that the events with less than 1 millimeter rain totals are excluded. Estimated lower rain rates are sensitive to the event definition whereas the higher rates are not. The median relative absolute errors are about 22% and 32% for 1-minute TB rain rates higher and lower than 3 mm per hour, respectively. These errors decrease to 5% and 14% when TB rain rates are used at 7-minute scale. The radar reflectivity-rainrate (Ze-R) distributions drawn from large amount of 7-minute TB rain rates and radar reflectivity data are mostly insensitive to the event definition.

  10. Short-term effects of a simulated acid rain upon the growth and nutrient relations of Pinus strobus, L.

    Treesearch

    Tim Wood; F. H. Bormann

    1976-01-01

    Acidified precipitation may affect the productivity of forests by altering the availability of plant nutrients of by affecting the ability of trees to absorb and assimilate those nutrients. In this study, the short-term effects of simulated acid rain (pH range 5.6 - 2.3) upon the growth and nutrient relations of Eastern White Pine seedlings (Pinus strobus...

  11. Correlation between microstructural characteristics and weight loss of natural stones exposed to simulated acid rain.

    PubMed

    Franzoni, Elisa; Sassoni, Enrico

    2011-12-15

    The correlation between stone microstructural characteristics and material degradation (in terms of weight loss), in given environmental conditions, was investigated. Seven lithotypes, having very different microstructural characteristics, were used. Four acidic aqueous solutions were prepared to simulate acid rain (two adding H(2)SO(4) and two adding HNO(3) to deionized water, in order to reach, for each acid, pH values of 5.0 and 4.0), and deionized water at pH=5.6 was used to simulate clean rain. Stone samples were then immersed in such aqueous solutions, the surface alteration being periodically inspected and the weight loss periodically measured. After 14 days of immersion, a good correlation was found between weight loss and the product of carbonate content and specific surface area in the starting materials. This was explained considering that this product accounts for the weight loss owing to the sample's fraction actually composed of calcite (the most soluble fraction) and the effective surface area exposed to dissolving solution (which depends on stone porosity and pore size distribution). Such correlation between stone microstructure and degradation may be useful for comparing the durability of different lithotypes, in given environmental conditions, and quantitatively predicting the weight loss of a lithotype, compared to another one. Hence, the correlation found in this study may be used to specifically tailor to various stone types, with different microstructural characteristics, some results that have been calculated in literature for specific stone types and then proposed as possibly representative for a broad category of stones with similar characteristics. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. Expanding atmospheric acid deposition in China from the 1990s to the 2010s

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yu, Haili; Wang, Qiufeng

    2017-04-01

    Atmospheric acid deposition is considered a global environmental issue. China has been experiencing serious acid deposition, which is anticipated to be more serious with the country's economic development and increasing consumption of fossil fuels in recent decades. By collecting nationwide data on pH and concentrations of sulfate (SO42-) and nitrate (NO3-) in precipitation between 1980 and 2014 in China, we explored the spatiotemporal variations of precipitation acid deposition (bulk deposition) and their influencing factors. Our results showed that average precipitation pH values were 4.86 and 4.84 in the 1990s and 2010s, respectively. This suggests that precipitation acid deposition in China has not seriously changes. Average SO42- deposition declined from 30.73 to 28.61 kg S ha-1 yr-1 but average NO3- deposition increased from 4.02 to 6.79 kg N ha-1 yr-1. Specifically, the area of severe precipitation acid deposition in southern China has shrunk to some extent as a result of decreasing pollutant emissions, whereas the area of moderate precipitation acid deposition has expanded in northern China, associated with rapid industrial and transportation development. Significant positive correlations have been found between precipitation acid deposition, energy consumption, and rainfall. Our findings provide a comprehensive evaluation of the spatiotemporal dynamics of precipitation acid deposition in China over past three decades, and confirm the idea that strategies implemented to save energy and reduce pollutant emissions in China have been effective in alleviating precipitation acid deposition. These findings might be used to demonstrate how developing countries could achieve economic development and environmental protection through the implementation of advanced technologies to reduce pollutant emissions.

  13. Evidence for multiple hydrogen-ion donor systems in rain

    Treesearch

    Sagar V. Krupa; M. R., Jr. Coscio; F. A. Wood

    1976-01-01

    An integrated analytical system consisting of combined scanning electron microscopy and x-ray analysis, atomic absorption, colorimetry and coulometry was used to study rain water chemistry. The coulometry facilitated the determination in molarities of strong and non-volatile and volatile weak acids. The pH of individual rains in St. Paul - Minneapolis, Minnesota ranged...

  14. An evaluation of the effects of acid rain on low conductivity headwater streams in Pennsylvania

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Ritter, John R.; Brown, Ann E.

    1981-01-01

    Analyses of water collected at 32 sites on headwater streams in Pennsylvania during low-flow conditions in 1970-80 were compared to pre-1971 data to evaluate whether acid rain had changed the chemistry of the streams in the previous decade. Most pH, alkalinity, and sulfate values of the samples collected in 1970-80 fell within the ranges of values for samples collected before 1971. The limited data indicate, however, that pH may have increased and alkalinity and sulfate may have decreased with time.

  15. Wet acid deposition in Chinese natural and agricultural ecosystems: Evidence from national-scale monitoring

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yu, Haili; He, Nianpeng; Wang, Qiufeng; Zhu, Jianxing; Xu, Li; Zhu, Zhilin; Yu, Guirui

    2016-09-01

    Acid deposition in precipitation has received widespread attention. However, it is necessary to monitor the acid deposition in Chinese agricultural and natural ecosystems because data derived from traditional urban/suburban observations might overestimate it to some extent. In this study, we continuously measured the acid deposition through precipitation (pH, sulfate (SO42-), and nitrate (NO3-)) in 43 field stations from 2009 to 2014 to explore the spatial patterns and the main influencing factors of acid deposition in Chinese agricultural and natural ecosystems. The results showed that the average precipitation pH at the 43 stations varied between 4.10 and 8.25 (average: 6.2) with nearly 20% of the observation sites being subjected to acid precipitation (pH < 5.6). The average deposition of SO42- and NO3- was 115.99 and 32.93 kg ha-1 yr-1, respectively. An apparent regional difference of acid deposition in Chinese agricultural and natural ecosystems was observed, which was most serious in south and central China and less serious in northwest China, Inner Mongolia, and Qinghai-Tibet. The level of economic development and amount of precipitation could explain most of the spatial variations of pH, SO42-, and NO3- depositions. It is anticipated that acid deposition might increase further, although the current level of acid deposition in these Chinese agricultural and natural ecosystems was found to be less serious than projected from urban/suburban data. The control of energy consumption should be strengthened in future to prevent an increase of acid deposition in China.

  16. Wet acid deposition of Chinese natural and agricultural ecosystems: Evidence from national-scale monitoring

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yu, H.; He, N.; Wang, Q.; Zhu, J.; Xu, L.; Zhu, Z.; Yu, G.

    2016-12-01

    Acid deposition in precipitation has received widespread attention. However, it is necessary to monitor the acid deposition in Chinese agricultural and natural ecosystems because data derived from traditional urban/suburban observations might overestimate it to some extent. In this study, we continuously measured the acid deposition through precipitation [pH, sulfate (SO42-), and nitrate (NO3-)] in 43 field stations from 2009 to 2014 to explore the spatial patterns of acid deposition in Chinese agricultural and natural ecosystems and to explore the main influencing factors. The results showed that the average precipitation pH at the 43 stations varied between 4.10 and 8.25 (average: 6.2) with nearly 20% of the observation sites being subjected to acid precipitation (pH < 5.6). The average deposition of SO42- and NO3- was 115.99 and 32.93 kg ha-1 yr-1, respectively. An apparent regional difference in acid deposition in Chinese agricultural and natural ecosystems was observed, which was most serious in South and Central China and less serious in North-west China, Inner Mongolia, and Qinghai-Tibet. The level of economic development and amount of precipitation could explain most of the spatial variations of pH and of SO42-, and NO3- depositions. It is anticipated that acid deposition might increase further, although the current level of acid deposition in these Chinese agricultural and natural ecosystems was found to be less serious than projected from urban/suburban data. The control of energy consumption should be strengthened in future to prevent an increase of acid deposition in China.

  17. Effect of sulphur dioxide on precipitation and on the sulphur content and acidity of soils in Alberta, Canada

    Treesearch

    M. Nyborg; J. Crepin; D. Hocking; J. Baker

    1976-01-01

    Rain and snow in Alberta are seldom acid. The S content of snow is so low that the snow pack gives a deposition of less than 1 kg S/ha, even downwind from large SO2 emission sources. Rainfall contributes at the most 4 kg S/ha yearly near SO2 sources, and only about 1 kg S/ha in clean areas. However, rain intercepted by...

  18. Anthropogenically driven changes in chloride complicate interpretation of base cation trends in lakes recovering from acidic deposition.

    PubMed

    Rosfjord, Catherine H; Webster, Katherine E; Kahl, Jeffrey S; Norton, Stephen A; Fernandez, Ivan J; Herlihy, Alan T

    2007-11-15

    Declines in Ca and Mg in low ANC lakes recovering from acidic deposition are widespread across the northern hemisphere. We report overall increases between 1984 and 2004 in the concentrations of Ca + Mg and Cl in lakes representing the statistical population of nearly 4000 low ANC lakes in the northeast U.S. Increases in Cl occurred in nearly all lakes in urbanized southern New England, but only 18% of lakes in more remote Maine had Cl increases. This spatial pattern implicates road salt application as the major source of the increased Cl salts. Among the 48% of the lake population classified as salt-affected, the median changes in Cl (+133 microeq/L) and Ca + Mg (+47 microeq/ L) were large and positive in direction over the 20 years. However, in the unaffected lakes, Cl remained stable and Ca + Mg decreased (-3 microeq/L), consistent with reported long-term trends in base cations of acid-sensitive lakes. This discrepancy between the Cl groups suggests that changes in ion exchange processes in salt-affected watersheds have altered the geochemical cycling of Ca and Mg. One policy-relevant implication is that waters influenced by Cl salts complicate regional assessments of surface water recovery from "acid rain" related to the passage of the Clean Air Act.

  19. Dust Rains Deliver Diverse Assemblages of Microorganisms to the Eastern Mediterranean

    PubMed Central

    Itani, Ghida Nouhad; Smith, Colin Andrew

    2016-01-01

    Dust rains may be particularly effective at delivering microorganisms, yet their biodiversities have been seldom examined. During 2011 and 2012 in Beirut, Lebanon, 16 of 21 collected rainfalls appeared dusty. Trajectory modelling of air mass origins was consistent with North African sources and at least one Southwest Asian source. As much as ~4 g particulate matter, ~20 μg DNA, and 50 million colony forming units were found deposited per square meter during rainfalls each lasting less than one day. Sequencing of 93 bacteria and 25 fungi cultured from rain samples revealed diverse bacterial phyla, both Gram positive and negative, and Ascomycota fungi. Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis of amplified 16S rDNA of 13 rains revealed distinct and diverse assemblages of bacteria. Dust rain 16S libraries yielded 131 sequences matching, in decreasing order of abundance, Betaproteobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Cyanobacteria, Epsilonproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, and Deltaproteobacteria. Clean rain 16S libraries yielded 33 sequences matching only Betaproteobacteria family Oxalobacteraceae. Microbial composition varied between dust rains, and more diverse and different microbes were found in dust rains than clean rains. These results show that dust rains deliver diverse communities of microorganisms that may be complex products of revived desert soil species and fertilized cloud species. PMID:26939571

  20. Dust Rains Deliver Diverse Assemblages of Microorganisms to the Eastern Mediterranean

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Itani, Ghida Nouhad; Smith, Colin Andrew

    2016-03-01

    Dust rains may be particularly effective at delivering microorganisms, yet their biodiversities have been seldom examined. During 2011 and 2012 in Beirut, Lebanon, 16 of 21 collected rainfalls appeared dusty. Trajectory modelling of air mass origins was consistent with North African sources and at least one Southwest Asian source. As much as ~4 g particulate matter, ~20 μg DNA, and 50 million colony forming units were found deposited per square meter during rainfalls each lasting less than one day. Sequencing of 93 bacteria and 25 fungi cultured from rain samples revealed diverse bacterial phyla, both Gram positive and negative, and Ascomycota fungi. Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis of amplified 16S rDNA of 13 rains revealed distinct and diverse assemblages of bacteria. Dust rain 16S libraries yielded 131 sequences matching, in decreasing order of abundance, Betaproteobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Cyanobacteria, Epsilonproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, and Deltaproteobacteria. Clean rain 16S libraries yielded 33 sequences matching only Betaproteobacteria family Oxalobacteraceae. Microbial composition varied between dust rains, and more diverse and different microbes were found in dust rains than clean rains. These results show that dust rains deliver diverse communities of microorganisms that may be complex products of revived desert soil species and fertilized cloud species.

  1. [Correlation between acidic materials and acid deposition in Beijing during 1997-2011].

    PubMed

    Chen, Yuan-yuan; Tian, He-zhong; Yang, Dong-yan; Zou, Ben-dong; Lu, Hai-feng; Lin, An-guo

    2013-05-01

    Based on the environment monitoring data and the ambient air quality data during the period of 1997-2011 from Beijing municipal environmental monitoring center, the correlations between primary pre-cursors of acid deposition, acidic materials and precipitation in Beijing area were analyzed in detail by taking economic development and energy mix into account. These results will be helpful for assessing the performance of environment quality improvement, as well as supplying scientific supporting information to make policies for national and local environment protection authorities. The main findings included as follows: there are significant correlations between the concentrations of NO2, NOx, and SO2 in the atmosphere, which indicated that both N and S in ambient air of Beijing came from fossil fuels combustion; acidic pollutants in the air are mainly discharged from local emission sources in Beijing, while there is no obvious correlation between S and N in wet deposition and concentrations of SO2, NO2 and NOx in the atmosphere, which demonstrated that concentrations of different ions in the acid deposition were influenced by both local sources as well as the inputs from other surrounding districts. Besides, the concentration of NO3- appeared to be correlative with the amount of motor vehicles, implying that the NOx from motor vehicles have contributed the increase of NO3- concentration of substantially.

  2. Acid deposition and water use efficiency in Appalachian forests

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Malcomb, J.

    2017-12-01

    Multiple studies have reported increases in forest water use efficiency in recent decades, but the drivers of these trends remain uncertain. While acid deposition has profoundly altered the biogeochemistry of Appalachian forests in the past century, its impacts on forest water use efficiency have been largely overlooked. Plant ecophysiology literature suggests that plants up-regulate transpiration in response to soil nutrient limitation in order to maintain sufficient mass flow of nutrients. To test the impacts of acid deposition on forest eco-hydrology in central Appalachia, we integrated dendrochronological techniques, including tree ring δ13C analysis, with catchment water balance data from the Fernow Experimental Forest in West Virginia. Tree cores from four species were collected in Fernow Watershed 3, which has received experimental ammonium sulfate additions since 1989, and Watershed 7, an adjacent control catchment. Initial results suggest that acidification treatments have not significantly influenced tree productivity compared to a control watershed, but the effect varies by species, with tulip poplar showing greatest sensitivity to acidification. Climatic water balance, defined as the difference between growing season precipitation and evapotranspiration, is significantly related to annual tree ring growth, suggesting that climate may be driving tree growth trends in chronically acidified Appalachian forests. Tree ring 13C analysis from Fernow cores is underway and these data will be integrated with catchment hydrology data from five other sites in central Appalachia and the U.S. Northeast, representing a range of forest types, soil base saturations, and acid deposition histories. This work will advance understanding of how climate and acid deposition interact to influence forest productivity and water use efficiency, and improve our ability to model carbon and water cycling in forested ecosystems impacted by acid deposition.

  3. The characteristics changes of pH and EC of atmospheric precipitation and analysis on the source of acid rain in the source area of the Yangtze River from 2010 to 2015

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zong-Jie, Li; Song, Ling-Ling; Jing-zhu, Ma; Li, Yong-ge

    2017-05-01

    Through the analysis of pH value, EC, precipitation and wind speed of 402 precipitation samples in the source region of the Yangtze River from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2015, especially for the analysis of the 14 acid rain events. The results showed that: the acid rain in the source region of the Yangtze River was mainly affected by the southwest monsoon and the westerly circulation. The occurrence of acid rain mainly controlled by industrial pollution and other pollutants coming from India and other surrounding areas. And the other cause was that because of the Qinghai Tibet highway and the Qinghai Tibet railway, there were a lot of cars coming and going. And there were people in the summer to plateau tourism increased year by year, and more for self-driving travelling. This added additional pollutants (automobile exhaust) for the source of the Yangtze River. During the period of sampling, the variation range of pH value was from 4.0 to 8.57, with the mean was 6.37. And the range of EC was from 5.2 to 124.4 μs/cm, the average was 27.59 μs/cm. The order of conductivity in the four seasons was Spring > Winter > Summer > Autumn. And the order of pH in four seasons was Summer > Spring = Winter > Autumn. The results are also helpful for further understanding the acid rain in the Tibetan Plateau and providing scientific basis for the effective prevention and control of acid rain.

  4. Air quality monitor and acid rain networks

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rudolph, H.

    1980-01-01

    The air quality monitor program which consists of two permanent air monitor stations (PAMS's) and four mobile shuttle pollutant air monitor stations (SPAMS's) is evaluated. The PAMS measures SO sub X, NO sub X particulates, CO, O3, and nonmethane hydrocarbons. The SPAMS measures O3, SO2, HCl, and particulates. The collection and analysis of data in the rain monitor program are discussed.

  5. Development and Implementation of a Simple, Engaging Acid Rain Neutralization Experiment and Corresponding Animated Instructional Video for Introductory Chemistry Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rand, Danielle; Yennie, Craig J.; Lynch, Patrick; Lowry, Gregory; Budarz, James; Zhu, Wenlei; Wang, Li-Qiong

    2016-01-01

    Here we describe an acid rain neutralization laboratory experiment and its corresponding instructional video. This experiment has been developed and implemented for use in the teaching laboratory of a large introductory chemistry course at Brown University. It provides a contextually relevant example to introduce beginner-level students with…

  6. Electric Utility Phase I Acid Rain Compliance Strategies for the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990

    EIA Publications

    1994-01-01

    The Acid Rain Program is divided into two time periods; Phase I, from 1995 through 1999, and Phase II, starting in 2000. Phase I mostly affects power plants that are the largest sources of SO2 and NOx . Phase II affects virtually all electric power producers, including utilities and nonutilities. This report is a study of the effects of compliance with Phase I regulations on the costs and operations of electric utilities, but does not address any Phase II impacts.

  7. Development of atmospheric acid deposition in China from the 1990s to the 2010s.

    PubMed

    Yu, Haili; He, Nianpeng; Wang, Qiufeng; Zhu, Jianxing; Gao, Yang; Zhang, Yunhai; Jia, Yanlong; Yu, Guirui

    2017-12-01

    Atmospheric acid deposition is a global environmental issue. China has been experiencing serious acid deposition, which is anticipated to become more severe with the country's economic development and increasing consumption of fossil fuels in recent decades. We explored the spatiotemporal variations of acid deposition (wet acid deposition) and its influencing factors by collecting nationwide data on pH and concentrations of sulfate (SO 4 2- ) and nitrate (NO 3 - ) in precipitation between 1980 and 2014 in China. Our results showed that average precipitation pH values were 4.59 and 4.70 in the 1990s and 2010s, respectively, suggesting that precipitation acid deposition in China has not seriously worsened. Average SO 4 2- deposition declined from 40.54 to 34.87 kg S ha -1 yr -1 but average NO 3 - deposition increased from 4.44 to 7.73 kg N ha -1 yr -1 . Specifically, the area of severe precipitation acid deposition in southern China has shrunk to some extent as a result of controlling the pollutant emissions; but the area of moderate precipitation acid deposition has expanded in northern China, associated with rapid industrial and transportation development. Furthermore, we found significant positive correlations between precipitation acid deposition, energy consumption, and rainfall. Our findings provide a relatively comprehensive evaluation of the spatiotemporal dynamics of precipitation acid deposition in China over past three decades, and confirm the idea that strategies implemented to save energy and control pollutant emissions in China have been effective in alleviating precipitation acid deposition. These findings might be used to demonstrate how developing countries could achieve economic development and environmental protection through the implementation of advanced technologies to reduce pollutant emissions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. National Acid Precipitation Assessment Program Report to Congress: An Integrated Assessment

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Uhart, M.; et al,

    2005-08-01

    Under Title IX of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments, Congress reauthorized the National Acid Precipitation Assessment Program (NAPAP) to continue coordinating acid rain research and monitoring, as it had done during the previous decade, and to provide Congress with periodic reports. In particular, Congress asked NAPAP to assess all available data and information to answer two questions: (1) What are the costs, benefits, and effectiveness of Title IV? This question addresses the costs and economic impacts of complying with the Acid Rain Program as well as benefit analyses associated with the various human health and welfare effects, including reducedmore » visibility, damages to materials and cultural resources, and effects on ecosystems. (2) What reductions in deposition rates are needed to prevent adverse ecological effects? This complex questions addresses ecological systems and the deposition levels at which they experience harmful effects. The results of the assessment of the effects of Title IV and of the relationship between acid deposition rates and ecological effects were to be reported to Congress quadrennially, beginning with the 1996 report to Congress. The objective of this Report is to address the two main questions posed by Congress and fully communicate the results of the assessment to decision-makers. Given the primary audience, most of this report is not written as a technical document, although information supporting the conclusions is provided along with references.« less

  9. Bolide impacts, acid rain, and biospheric traumas at the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Prinn, Ronald G.; Fegley, Bruce, Jr.

    1987-01-01

    Two plausible projectiles are considered: an ice-rich long-period comet and a much smaller rock-metal asteroid. In the framework of a proposal addressed by Lewis et al. (1982), it is shown that, while the impact projectiles themselves do not shock-heat the atmosphere very extensively, the supersonic plume of water vapor and rock produced on impact does shock the atmosphere up to global scales and the shock is of sufficient intensity to produce abundant nitric oxide. For example, an ice-rich long-period comet with a mass of 1.25 x 10 to the 16th kg and a velocity of 65 km/s striking the earth would produce about 7 x 10 to the 40th molecules NO through shock-heating of the atmosphere by the high-velocity ejecta plume fragments. Specific attention is given to the fraction of the atmosphere shock-heated, the global circulation of the nitrogen oxides, the effects of the ejecta plume water on acid rain (AR) predictions, the effects of AR on continental soils, the relationship between AR production rates and the total amount of acid needed to acidify the surface oceans, and the longevity of the oceanic acidity event and the exhaled CO2 event and their implications for the environment in the first millenia or so after the impact.

  10. Occult chemical deposition to a Maritime forest

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Vong, R.J.; Kowalski, A.S.

    1996-12-31

    Studies of chemical fluxes from the atmosphere to vegetated surfaces have suggested that, along with conventional wet and dry processes, an additional chemical input occurs when wind-blown cloud droplets are directly intercepted by vegetation. This cloud water deposition process has been sometimes termed {open_quote}occult deposition{close_quote} because the water fluxes cannot ordinarily be observed using rain gauges. Such occult deposition of cloud water has rarely been measured directly, in part because of the complexity of the governing turbulent transfer process. However, reviews by the National Acidic Precipitation Assessment Program (NAPAP SoS/T-2,6) have suggested that the chemical flux to be forest declinemore » in the eastern USA. This paper presents direct field measurements occult chemical fluxes to a silver fir forest located in complex terrain on the Olympic Peninsula near the coast of Washington State, USA.« less

  11. Declining acidic deposition begins reversal of forest-soil acidification in the northeastern U.S

    Treesearch

    Gregory B. Lawrence; Paul W. Hazlett; Ivan J. Fernandez; Rock Ouimet; Scott W. Bailey; Walter C. Shortle; Kevin T. Smith; Michael R. Antidormi

    2015-01-01

    Decreasing trends in acidic deposition levels over the past several decades have led to partial chemical recovery of surface waters. However, depletion of soil Ca from acidic deposition has slowed surface water recovery and led to the impairment of both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Nevertheless, documentation of acidic deposition effects on soils has been...

  12. Do Uric Acid Deposits in Zooxanthellae Function as Eye-Spots?

    PubMed Central

    Yamashita, Hiroshi; Kobiyama, Atsushi; Koike, Kazuhiko

    2009-01-01

    The symbiosis between zooxanthellae (dinoflagellate genus Symbiodinium) and corals is a fundamental basis of tropical marine ecosystems. However the physiological interactions of the hosts and symbionts are poorly understood. Recently, intracellular crystalline deposits in Symbiodinium were revealed to be uric acid functioning for nutrient storage. This is the first exploration of these enigmatic crystalline materials that had previously been misidentified as oxalic acid, providing new insights into the nutritional strategies of Symbiodinium in oligotrophic tropical waters. However, we believe these deposits also function as eye-spots on the basis of light and electron microscopic observations of motile cells of cultured Symbiodinium. The cells possessed crystalline deposit clusters in rows with each row 100–150 nm thick corresponding to 1/4 the wavelength of light and making them suitable for maximum wave interference and reflection of light. Crystalline clusters in cells observed with a light microscope strongly refracted and polarized light, and reflected or absorbed short wavelength light. The facts that purines, including uric acid, have been identified as the main constituents of light reflectors in many organisms, and that the photoreceptor protein, opsin, was detected in our Symbiodinium strain, support the idea that uric acid deposits in Symbiodinium motile cells may function as a component of an eye-spot. PMID:19609449

  13. Do uric acid deposits in zooxanthellae function as eye-spots?

    PubMed

    Yamashita, Hiroshi; Kobiyama, Atsushi; Koike, Kazuhiko

    2009-07-17

    The symbiosis between zooxanthellae (dinoflagellate genus Symbiodinium) and corals is a fundamental basis of tropical marine ecosystems. However the physiological interactions of the hosts and symbionts are poorly understood. Recently, intracellular crystalline deposits in Symbiodinium were revealed to be uric acid functioning for nutrient storage. This is the first exploration of these enigmatic crystalline materials that had previously been misidentified as oxalic acid, providing new insights into the nutritional strategies of Symbiodinium in oligotrophic tropical waters. However, we believe these deposits also function as eye-spots on the basis of light and electron microscopic observations of motile cells of cultured Symbiodinium. The cells possessed crystalline deposit clusters in rows with each row 100-150 nm thick corresponding to 1/4 the wavelength of light and making them suitable for maximum wave interference and reflection of light. Crystalline clusters in cells observed with a light microscope strongly refracted and polarized light, and reflected or absorbed short wavelength light. The facts that purines, including uric acid, have been identified as the main constituents of light reflectors in many organisms, and that the photoreceptor protein, opsin, was detected in our Symbiodinium strain, support the idea that uric acid deposits in Symbiodinium motile cells may function as a component of an eye-spot.

  14. The influence of an endomycorrhizal symbiosis on nitrogen movement through soil columns under regimes of artificial throughfall and artificial acid rain

    Treesearch

    Bruce Haines; George Ronnie Best

    1976-01-01

    The effect of artificial acid rain on nitrogen uptake by a fungus [Glomus mosseae (Nicol. & Gerd. ) Gerd. & Trappe] endomycorrhizal with roots of sweetgum tree seedlings (Liquidambar styraciflua L.) was investigated by applying 3 kinds of test solutions to the surfaces of soil profiles planted with five combinations of...

  15. Low-Latitude Ethane Rain on Titan

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dalba, Paul A.; Buratti, Bonnie J.; Brown, R. H.; Barnes, J. W.; Baines, K. H.; Sotin, C.; Clark, R. N.; Lawrence, K. J.; Nicholson, P. D.

    2012-01-01

    Cassini ISS observed multiple widespread changes in surface brightness in Titan's equatorial regions over the past three years. These brightness variations are attributed to rainfall from cloud systems that appear to form seasonally. Determining the composition of this rainfall is an important step in understanding the "methanological" cycle on Titan. I use data from Cassini VIMS to complete a spectroscopic investigation of multiple rain-wetted areas. I compute "before-and-after" spectral ratios of any areas that show either deposition or evaporation of rain. By comparing these spectral ratios to a model of liquid ethane, I find that the rain is most likely composed of liquid ethane. The spectrum of liquid ethane contains multiple absorption features that fall within the 2-micron and 5-micron spectral windows in Titan's atmosphere. I show that these features are visible in the spectra taken of Titan's surface and that they are characteristically different than those in the spectrum of liquid methane. Furthermore, just as ISS saw the surface brightness reverting to its original state after a period of time, I show that VIMS observations of later flybys show the surface composition in different stages of returning to its initial form.

  16. Effects of Acid Deposition on Wood

    Treesearch

    Mark Knaebe

    2013-01-01

    Since acid deposition increases the rate of deterioration of unpainted wood, it can also affect the performance of paint applied to this weathered wood. In tests conducted near Madison, Wisconsin, smooth-planed wood was allowed to weather before painting. Exposure for as little as 2 weeks shortened the service life of the subsequently applied paint. The paint bond was...

  17. Chronic and episodic acidification of Adirondack streams from acid rain in 2003-2005

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Lawrence, G.B.; Roy, K.M.; Baldigo, Barry P.; Simonin, H.A.; Capone, S.B.; Sutherland, J.W.; Nierzwicki-Bauer, S. A.; Boylen, C.W.

    2008-01-01

    Limited information is available on streams in the Adirondack region of New York, although streams are more prone to acidification than the more studied Adirondack lakes. A stream assessment was therefore undertaken in the Oswegatchie and Black River drainages; an area of 4585 km2 in the western part of the Adirondack region. Acidification was evaluated with the newly developed base-cation surplus (BCS) and the conventional acid-neutralizing capacity by Gran titration (ANCG). During the survey when stream water was most acidic (March 2004), 105 of 188 streams (56%) were acidified based on the criterion of BCS < 0 ??eq L-1, whereas 29% were acidified based on an ANCG value < 0 ??eq L-1. During the survey when stream water was least acidic (August 2003), 15 of 129 streams (12%) were acidified based on the criterion of BCS < 0 ??eq L-1, whereas 5% were acidified based on ANCG value < 0 ??eq L -1. The contribution of acidic deposition to stream acidification was greater than that of strongly acidic organic acids in each of the surveys by factors ranging from approximately 2 to 5, but was greatest during spring snowmelt and least during elevated base flow in August. During snowmelt, the percentage attributable to acidic deposition was 81%, whereas during the October 2003 survey, when dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations were highest, this percentage was 66%. The total length of stream reaches estimated to be prone to acidification was 718 km out of a total of 1237 km of stream reaches that were assessed. Copyright ?? 2008 by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America. All rights reserved.

  18. Critical loads of atmospheric deposition to Adirondack lake watersheds: A guide for policymakers

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Burns, Douglas A.; Sullivan, Timothy J.

    2015-01-01

    Acid deposition is sometimes referred to as “acid rain,” although part of the acid load reaches the surface by means other than rainfall. In the eastern U.S., acid deposition consists of several forms of sulfur and nitrogen that largely originate as emissions to the atmosphere from sources such as electricity-generating facilities (coal, oil, and natural gas), diesel- and gasoline-burning vehicles, some agricultural activities, and smokestack industries. Acid deposition is known to cause deleterious effects to sensitive ecosystems of which the Adirondack region of New York State provides several well-known and well-studied examples. This largely forested region includes abundant lakes, streams, and wetlands and possesses several landscape features that result in high ecosystem sensitivity to acid deposition. These features include bedrock that weathers slowly, steep slopes, and thin, naturally acidic soils. An ecosystem is described as sensitive to, or affected by, acid deposition if prolonged exposure to acid deposition has resulted in detrimental ecosystem effects. Soils, streams, and lakes that are less sensitive are better able to buffer acid deposition. A principal reason that acidification is a concern for resource managers is because of the changes induced in native biota and their habitat on land and in water. As the chemistry of soils and surface waters in sensitive landscapes changes in response to prolonged exposure to acid deposition, organisms that cannot tolerate high acidity, such as sugar maple trees and many species of fish and aquatic insects, may be gradually eliminated from the ecosystem. Other biota such as red spruce may experience increased stress and reduced growth rates as a result of acidification, exposing these species to increased susceptibility to disease and other natural stressors and perhaps increased mortality. The ecological effects of acid deposition have been documented by extensive research that began in the U.S. in the

  19. Phenolic acids as bioindicators of fly ash deposit revegetation

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    L. Djurdjevic; M. Mitrovic; P. Pavlovic

    The floristic composition, the abundance, and the cover of pioneer plant species of spontaneously formed plant communities and the content of total phenolics and phenolic acids, as humus constituents, of an ash deposit after 7 years of recultivation were studied. The restoration of both the soil and the vegetation on the ash deposits of the 'Nikola Tesla-A' thermoelectric power plant in Obrenovac (Serbia) is an extremely slow process. Unfavorable physical and chemical characteristics, the toxicity of fly ash, and extreme microclimatic conditions prevented the development of compact plant cover. The abundance and cover of plants increased from the central partmore » of the deposit towards its edges. Festuca rubra L., Crepis setosa Hall., Erigeron canadensis L., Cirsium arvense (L.) Scop., Calamagrostis epigeios (L.) Roth., and Tamarix gallica L. were the most abundant species, thus giving the highest cover. Humus generated during the decomposition process of plant remains represents a completely new product absent in the ash as the starting material. The amount of total phenolics and phenolic acids in fly ash increased from the center of the deposit towards its edges in correlation with the increase in plant abundance and cover. The presence of phenolic acids indicates the ongoing process of humus formation in the ash, in which the most abundant pioneer plants of spontaneously formed plant communities play the main role. Phenolic compounds can serve as reliable bioindicators in an assessment of the success of the recultivation process of thermoelectric power plants' ash deposits.« less

  20. HCl in rocket exhaust clouds - Atmospheric dispersion, acid aerosol characteristics, and acid rain deposition

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Pellett, G. L.; Sebacher, D. I.; Bendura, R. J.; Wornom, D. E.

    1983-01-01

    Both measurements and model calculations of the temporal dispersion of peak HCl (g + aq) concentration in Titan III exhaust clouds are found to be well characterized by one-term power-law decay expressions. The respective coefficients and decay exponents, however, are found to vary widely with meteorology. The HCl (g), HCl (g + aq), dewpoint, and temperature-pressure-altitude data for Titan III exhaust clouds are consistent with accurately calculated HCl/H2O vapor-liquid compositions for a model quasi-equilibrated flat surface aqueous aerosol. Some cloud evolution characteristics are also defined. Rapid and extensive condensation of aqueous acid clearly occurs during the first three min of cloud rise. Condensation is found to be intensified by the initial entrainment of relatively moist ambient air from lower levels, that is, from levels below eventual cloud stabilization. It is pointed out that if subsequent dilution air at stabilization altitude is significantly drier, a state of maximum condensation soon occurs, followed by an aerosol evaporation phase.

  1. Pinonaldehyde and some other organics in rain and snow in central Japan.

    PubMed

    Satsumabayashi, H; Nishizawa, H; Yokouchi, Y; Ueda, H

    2001-11-01

    Solvent-extractable organic compounds in the rain and snow collected at local cities in the mountainous region in central Japan, were analyzed by GC/MS and GC. Pinonaldehyde (2,2-dimethyl-3-acetyl-cyclobutyl-ethanal), an atmospheric reaction product of alpha-pinene, was detected in the rain and snow for the first time, and n-alkanes (C17-C33), fatty acids (C8-C23), and benzoic acid were also detected as major organic components. Concentrations of pinonaldehyde, C17-C33 n-alkanes, C8-C11 fatty acids, C12-C23 fatty acids and benzoic acid ranged between <0.02-13, 0.10-35, 0.55-5.7, 4.2-19 and <0.02-6.0 microg/l, respectively. Their composition showed some difference in summer and winter. In summer, fatty acids and benzoic acid were more abundant, while pinonaldehyde and n-alkanes were much less. Higher photochemical reactivity and higher bioactivity in summer could explain these seasonal changes except for pinonaldehyde, which would suffer from further oxidation in the atmosphere after its photochemical production from alpha-pinene. Predominance of pinonaldehyde and C12-C23 fatty acids in the rain and snow showed a remarkable contrast to n-alkanes in aerosol phase, which were the most abundant components. It indicated that oxygenated products from biogenic compounds might be important as cloud condensation nuclei in forest areas.

  2. Can salt on an optical rain gauge lens affect performance?

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bliven, Larry F.

    1994-01-01

    The optical rain gauge (ORG) by ScTI is designed to be tolerant to reduction of infrared beam intensity due to a dirty lens. Recently there is interest in long term use of optical gauges onboard buoys at sea. Because of logistics, these systems are serviced infrequently, i.e., every several months. Due to the proximity of the gauges to the sea surface, salt can be expected to be deposited on the lens. To obtain an indication of the potential for dirty lens to affect the ORG calibration, two simple experiments were conducted. In the control experiment, a sample ORG was compared to three other ORG's during natural rain events. Next a translucent mask was placed on the transmitter lens of the sample ORG and again data were collected under natural rain conditions. The mask reduced the gain of the perturbed ORG by about 30%. The perturbed ORG operated rather well in that the mask only causes a change in the gain and does not cause data drop out at low rain rates. However, the reduced gain would seriously impact an assessment of rain statistics.

  3. Differences between nipher and slter shielded rain gages at two Colorado deposition monitoring sites

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Bigelow, David S.; Denning, A. Scott

    1990-01-01

    In the last decade the United States and Canada have made significant progress in establishing spatial ad temporal estimates of atmospheric deposition throughout North America. Fundamental to the wet-deposition portion of these estimates is the accurate and precise measurement of precipitation amount. Goodison and others (I-3) have reported on a new type of shielded snow gage known as the Canadian MSC Nipher shielded snow gage. Because this shielded snow gage has been shown to be superior to other precipitation gages for the estimation of snowfall amount, its design was adapted to the Universal Belfort precipitation gage (4), the dominant precipitation gage used at deposition monitoring sites in the United States. Favorable results taken from monitoring sites using this modified Nipher shielded snow gage (3-6) have prompted the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Electric Power Research Institute to adopt the Nipher shielded Belfort gage as a standard piece of equipment in the Acid MODES and Operational Evaluation Network (OEN) monitoring programs and to propose that is be included as a standard snow gage in other North American deposition monitoring programs. This communication details preliminary results from two of nine NADP/NTN deposition monitoring sites selected by the Environmental Protection Agency to compare Nipher shielded Belfort precipitation gage volumes to volumes obtained from the standard Belfort gage used in the NADP/NTN monitoring program.

  4. RESULTS FROM THE MOUNTAIN ACID DEPOSITION PROGRAM

    EPA Science Inventory

    The Mountain Acid Deposition Program (MADPro) was initiated in 1993 as part of the research necessary to support the objectives of the Clean Air Status and Trends Network (CASTNet), which was created to address the. requirements of the Clean Air Act Amendments (CAAA). The main ob...

  5. A Three-Tier Diagnostic Test to Assess Pre-Service Teachers' Misconceptions about Global Warming, Greenhouse Effect, Ozone Layer Depletion, and Acid Rain

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Arslan, Harika Ozge; Cigdemoglu, Ceyhan; Moseley, Christine

    2012-01-01

    This study describes the development and validation of a three-tier multiple-choice diagnostic test, the atmosphere-related environmental problems diagnostic test (AREPDiT), to reveal common misconceptions of global warming (GW), greenhouse effect (GE), ozone layer depletion (OLD), and acid rain (AR). The development of a two-tier diagnostic test…

  6. Deposition and rainwater concentrations of trifluoroacetic acid in the United States from the use of HFO-1234yf

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kazil, J.; McKeen, S.; Kim, S.-W.; Ahmadov, R.; Grell, G. A.; Talukdar, R. K.; Ravishankara, A. R.

    2014-12-01

    Currently, HFC-134a (1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane) is the most common refrigerant in automobile air conditioners. This high global warming potential substance (100 year GWP of 1370) will likely be phased out and replaced with HFO-1234yf (2,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene) that has a 100 year GWP of 4. HFO-1234yf will be oxidized to produce trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) in clouds. TFA, a mildly toxic substance with detrimental effects on some aquatic organisms at high concentrations (≥100μgL-1), would be transported by rain to the surface and enter bodies of water. We investigated the dry and wet deposition of TFA from HFO-1234yf over the contiguous USA using the Advanced Research Weather Research and Forecasting model (ARW) with interactive chemical, aerosol, and cloud processes (WRF/Chem) model. Special focus was placed on emissions from three continental USA regions with different meteorological characteristics. WRF/Chem simulated meteorology, cloud processes, gas and aqueous phase chemistry, and dry and wet deposition between May and September 2006. The model reproduced well the multimonth total sulfate wet deposition (4% bias) and its spatial variability (r = 0.86) observed by the National Atmospheric Deposition Program. HFO-1234yf emissions were obtained by assuming the number of automobile air conditioners to remain unchanged, and substituting HFO-1234yf, mole-per-mole for HFC-134a. Our estimates of current HFC-134a emissions were in agreement with field data. Average TFA rainwater concentration was 0.89μgL-1, with peak values of 7.8μgL-1, for the May-September 2006 period over the contiguous USA. TFA rainwater concentrations over the dry western USA were often significantly higher, but wet-deposited TFA amounts remained relatively low at such locations.

  7. The effects of acid deposition on sulfate reduction and methane production in peatlands

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Murray, Georgia L.; Hines, Mark E.; Bayley, Suzanne E.

    1992-01-01

    Peatlands, as fens and bods, make up a large percentage of northern latitude terrestrial environments. They are organic rich and support an active community of anaerobic bacteria, such as methanogenic and sulfate-reducing bacteria. The end products of these microbial activities, methane and hydrogen sulfide, are important components in the global biogeochemical cycles of carbon and sulfur. Since these two bacterial groups compete for nutritional substrates, increases in sulfate deposition due to acid rain potentially can disrupt the balance between these processes leading to a decrease in methane production and emission. This is significant because methane is a potent greenhouse gas that effects the global heat balance. A section of Mire 239 in the Experimental Lakes Area, in Northwestern Ontario, was artificially acidified and rates of sulfate reduction and methane production were measured with depth. Preliminary results suggested that methane production was not affected immediately after acidification. However, concentrations of dissolved methane decreased and dissolved sulfide increased greatly after acidification and both took several days to recover. The exact mechanism for the decrease in methane was not determined. Analyses are under way which will be used to determine rates of sulfate reduction. These results will be available by Spring and will be discussed.

  8. Evaluation of TRMM Ground-Validation Radar-Rain Errors Using Rain Gauge Measurements

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wang, Jianxin; Wolff, David B.

    2009-01-01

    Ground-validation (GV) radar-rain products are often utilized for validation of the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) spaced-based rain estimates, and hence, quantitative evaluation of the GV radar-rain product error characteristics is vital. This study uses quality-controlled gauge data to compare with TRMM GV radar rain rates in an effort to provide such error characteristics. The results show that significant differences of concurrent radar-gauge rain rates exist at various time scales ranging from 5 min to 1 day, despite lower overall long-term bias. However, the differences between the radar area-averaged rain rates and gauge point rain rates cannot be explained as due to radar error only. The error variance separation method is adapted to partition the variance of radar-gauge differences into the gauge area-point error variance and radar rain estimation error variance. The results provide relatively reliable quantitative uncertainty evaluation of TRMM GV radar rain estimates at various times scales, and are helpful to better understand the differences between measured radar and gauge rain rates. It is envisaged that this study will contribute to better utilization of GV radar rain products to validate versatile spaced-based rain estimates from TRMM, as well as the proposed Global Precipitation Measurement, and other satellites.

  9. Atmospheric Deposition and Surface-Water Chemistry in Mount Rainier and North Cascades National Parks, U.S.A., Water Years 2000 and 2005-2006

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Clow, David W.; Campbell, Donald H.

    2008-01-01

    High-elevation aquatic ecosystems in Mount Rainier and North Cascades National Parks are highly sensitive to atmospheric deposition of nitrogen and sulfur. Thin, rocky soils promote fast hydrologic flushing rates during snowmelt and rain events, limiting the ability of basins to neutralize acidity and assimilate nitrogen deposited from the atmosphere. Potential effects of nitrogen and sulfur deposition include episodic or chronic acidification of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. In addition, nitrogen deposition can cause eutrophication of water bodies and changes in species composition in lakes and streams. This report documents results of a study performed by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the National Park Service, of the effects of atmospheric deposition of nitrogen and sulfur on surface-water chemistry in Mount Rainier and North Cascades National Parks. Inorganic nitrogen in wet deposition was highest in the vicinity of North Cascades National Park, perhaps due to emissions from human sources and activities in the Puget Sound area. Sulfur in wet deposition was highest near the Pacific coast, reflecting the influence of marine aerosols. Dry deposition generally accounted for less than 30 percent of wet plus dry inorganic nitrogen and sulfur deposition, but occult deposition (primarily fog) represents a potentially substantial unmeasured component of total deposition. Trend analyses indicate inorganic nitrogen in wet deposition was relatively stable during 1986-2005, but sulfur in wet deposition declined substantially during that time, particularly after 2001, when emissions controls were added to a large powerplant in western Washington. Surface-water sulfate concentrations at the study site nearest the powerplant showed a statistically significant decrease between 2000 and 2005-06, but there was no statistically significant change in alkalinity, indicating a delayed response in surface-water alkalinity. Seasonal patterns in surface

  10. A Combined Proteomic and Transcriptomic Analysis on Sulfur Metabolism Pathways of Arabidopsis thaliana under Simulated Acid Rain

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Wenhua; Simon, Martin; Wu, Feihua; Hu, Wenjun; Chen, Juan B.; Zheng, Hailei

    2014-01-01

    With rapid economic development, most regions in southern China have suffered acid rain (AR) pollution. In our study, we analyzed the changes in sulfur metabolism in Arabidopsis under simulated AR stress which provide one of the first case studies, in which the systematic responses in sulfur metabolism were characterized by high-throughput methods at different levels including proteomic, genomic and physiological approaches. Generally, we found that all of the processes related to sulfur metabolism responded to AR stress, including sulfur uptake, activation and also synthesis of sulfur-containing amino acid and other secondary metabolites. Finally, we provided a catalogue of the detected sulfur metabolic changes and reconstructed the coordinating network of their mutual influences. This study can help us to understand the mechanisms of plants to adapt to AR stress. PMID:24595051

  11. Effects of simulated acid rain on soil respiration and its components in a subtropical mixed conifer and broadleaf forest in southern China.

    PubMed

    Liang, Guohua; Hui, Dafeng; Wu, Xiaoying; Wu, Jianping; Liu, Juxiu; Zhou, Guoyi; Zhang, Deqiang

    2016-02-01

    Soil respiration is a major pathway in the global carbon cycle and its response to environmental changes is an increasing concern. Here we explored how total soil respiration (RT) and its components respond to elevated acid rain in a mixed conifer and broadleaf forest, one of the major forest types in southern China. RT was measured twice a month in the first year under four treatment levels of simulated acid rain (SAR: CK, the local lake water, pH 4.7; T1, water pH 4.0; T2, water pH 3.25; and T3, water pH 2.5), and in the second year, RT, litter-free soil respiration (RS), and litter respiration (RL) were measured simultaneously. The results indicated that the mean rate of RT was 2.84 ± 0.20 μmol CO2 m(-2) s(-1) in the CK plots, and RS and RL contributed 60.7% and 39.3% to RT, respectively. SAR marginally reduced (P = 0.08) RT in the first year, but significantly reduced RT and its two components in the second year (P < 0.05). The negative effects were correlated with the decrease in soil microbial biomass and fine root biomass due to soil acidification under the SAR. The temperature coefficients (Q10) of RT and its two components generally decreased with increasing levels of the SAR, but only the decrease of RT and RL was significant (P < 0.05). In addition, the contribution of RL to RT decreased significantly under the SAR, indicating that RL was more sensitive to the SAR than RS. In the context of elevated acid rain, the decline trend of RT in the forests in southern China appears to be attributable to the decline of soil respiration in the litter layer.

  12. Deposition of acidifying species in the Waterberg region of South Africa and the potential for stream chemistry impacts

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Piketh, S.; Curtis, C.; Pienaar, K.; Khuzwayo, L.; van Zyl, P. G.; Conradie, E.

    2016-12-01

    South Africa is rich in natural resources that include large deposits of coal. As a result more than 90% of the energy in the country is generated by 13 coal fired power stations located on the Highveld region. Over the past 7 years South Africa has experienced severe power shortages which has resulted in the approval of two new mega coal fired power stations each with a 4800 Mw generating capacity. One of these power stations is at Lephalale in the Waterberg. This region is largely dominated by a natural to semi-natural landscape, but some areas have acid sensitive sub-soils (pH < 5.5) rendering their headwater streams vulnerable to acidification. There are only three other important sources of emissions close to Lephalale, a second coal fired power station, a char plant and domestic coal combustion. In an attempt to determine baseline conditions of air pollution, deposition and stream chemistry impacts prior to the commissioning of the new PS the following measurements have been undertaken, ambient concentrations of SO2, NOx, NH3 and O3 (at seven sites since 2010), rain water chemistry ( at one site for 2015 and 2016) and headwater stream vulnerability (2015 and 2016). Concentrations of sodium (Na+), ammonium (NH4+), potassium (K+), calcium (Ca2+), magnesium (Mg2+), nitrate 21 (NO3-), chloride (Cl-), sulphate (SO42-) in the rain water will be presented and compared to other long term sites around South Africa. Total deposition of S and N will in the Lephalale region will be presented. At least 30 acid-sensitive headwater streams, many with low pH <6 and low acid neutralizing capacity that are extremely sensitive to acid deposition inputs have been identified. Future deposition in the area of acidifying species will be modelled by including emissions from the new Power station and estimates of the potential impact will be assessed.

  13. Acidic deposition, cation mobilization, and biochemical indicators of stress in healthy red spruce

    Treesearch

    Walter C. Shortle; Kevin T. Smith; Rakesh Minocha; Gregory B. Lawrence; Mark B. David

    1997-01-01

    Dendrochemical and biochemical markers link stress in apparently healthy red spruce trees (Picea rubens) to acidic deposition. Acidic deposition to spruce forests of the northeastern USA increased sharply during the 1960s. Previous reports related visible damage of trees at high elevations to root and soil processes. In this report, dendrochemical...

  14. Scientists Puzzle Over Acid Rain

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chemical and Engineering News, 1975

    1975-01-01

    Reports on a growing concern over increased acidity in atmospheric percipitation. Explores possible causes of the increased acidity, identifies chemical components of precipitation in various parts of the world, and presents environmental changes that might be attributed to the acidity. (GS)

  15. Growth response and drought susceptibility of red spruce seedlings exposed to simulated acidic rain and ozone

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Lee, W.S.; Chevone, B.I.; Seiler, J.R.

    1988-01-01

    Red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) is a long-lived, shade-tolerant tree that is commonly present in the cool, moist climates at high elevations of the Appalachian Mountains. Recently, an accelerated decline of red spruce has been reported in the northern Appalachians in the Green Mountains on Camels Hump, Vermont and on Whiteface Mountain in New York as well as in the mid and southern Appalachians. Even though many possible causes of this decline have been suggested, none have been established conclusively at present. High acid inputs and elevated concentrations of heavy metals, in addition to ozone stress, have been strongly suspectedmore » as contributing factors for the decline. The objectives of this research is to investigate the efforts of simulated acidic rain and ozone on growth and drought susceptibility of red spruce seedlings by measuring biomass, foliar nutrient status, root hydraulic conductivity, and gas exchange rates.« less

  16. 40 CFR 72.66 - Public comments.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... REGULATION Federal Acid Rain Permit Issuance Procedures § 72.66 Public comments. (a) General. During the..., if any, to owners and operators of any unit covered by the Acid Rain permit application. (c) Contents...) The environmental effects of acid rain, acid deposition, sulfur dioxide, or nitrogen oxides generally...

  17. 40 CFR 72.66 - Public comments.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... REGULATION Federal Acid Rain Permit Issuance Procedures § 72.66 Public comments. (a) General. During the..., if any, to owners and operators of any unit covered by the Acid Rain permit application. (c) Contents...) The environmental effects of acid rain, acid deposition, sulfur dioxide, or nitrogen oxides generally...

  18. 40 CFR 72.66 - Public comments.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... REGULATION Federal Acid Rain Permit Issuance Procedures § 72.66 Public comments. (a) General. During the..., if any, to owners and operators of any unit covered by the Acid Rain permit application. (c) Contents...) The environmental effects of acid rain, acid deposition, sulfur dioxide, or nitrogen oxides generally...

  19. 40 CFR 72.66 - Public comments.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... REGULATION Federal Acid Rain Permit Issuance Procedures § 72.66 Public comments. (a) General. During the..., if any, to owners and operators of any unit covered by the Acid Rain permit application. (c) Contents...) The environmental effects of acid rain, acid deposition, sulfur dioxide, or nitrogen oxides generally...

  20. 40 CFR 72.66 - Public comments.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... REGULATION Federal Acid Rain Permit Issuance Procedures § 72.66 Public comments. (a) General. During the..., if any, to owners and operators of any unit covered by the Acid Rain permit application. (c) Contents...) The environmental effects of acid rain, acid deposition, sulfur dioxide, or nitrogen oxides generally...

  1. An evaluation of rain chemistry data for the John F. Kennedy Space Center, Florida and the University of Central Florida, Orlando

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Madsen, Brooks C.; Dreschel, Thomas W.; Hinkle, C. Ross

    1986-01-01

    Concern over the effects of Space Shuttle launches prompted the initiation of a rather intense environmental monitoring program. The program included a precipitation monitoring network with 13 precipitation collection sites which were operated for various time periods to baseline precipitation chemistry at the John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC). One additional site was also established as a remote background site on the Univ. of Central Florida (UCF) campus. One of the 13 sites was converted to a National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP) station. Collections and analyses of samples were performed using a number of methodologies during the monitoring period. An evaluation of the data for comparability and utility for acid rain research was performed using the anion/cation, measured conductivity, calculated conductivity, Cl/Na, and Mg/Na ratios. Data collected at all KSC sites between 1977 and 1981, from 1983 to 1985 at the NADP site and at UCF to 1985 are comparable and appropriate for determining acid rain trends. Examination of those comparable data showed a fairly stable pH between 1977 and 1982 and an increase of 0.2 pH units which was observed as an incremental increase between 1982 and 1983 at KSC and UCF.

  2. Mercury Wet Scavenging and Deposition Differences by Precipitation Type.

    PubMed

    Kaulfus, Aaron S; Nair, Udaysankar; Holmes, Christopher D; Landing, William M

    2017-03-07

    We analyze the effect of precipitation type on mercury wet deposition using a new database of individual rain events spanning the contiguous United States. Measurements from the Mercury Deposition Network (MDN) containing single rainfall events were identified and classified into six precipitation types. Mercury concentrations in surface precipitation follow a power law of precipitation depth that is modulated by precipitation system morphology. After controlling for precipitation depth, the highest mercury deposition occurs in supercell thunderstorms, with decreasing deposition in disorganized thunderstorms, quasi-linear convective systems (QLCS), extratropical cyclones, light rain, and land-falling tropical cyclones. Convective morphologies (supercells, disorganized, and QLCS) enhance wet deposition by a factor of at least 1.6 relative to nonconvective morphologies. Mercury wet deposition also varies by geographic region and season. After controlling for other factors, we find that mercury wet deposition is greater over high-elevation sites, seasonally during summer, and in convective precipitation.

  3. Effects of acid deposition on ecosystems: Advances in the state of the science

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Burns, Douglas A.; Fenn, Mark E.; Baron, Jill S.

    2011-01-01

    Chapter 2 focused on the environmental results of the ARP, presenting data from national monitoring networks on SO2 and NOx emissions, air quality, atmospheric deposition, surface water chemistry, and visibility. This chapter expands on this information by examining the most recent research into how ecosystems respond to acid deposition, especially the processes that control the recovery of ecosystems as acid deposition decreases. In Chapter 2, two general trends were discussed regarding the current recovery status of affected ecosystems: (1) these ecosystems are trending generally towards recovery, but improvements in ecosystem condition shown by surface water chemistry monitoring data thus far have been less than the improvements in deposition; and (2) ecosystem impacts and trends vary widely by geographic region, but the evidence of improvement is strongest and most evident in the Northeast. These trends are not uniform across the United States, however, and in some regions (e.g., central Appalachian Mountain region), trends in improved water quality are generally not evident. Despite the strong link in many areas between reduced emissions and reduced acidity of atmospheric deposition, the link is less clear between reduced acidity and recovery of the biological communities that live in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems that have experienced deleterious effects from acid deposition. The recovery of these communities is proceeding at a slower pace than, for example, the improvements in stream and lake ANC would indicate. The goal of this chapter is to synthesize the science in a weightof-evidence manner to provide policy makers with tangible evidence and likely causative factors regarding ecosystem status and recovery patterns to date. This chapter serves as an update to the 2005 NAPAP RTC (NSTC, 2005), with an emphasis on scientific studies and monitoring since 2003, which was the last year for consideration of research results in the 2005 report. Several

  4. Effects of acidic precipitation on host-parasite interactions

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Shriner, D.S.

    1974-01-01

    During the past decade, the average acidity of rain and snow increased by 1-2 pH units in many parts of Europe and North America. Little is known of the effects of acid rain resulting from dissolution of sulfur dioxide on biological systems. The effects of simulated sulfuric acid rain on four host-pathogen system were studied. Plants were exposed in greenhouse and field to simulated rain of pH 3.2 or pH 6.0 in amounts and intervals common to weather patterns of the eastern United States. Simulated acid rain resulted in: (1) an 86% inhibition in telia production of Cronartium fusiforme onmore » willow oak (Quercus phellos); (2) a 66% inhibition in the production of root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne hapla) on field grown kidney beans (Phaseolus vulgaris Red Kidney); (3) a 20% decrease in the severity of Uromyces phaseoli infection of field grown kidney beans; and (4) either stimulated or inhibited development of halo blight on kidney bean (caused by Pseudomonas phaseolicola) depending upon the segment of the disease cycle in which the stress occurred: (a) simulated acid rain before inoculation stimulated disease development; (b) suspension of inoculum in acid rain decreased inoculum potential; and (c) acid rain after infection inhibited disease development. Results suggest that the pH of rain is a new environmental parameter of concern to plant pathologists.« less

  5. Assessing acid rain and climate effects on the temporal variation of dissolved organic matter in the unsaturated zone of a karstic system from southern China

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liao, Jin; Hu, Chaoyong; Wang, Miao; Li, Xiuli; Ruan, Jiaoyang; Zhu, Ying; Fairchild, Ian J.; Hartland, Adam

    2018-01-01

    Acid rain has the potential to significantly impact the quantity and quality of dissolved organic matter (DOM) leached from soil to groundwater. Yet, to date, the effects of acid rain have not been investigated in karstic systems, which are expected to strongly buffer the pH of atmospheric rainfall. This study presents a nine-year DOM fluorescence dataset from a karst unsaturated zone collected from two drip sites (HS4, HS6) in Heshang Cave, southern China between 2005 and 2014. Cross-correlograms show that fluorescence intensity of both dripwaters lagged behind rainfall by ∼1 year (∼11 months lag for HS4, and ∼13 months for HS6), whereas drip rates responded quite quickly to rainfall (0 months lag for HS4, and ∼3 months for HS6), based on optimal correlation coefficients. The rapid response of drip rates to rainfall is related to the change of reservoir head pressure in summer, associated with higher rainfall. In winter, low rainfall has a limited effect on head pressure, and drip rates gradually slow to a constant value associated with base flow from the overlying reservoir- this effect being most evident on inter-annual timescales (R2 = 0.80 for HS4 and R2 = 0.86 for HS6, n = 9, p < 0.01). We ascribed the ∼1 year lag of fluorescence intensity to the effect of the soil moisture deficit and the karst process on delaying water and solute transport. After eliminating the one year lag, the congruent seasonal pacing and amplitude between fluorescence intensity and rainfall observed suggests that the seasonality of fluorescence intensity was mainly controlled by the monsoonal rains which can govern the output of DOM from the soil, as well as the residence time of water in the unsaturated zone. On inter-annual timescales, a robust linear relationship between fluorescence intensity and annual (effective) precipitation amount (R2 = 0.86 for HS4 and R2 = 0.77 for HS6, n = 9, p < 0.01) was identified, implying that annual (effective) precipitation is the main

  6. Descriptive risk assessment of the effects of acidic deposition on Rocky Mountain amphibians

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Corn, Paul Stephen; Vertucci, Frank A.

    1992-01-01

    We evaluated the risk of habitat acidification to the six species of amphibians that occur in the mountains of Colorado and Wyoming. Our evaluation included extrinsic environmental factors (habitat sensitivity and amount of acidic atmospheric deposition) and species-specific intrinsic factors (sensitivity to acid conditions, habitat preferences, and timing of breeding). Only one of 57 surveyed localities had both acid neutralizing capacity μeq/L and sulfate deposition >10 kg/ha/yr, extrinsic conditions with a possible risk of acidification. Amphibian breeding habitats in the Rocky Mountains do not appear to be sufficiently acidic to kill amphibian embryos. Some species breed in high-elevation vernal pools during snowmelt, and an acidic pulse during snowmelt may pose a risk to embryos of these species. However, the acidic pulse, if present, probably occurs before open water appears and before breeding begins. Although inherent variability of amphibian population size may make detection of declines from anthropogenic effects difficult, acidic deposition is unlikely to have caused the observed declines of Bufo boreas and Rana pipiens in Colorado and Wyoming. Amphibians in the Rocky Mountains are not likely to be at risk with acidification inputs at present levels.

  7. Basal area growth of sugar maple in relation to acid deposition, stand health, and soil nutrients.

    PubMed

    Duchesne, Louis; Ouimet, Rock; Houle, Daniel

    2002-01-01

    Previous studies have shown in noncalcareous soils that acid deposition may have increased soil leaching of basic cations above the input rate from soil weathering and atmospheric depositions. This phenomenon may have increased soil acidity levels, and, as a consequence, may have reduced the availability of these essential nutrients for forest growth. Fourteen plots of the Forest Ecosystem Research and Monitoring Network in Québec were used to examine the relation between post-industrial growth trends of sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) and acid deposition (N and S), stand decline rate, and soil exchangeable nutrient concentrations. Atmospheric N and S deposition and soil exchangeable acidity were positively associated with stand decline rate, and negatively with the average tree basal area increment trend. The growth rate reduction reached on average 17% in declining stands compared with healthy ones. The results showed a significant sugar maple growth rate reduction since 1960 on acid soils. The appearance of the forest decline phenomenon in Québec can be attributed, at least partially, to soil acidification and acid deposition levels.

  8. Rain-Shelter Cultivation Modifies Carbon Allocation in the Polyphenolic and Volatile Metabolism of Vitis vinifera L. Chardonnay Grapes.

    PubMed

    Gao, Yuan; Li, Xiao-Xi; Han, Mei-Mei; Yang, Xiao-Fan; Li, Zheng; Wang, Jun; Pan, Qiu-Hong

    2016-01-01

    This study investigated the effect of rain-shelter cultivation on the biosynthesis of flavonoids and volatiles in grapes, with an aim of determining whether rain-shelter application could help to improve the sensory attributes and quality of grapes. Vitis vinifera L. Chardonnay grapes, grown in the Huaizhuo basin region of northern China, were selected within two consecutive years. A rain-shelter roof was constructed using a colorless polyethylene (PE) film with a light transmittance of 80%. Results showed that rain-shelter treatment did not affect the accumulation of soluble solids during grape maturation. However, the allocation of assimilated carbon in phenolic and volatile biosynthetic pathways varied significantly, leading to alterations in polyphenolic and volatile profiles. The rain-shelter cultivation enhanced the concentration of flavan-3-ols via the flavonoid-3'5'-hydroxylase (F3'5'H) pathway, but reduced the level of flavonols and flavan-3-ols via the flavonoid-3'-hydroxylase (F3'H) pathway. In addition, the rain-shelter cultivation significantly enhanced the synthesis of fatty acid-derived volatiles, isoprene-derived terpenoids and amino acid-derived branched-chain aliphatics, but led to a decrease in the accumulation of isoprene-derived norisoprenoids and amino acid-derived benzenoids. Principal component analysis revealed some key compounds that differentiated the grapes cultivated under open-field and rain-shelter conditions. Moreover, the effect of the rain-shelter application on the accumulation of these compounds appeared to be vintage dependent. The alteration of their profiles caused by the rain-shelter treatment was significant in the vintage that received higher rainfall, which usually took place in the first rapid growth and veraison phases.

  9. Rain-Shelter Cultivation Modifies Carbon Allocation in the Polyphenolic and Volatile Metabolism of Vitis vinifera L. Chardonnay Grapes

    PubMed Central

    Han, Mei-Mei; Yang, Xiao-Fan; Li, Zheng; Wang, Jun; Pan, Qiu-Hong

    2016-01-01

    This study investigated the effect of rain-shelter cultivation on the biosynthesis of flavonoids and volatiles in grapes, with an aim of determining whether rain-shelter application could help to improve the sensory attributes and quality of grapes. Vitis vinifera L. Chardonnay grapes, grown in the Huaizhuo basin region of northern China, were selected within two consecutive years. A rain-shelter roof was constructed using a colorless polyethylene (PE) film with a light transmittance of 80%. Results showed that rain-shelter treatment did not affect the accumulation of soluble solids during grape maturation. However, the allocation of assimilated carbon in phenolic and volatile biosynthetic pathways varied significantly, leading to alterations in polyphenolic and volatile profiles. The rain-shelter cultivation enhanced the concentration of flavan-3-ols via the flavonoid-3’5’-hydroxylase (F3’5’H) pathway, but reduced the level of flavonols and flavan-3-ols via the flavonoid-3’-hydroxylase (F3’H) pathway. In addition, the rain-shelter cultivation significantly enhanced the synthesis of fatty acid-derived volatiles, isoprene-derived terpenoids and amino acid-derived branched-chain aliphatics, but led to a decrease in the accumulation of isoprene-derived norisoprenoids and amino acid-derived benzenoids. Principal component analysis revealed some key compounds that differentiated the grapes cultivated under open-field and rain-shelter conditions. Moreover, the effect of the rain-shelter application on the accumulation of these compounds appeared to be vintage dependent. The alteration of their profiles caused by the rain-shelter treatment was significant in the vintage that received higher rainfall, which usually took place in the first rapid growth and veraison phases. PMID:27218245

  10. Rain-rate data base development and rain-rate climate analysis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Crane, Robert K.

    1993-01-01

    The single-year rain-rate distribution data available within the archives of Consultative Committee for International Radio (CCIR) Study Group 5 were compiled into a data base for use in rain-rate climate modeling and for the preparation of predictions of attenuation statistics. The four year set of tip-time sequences provided by J. Goldhirsh for locations near Wallops Island were processed to compile monthly and annual distributions of rain rate and of event durations for intervals above and below preset thresholds. A four-year data set of tropical rain-rate tip-time sequences were acquired from the NASA TRMM program for 30 gauges near Darwin, Australia. They were also processed for inclusion in the CCIR data base and the expanded data base for monthly observations at the University of Oklahoma. The empirical rain-rate distributions (edfs) accepted for inclusion in the CCIR data base were used to estimate parameters for several rain-rate distribution models: the lognormal model, the Crane two-component model, and the three parameter model proposed by Moupfuma. The intent of this segment of the study is to obtain a limited set of parameters that can be mapped globally for use in rain attenuation predictions. If the form of the distribution can be established, then perhaps available climatological data can be used to estimate the parameters rather than requiring years of rain-rate observations to set the parameters. The two-component model provided the best fit to the Wallops Island data but the Moupfuma model provided the best fit to the Darwin data.

  11. MOUNTAIN ACID DEPOSITION PROGRAM (MADPRO): CLOUD DEPOSITION TO THE APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS, 1994 THROUGH 1999

    EPA Science Inventory

    The mountain Acid Deposition Program (MADPro) was initiated in 1993 as part of the research necessary to support the objectives of the Clean Air Status and Trends Network (CASTNet), which was created to address the requirements of the Clean Air Act Amendments (CAAA). The two ma...

  12. Precipitation-chemistry measurements from the California Acid Deposition Monitoring Program, 1985-1990

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Blanchard, Charles L.; Tonnessen, Kathy A.

    1993-01-01

    The configuration of the California Acid Deposition Monitoring Program (CADMP) precipitation network is described and quality assurance results summarized. Comparison of CADMP and the National Acid Deposition Program/National Trends Network (NADP/NTN) data at four parallel sites indicated that mean depth-weighted differences were less than 3 μeq ℓ−1 for all ions, being statistically significant for ammonium, sulfate and hydrogen ion. These apparently small differences were 15–30% of the mean concentrations of ammonium, sulfate and hydrogen ion. Mean depth-weighted concentrations and mass deposition rates for the period 1985–1990 are summarized; the latter were highest either where concentrations or precipitation depths were relatively high.

  13. Large-scale modeling of rain fields from a rain cell deterministic model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    FéRal, Laurent; Sauvageot, Henri; Castanet, Laurent; Lemorton, JoëL.; Cornet, FréDéRic; Leconte, Katia

    2006-04-01

    A methodology to simulate two-dimensional rain rate fields at large scale (1000 × 1000 km2, the scale of a satellite telecommunication beam or a terrestrial fixed broadband wireless access network) is proposed. It relies on a rain rate field cellular decomposition. At small scale (˜20 × 20 km2), the rain field is split up into its macroscopic components, the rain cells, described by the Hybrid Cell (HYCELL) cellular model. At midscale (˜150 × 150 km2), the rain field results from the conglomeration of rain cells modeled by HYCELL. To account for the rain cell spatial distribution at midscale, the latter is modeled by a doubly aggregative isotropic random walk, the optimal parameterization of which is derived from radar observations at midscale. The extension of the simulation area from the midscale to the large scale (1000 × 1000 km2) requires the modeling of the weather frontal area. The latter is first modeled by a Gaussian field with anisotropic covariance function. The Gaussian field is then turned into a binary field, giving the large-scale locations over which it is raining. This transformation requires the definition of the rain occupation rate over large-scale areas. Its probability distribution is determined from observations by the French operational radar network ARAMIS. The coupling with the rain field modeling at midscale is immediate whenever the large-scale field is split up into midscale subareas. The rain field thus generated accounts for the local CDF at each point, defining a structure spatially correlated at small scale, midscale, and large scale. It is then suggested that this approach be used by system designers to evaluate diversity gain, terrestrial path attenuation, or slant path attenuation for different azimuth and elevation angle directions.

  14. Environmental negotiation: an organizational framework for solving the acid deposition puzzle

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Briassoulis, H.

    In spite of the considerable amount of research on acid deposition and its control in the fields of natural, social, and applied sciences, the problem of devising appropriate control solutions remains a highly controversial political issue. In this paper, the thesis advanced is that environmental dispute resolution procedures are needed in order to deal effectively with acid deposition control. In this way, science, economics, and technology are bound to be used more meaningfully and serve the social and political needs of the affected interests. An organizational framework to be used in conducting environmental negotiation is suggested and briefly discussed.

  15. Raining Rocks

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2017-02-01

    Impact ejecta is material that is thrown up and out of the surface of a planet as a result of the impact of an meteorite, asteroid or comet. The material that was originally beneath the surface of the planet then rains down onto the environs of the newly formed impact crater. Some of this material is deposited close to the crater, folding over itself to form the crater rim, visible here as a yellowish ring. Other material is ejected faster and falls down further from the crater rim creating two types of ejecta: a "continuous ejecta blanket" and "discontinuous ejecta." Both are shown in this image. The blocky area at the center of the image close to the yellowish crater rim is the "continuous" ejecta. The discontinuous ejecta is further from the crater rim, streaking away from the crater like spokes on a bicycle. (Note: North is to the right.) http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA11180

  16. Acidic deposition in the northeastern United States: Sources and inputs, ecosystem effects, and management strategies

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Driscoll, C.T.; Lawrence, G.B.; Bulger, A.J.; Butler, T.J.; Cronan, C.S.; Eagar, C.; Lambert, K.F.; Likens, G.E.; Stoddard, J.L.; Weathers, K.C.

    2001-01-01

    North America and Europe are in the midst of a large-scale experiment. Sulfuric and nitric acids have acidified soils, lakes, and streams, thereby stressing or killing terrestrial and aquatic biota. It is therefore critical to measure and to understand the recovery of complex ecosystems in response to decreases in acidic deposition. Fortunately, the NADP, CASTNet, and AIRMoN-dry networks are in place to measure anticipated improvements in air quality and in atmospheric deposition. Unfortunately, networks to measure changes in water quality are sparse, and networks to monitor soil, vegetation, and fish responses are even more limited. There is an acute need to assess the response of these resources to decreases in acid loading. It would be particularly valuable to assess the recovery of aquatic biota - which respond directly to acid stress - to changes in surface water chemistry (Gunn and Mills 1998). We used long-term research from the HBEF and other sites across the northeastern United States to synthesize data on the effects of acidic deposition and to assess ecosystem responses to reductions in emissions. On the basis of existing data, it is clear that in the northeastern United States ??? reductions of SO2 emissions since 1970 have resulted in statistically significant decreases in SO42- in wet and bulk deposition and in surface waters ??? emissions of NOX and concentrations of NO3- in wet and bulk deposition and in surface waters have shown no increase or decrease since the 1980s ??? estimates of NH3 emissions are uncertain, although atmospheric deposition of NH4+ remains important for forest management and stream NO3- loss ??? acidic deposition has accelerated the leaching of base cations from soils, thus delaying the recovery of ANC in lakes and streams from decreased emissions of SO2 (at the HBEF the available soil Ca pool appears to have declined 50% over the past 50 years) ???sulfur and N from atmospheric deposition have accumulated in forest soils across

  17. Acid rain monitoring in East-Central Florida from 1977 to present

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Madsen, B. C.; Kheoh, T.; Hinkle, C. R.; Dreschel, T. W.

    1990-01-01

    Rainfall has been collected on the University of Central Florida campus and at the Kennedy Space Center over a 12 year period. The chemical composition has been determined and summarized by monthly, annual periods, and for the entire 12 year period at both locations. The weighted average pH at each site is 4.58; however, annual weighted average pH has been equal to or above the 12 year average during six of the past eight years. Nitrate concentrations have increased slightly during recent years while excess sulfate concentrations have remained below the 12 year weighted average during six of the past seven years. Stepwise regression suggests that sulfate, nitrate, ammonium ion and calcium play major roles in the description of rainwater acidity. Annual acid deposition and annual rainfall have varied from 20 to 50 meg/(m(exp 2) year) and 100 to 180 cm/year, respectively. Sea salt comprises at least 25 percent of the total ionic composition.

  18. EVALUATION OF ACID DEPOSITION MODELS USING PRINCIPAL COMPONENT SPACES

    EPA Science Inventory

    An analytical technique involving principal components analysis is proposed for use in the evaluation of acid deposition models. elationships among model predictions are compared to those among measured data, rather than the more common one-to-one comparison of predictions to mea...

  19. Heavy rain effects

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dunham, R. Earl, Jr.

    1994-01-01

    This paper summarizes the current state of knowledge of the effect of heavy rain on airplane performance. Although the effects of heavy rain on airplane systems and engines are generally known, only recently has the potential aerodynamic effect of heavy rain been recognized. In 1977 the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) conducted a study of 25 aircraft accidents and incidents which occurred between 1964 and 1976 in which low-altitude wind shear could have been a contributing factor. Of the 25 cases (23 approach or landing and 2 take-off) in the study, ten cases had occurred in a rain environment, and in five cases these were classified as intense or heavy rain encounters. These results led to the reconsideration of high-intensity, short-duration rainfall as a potential weather-related aircraft safety hazard, particularly in the take-off and/or approach phases of flight.

  20. Deposition of dietary fatty acids in young Zucker rats fed a cafeteria diet.

    PubMed

    Rafecas, I; Esteve, M; Fernández-López, J A; Remesar, X; Alemany, M

    1992-10-01

    The content and accretion of fatty acids in 30, 45 and 60-day-old Zucker lean Fa/? and obese fa/fa rats fed either reference chow or a cafeteria diet has been studied, together with their actual fatty acid intake during each period. Diet had little overall effect on the pattern of deposition of fatty acids, but quantitatively the deposition of fat was much higher in cafeteria-fed rats. The fat-rich cafeteria diet allowed the direct incorporation of most fatty acids into the rat lipids, whilst chow feeding activated lipogenesis and the deposition of a shorter chain and more saturated pattern of fatty acids. Genetic, obesity induced a significant expansion of net lipogenesis when compared with lean controls. Cafeteria-fed obese rats accrued a high proportion of fatty acids, which was close to that ingested, but nevertheless showed a net de novo synthesis of fatty acids. It is postulated that the combined effects of genetic obesity and a fat-rich diet result in high rates of fat accretion with limited net lipogenesis. Lean Zucker rats show a progressive impairment of their delta 5-desaturase system, a situation also observed in obese rats fed a reference diet. In Zucker obese rats, cafeteria feeding resulted in an alteration of the conversion of C18:2 into C20:3. The cafeteria diet fully compensated for these drawbacks by supplying very high amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids.

  1. Declining acidic deposition begins reversal of forest-soil acidification in the northeastern U.S. and eastern Canada

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Lawrence, Gregory B.; Hazlett, Paul W.; Fernandez, Ivan J.; Ouimet, Rock; Bailey, Scott W.; Shortle, Walter C.; Smith, Kevin T.; Antidormi, Michael

    2015-01-01

    Decreasing trends in acidic deposition levels over the past several decades have led to partial chemical recovery of surface waters. However, depletion of soil Ca from acidic deposition has slowed surface water recovery and led to the impairment of both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Nevertheless, documentation of acidic deposition effects on soils has been limited, and little is known regarding soil responses to ongoing acidic deposition decreases. In this study, resampling of soils in eastern Canada and the northeastern U.S. was done at 27 sites exposed to reductions in wet SO42– deposition of 5.7–76%, over intervals of 8–24 y. Decreases of exchangeable Al in the O horizon and increases in pH in the O and B horizons were seen at most sites. Among all sites, reductions in SO42– deposition were positively correlated with ratios (final sampling/initial sampling) of base saturation (P < 0.01) and negatively correlated with exchangeable Al ratios (P < 0.05) in the O horizon. However, base saturation in the B horizon decreased at one-third of the sites, with no increases. These results are unique in showing that the effects of acidic deposition on North American soils have begun to reverse.

  2. Declining Acidic Deposition Begins Reversal of Forest-Soil Acidification in the Northeastern U.S. and Eastern Canada.

    PubMed

    Lawrence, Gregory B; Hazlett, Paul W; Fernandez, Ivan J; Ouimet, Rock; Bailey, Scott W; Shortle, Walter C; Smith, Kevin T; Antidormi, Michael R

    2015-11-17

    Decreasing trends in acidic deposition levels over the past several decades have led to partial chemical recovery of surface waters. However, depletion of soil Ca from acidic deposition has slowed surface water recovery and led to the impairment of both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Nevertheless, documentation of acidic deposition effects on soils has been limited, and little is known regarding soil responses to ongoing acidic deposition decreases. In this study, resampling of soils in eastern Canada and the northeastern U.S. was done at 27 sites exposed to reductions in wet SO4(2-) deposition of 5.7-76%, over intervals of 8-24 y. Decreases of exchangeable Al in the O horizon and increases in pH in the O and B horizons were seen at most sites. Among all sites, reductions in SO4(2-) deposition were positively correlated with ratios (final sampling/initial sampling) of base saturation (P < 0.01) and negatively correlated with exchangeable Al ratios (P < 0.05) in the O horizon. However, base saturation in the B horizon decreased at one-third of the sites, with no increases. These results are unique in showing that the effects of acidic deposition on North American soils have begun to reverse.

  3. Soak Up the Rain

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Soak Up the Rain promotes green infrastructure practices such as rain barrels, rain gardens, permeable pavements and green roofs to reduce stormwater runoff and prevent water pollution while bringing about a broad range of community benefits.

  4. Rain attenuation studies from radiometric and rain DSD measurements at two tropical locations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Halder, Tuhina; Adhikari, Arpita; Maitra, Animesh

    2018-05-01

    Efficient use of satellite communication in tropical regions demands proper characterization of rain attenuation, particularly, in view of the available popular propagation models which are mostly based on temperate climatic data. Thus rain attenuations at frequencies 22.234, 23.834 and 31.4/30 GHz over two tropical locations Kolkata (22.57°N, 88.36°E, India) and Belem (1.45°S, 48.49° W, Brazil), have been estimated for the year 2010 and 2011, respectively. The estimation has been done utilizing ground-based disdrometer observations and radiometric measurements over Earth-space path. The results show that rain attenuation estimations from radiometric data are reliable only at low rain rates (<30 mm/h). However, the rain attenuation estimations from disdrometer measurements show good agreement with the ITU-R model, even at high rain rates (upto100 mm/h). Despite having significant variability in terms of drop size distribution (DSD), the attenuation values calculated from DSD data (disdrometer measurements) at Kolkata and Belem differ a little for the rain rates below 30 mm/h. However, the attenuation values, obtained from radiometric measurements at the two places, show significant deviations ranging from 0.54 dB to 3.2 dB up to a rain rate of 30 mm/h, on account of different rain heights, mean atmospheric temperatures and climatology of the two locations.

  5. Combined Effects of Lanthanum (III) and Acid Rain on Antioxidant Enzyme System in Soybean Roots.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Xuanbo; Du, Yuping; Wang, Lihong; Zhou, Qing; Huang, Xiaohua; Sun, Zhaoguo

    2015-01-01

    Rare earth element pollution (REEs) and acid rain (AR) pollution simultaneously occur in many regions, which resulted in a new environmental issue, the combined pollution of REEs and AR. The effects of the combined pollution on the antioxidant enzyme system of plant roots have not been reported. Here, the combined effects of lanthanum ion (La3+), one type of REE, and AR on the antioxidant enzyme system of soybean roots were investigated. In the combined treatment of La3+ (0.08 mM) and AR, the cell membrane permeability and the peroxidation of cell membrane lipid of soybean roots increased, and the superoxide dismutase, catalase, peroxidase and reduced ascorbic acid served as scavengers of reactive oxygen species. In other combined treatments of La3+ (0.40 mM, 1.20 mM) and AR, the membrane permeability, malonyldialdehyde content, superoxide dismutase activity, peroxidase activity and reduced ascorbic acid content increased, while the catalase activity decreased. The increased superoxide dismutase activity, peroxidase activity and reduced ascorbic acid content were inadequate to scavenge the excess hydrogen peroxide and superoxide, leading to the damage of the cell membrane, which was aggravated with the increase in the concentration of La3+ and the level of AR. The deleterious effects of the combined treatment of La3+ and AR were stronger than those of the single treatment of La3+ or AR. Moreover, the activity of antioxidant enzyme system in the combined treatment group was affected directly and indirectly by mineral element content in soybean plants.

  6. Combined Effects of Lanthanum (III) and Acid Rain on Antioxidant Enzyme System in Soybean Roots

    PubMed Central

    Zhang, Xuanbo; Du, Yuping; Wang, Lihong; Zhou, Qing; Huang, Xiaohua; Sun, Zhaoguo

    2015-01-01

    Rare earth element pollution (REEs) and acid rain (AR) pollution simultaneously occur in many regions, which resulted in a new environmental issue, the combined pollution of REEs and AR. The effects of the combined pollution on the antioxidant enzyme system of plant roots have not been reported. Here, the combined effects of lanthanum ion (La3+), one type of REE, and AR on the antioxidant enzyme system of soybean roots were investigated. In the combined treatment of La3+ (0.08 mM) and AR, the cell membrane permeability and the peroxidation of cell membrane lipid of soybean roots increased, and the superoxide dismutase, catalase, peroxidase and reduced ascorbic acid served as scavengers of reactive oxygen species. In other combined treatments of La3+ (0.40 mM, 1.20 mM) and AR, the membrane permeability, malonyldialdehyde content, superoxide dismutase activity, peroxidase activity and reduced ascorbic acid content increased, while the catalase activity decreased. The increased superoxide dismutase activity, peroxidase activity and reduced ascorbic acid content were inadequate to scavenge the excess hydrogen peroxide and superoxide, leading to the damage of the cell membrane, which was aggravated with the increase in the concentration of La3+ and the level of AR. The deleterious effects of the combined treatment of La3+ and AR were stronger than those of the single treatment of La3+ or AR. Moreover, the activity of antioxidant enzyme system in the combined treatment group was affected directly and indirectly by mineral element content in soybean plants. PMID:26230263

  7. Estimates of cloud water deposition at Mountain Acid Deposition Program sites in the Appalachian Mountains.

    PubMed

    Baumgardner, Ralph E; Isil, Selma S; Lavery, Thomas F; Rogers, Christopher M; Mohnen, Volker A

    2003-03-01

    Cloud water deposition was estimated at three high-elevation sites in the Appalachian Mountains of the eastern United States (Whiteface Mountain, NY; Whitetop Mountain, VA; and Clingman's Dome, TN) from 1994 through 1999 as part of the Mountain Acid Deposition Program (MADPro). This paper provides a summary of cloud water chemistry, cloud liquid water content, cloud frequency, estimates of cloud water deposition of sulfur and nitrogen species, and estimates of total deposition of sulfur and nitrogen at these sites. Other cloud studies in the Appalachians and their comparison to MADPro are also summarized. Whiteface Mountain exhibited the lowest mean and median concentrations of sulfur and nitrogen ions in cloud water, while Clingman's Dome exhibited the highest mean and median concentrations. This geographic gradient is partly an effect of the different meteorological conditions experienced at northern versus southern sites in addition to the difference in pollution content of air masses reaching the sites. All sites measured seasonal cloud water deposition rates of SO4(2-) greater than 50 kg/ha and NO3(-) rates of greater than 25 kg/ha. These high-elevation sites experienced additional deposition loading of SO4(2-) and NO3(-) on the order of 6-20 times greater compared with lower elevation Clean Air Status and Trends Network (CASTNet) sites. Approximately 80-90% of this extra loading is from cloud deposition.

  8. Dynamics of sulfate and nitrate dry deposition associated with pollen

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Khalili, E.K.

    A field study of pollen dispersion and deposition from a remote forested area in Northern Wisconsin has been undertaken. Although the experiments constitute a case study in Wisconsin, the experimental site was chosen, which represents much of the Eastern US and Europe where acid rain is considered an important environmental problem. Measurements of dry deposition of pollen were made during the pollination season (May and June, 1987). Deposited particles were weighted to determine mass fluxes, then washed and subjected to ion chromatographic analysis for sulfate and nitrate. Ambient concentration of pollen were measured by a coarse particle sampler (Noll Inertialmore » Rotary Impact) during the same time period. The chemical analysis of pollen species collected around the sampling site as well as commercially available pollen demonstrated that sulfate and nitrate were present on all pollen samples. Many trace metals such as Fe, Al, Zn, Cu, Mn, Cd, Pb, Ca, and Si and organic acids were quantified. It was hypothesized that pollen accumulate extraneous amounts of non-essential, as well as essential elements from the soil supplying nutrient. Therefore, pollen can be used as a fingerprint for the availability and the level of contamination of a particular element in the forest soil environment. A model developed for measurement of coarse particle dry deposition was utilized to measure the pollen dry deposition velocity. It was shown that depositional velocity of pollen exceeds the settling velocity by a factor of 3 to 4, and both V{sub d} and fluxes of pollen grains increase with wind speed. Finally, the role of pollen dispersion and deposition has been discussed and emphasized for modeling of lake acidification in forested region.« less

  9. EFFECT OF SIMULATED SULFURIC ACID RAIN ON THE CHEMISTRY OF A SULFATE-ADSORBING FOREST SOIL

    EPA Science Inventory

    Simulated H2SO4 rain (pH 3.0, 3.5, 4.0) or control rain (pH 5.6) was applied for 3.5 yr to large lysimeter boxes containing a sulfate-adsorbing forest soil and either red alder (Alnus rubra) or sugar maple (Acer saccharum) seedlings. After removal of the plants and the litter lay...

  10. Acid Rain Contribution from Pesticide Distribution to Rice Farmers in Pati Regency

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Qosim, Ahmad; Anies; Sunoko, Henna Rya

    2018-02-01

    Productivity rate of rice fields in Regency has been in a surplus condition annually. The fields have produced 7 to 8 tons per hectare, making the total annual rate of 600 tons. The regency, therefore, is considered to be capable of fulfilling its own need for rice and to contribute significantly to the rice needs in Central Java Province. Agriculture coexists with the presence of pesticides. While helping the farmers to combat the plant diseases, pesticides have still been greatly necessary by the local farmers. Distribution by means of transportation devices plays an important role for the dissemination of the pesticides from the producers to their end users. Problem arises due to emission produced during the transportation activities. Transportation emits SO2 as the major contributor to acid rain. To make worse, application in practice by the farmers also emit the similar substance. Annual use of pesticides in Pati Regency has reached 605 tons with SO2 emission of 13,697 kg. It is recommended that distribution management and selection of pesticides are performed by applying an integrated pest control in order to reduce the pesticide emission.

  11. Using Critical Loads to Look at Improvements in Acidic Surface Water Conditions since the 1990 Amendments to the Clear Air Act: Case Study Adirondack, NY

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lynch, J. A.; Kolian, M. J.; Haeuber, R.

    2008-12-01

    Acid deposition has affected hundreds of lakes and thousands of miles of headwater streams in the Adirondack region of New York State. The diversity of life in these acidic waters has been greatly reduced. The poor buffering capacity of the thin, acidic soils in the Adirondack Mountains makes the lakes and ponds particularly susceptible to acidification. Since the mid-1990's, lakes in the Adirondack region are finally showing signs of recovery. The good news is that emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides have been reduced and as a result acidic deposition of sulfate and nitrate has decreased in surface waters approximately 26 and 13%, respectively. This has led to improvement in the acid neutralizing capacity (ANC) of these water bodies. Although improvement in water quality is a good sign, it does not tell us if a particular lake or a group of lakes have recovered from decades of acidic deposition. However, the critical loads approach does allow for evaluation of whether a water body has reached recovery for acidic deposition. Critical loads and exceedances for lake surface water and acidity were calculated for 187 lakes in the Adirondack region. The Steady-State Water Chemistry (SSWC) model was used to calculate the critical load, relying on water chemistry data from the TIME/LTM network. An ANC threshold of 50 μeq/L was selected for this case study. Exceedances were calculated from deposition for the period before implementation of the Acid Rain program (ARP) (1989-1991) and for the period of 2004-2006 to judge improvements as a result of the ARP. On average, the critical load for lakes in the Adirondack region is 164 meq/m2/yr, while it is 48 meq/m2/yr for the most sensitive lakes (i.e. ANC less than 100 μeq/L). For the period from 2004 to 2006, 65% of the lakes within the TIME/LTM network continued to receive levels of acid deposition that exceeded the lake's critical load down from 72% of lakes before implementation of the Acid Rain Program

  12. Fixation and chemical analysis of single fog and rain droplets

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kasahara, M.; Akashi, S.; Ma, C.-J.; Tohno, S.

    Last decade, the importance of global environmental problems has been recognized worldwide. Acid rain is one of the most important global environmental problems as well as the global warming. The grasp of physical and chemical properties of fog and rain droplets is essential to make clear the physical and chemical processes of acid rain and also their effects on forests, materials and ecosystems. We examined the physical and chemical properties of single fog and raindrops by applying fixation technique. The sampling method and treatment procedure to fix the liquid droplets as a solid particle were investigated. Small liquid particles like fog droplet could be easily fixed within few minutes by exposure to cyanoacrylate vapor. The large liquid particles like raindrops were also fixed successively, but some of them were not perfect. Freezing method was applied to fix the large raindrops. Frozen liquid particles existed stably by exposure to cyanoacrylate vapor after freezing. The particle size measurement and the elemental analysis of the fixed particle were performed in individual base using microscope, and SEX-EDX, particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) and micro-PIXE analyses, respectively. The concentration in raindrops was dependent upon the droplet size and the elapsed time from the beginning of rainfall.

  13. Acid Rain: Science Projects.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stubbs, Harriett S.

    1989-01-01

    Presented is a science activity designed to help students monitor the pH of rainfall. Materials, procedures and follow-up activities are listed. A list of domestic and foreign sources of information is provided. Topics which relate to acid precipitation are outlined. (CW)

  14. Allowance trading activity and state regulatory rulings: Evidence from the US Acid Rain Program

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Bailey, E.M.

    1997-12-31

    The US Acid Rain Program is one of the first, and by far the most extensive, applications of a market based approach to pollution control. From the beginning, there has been concern whether utilities would participate in allowance trading, and whether regulatory activity at the state level would further complicate utilities` decision to trade allowances. This paper finds that public utility commission regulation has encouraged allowance trading activity in states with regulatory rulings, but that allowance trading activity has not been limited to states issuing regulations. Until there is evidence suggesting that significant additional cost savings could have been obtainedmore » if additional allowance trading activity had occurred in states without regulations or that utilities in states with regulations are still not taking advantage of all cost saving trading opportunities, this analysis suggests that there is little reason to believe that allowance trading activity is impeded by public utility commission regulations.« less

  15. Intensified Vegetation Water Use due to Soil Calcium Leaching under Acid Deposition

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lanning, M.; Wang, L.; Scanlon, T. M.; Vadeboncoeur, M. A.; Adams, M. B.; Epstein, H. E.; Druckenbrod, D.

    2017-12-01

    Despite the important role vegetation plays in the global water cycle, the exact controls of vegetation water use, especially the role of soil biogeochemistry, remain elusive. Nitrate and sulfate deposition from fossil fuel burning has caused significant soil acidification, leading to the leaching of soil base cations. From a physiological perspective, plants require various soil cations as signaling and regulatory ions as well as integral parts of structural molecules; a depletion of soil cations can cause reduced productivity and abnormal responses to environmental change. A deficiency in calcium could also potentially prolong stomatal opening, leading to increased transpiration until enough calcium had been acquired to stimulate stomatal closure. Based on the plant physiology and the nature of acidic deposition, we hypothesize that depletion of the soil calcium supply, induced by acid deposition, would intensify vegetation water use at the watershed scale. We tested this hypothesis by analyzing a long-term and unique data set (1989-2012) of soil lysimeter data along with stream flow and evapotranspiration data at the Fernow Experimental Forest. We show that depletion of soil calcium by acid deposition can intensify vegetation water use ( 10% increase in evapotranspiration and depletion in soil water) for the first time. These results are critical to understanding future water availability, biogeochemical cycles, and surficial energy flux and may help reduce uncertainties in terrestrial biosphere models.

  16. Partitioning of Nitric Acid to Nitrate by NaCl and CaCO3 and Its Effect on Nitrogen Deposition

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Evans, M. C.; Campbell, S. W.; Poor, N. D.

    2003-12-01

    Nitrogen oxides produced by combustion in automobile engines, power plant boilers, and industrial processes are transformed to nitric acid in the atmosphere. This nitric acid then deposits to land or water and may be a significant nitrogen input to sensitive coastal estuaries. The sodium chloride from sea salt spray and calcium carbonate from mineral dust react in the atmosphere with nitric acid to form sodium nitrate or calcium nitrate, respectively. The nitrate particle deposition velocity can be substantially lower than that of nitric acid, which may lower the atmospheric nitrogen deposition rate near the urban sources of nitrogen oxides but raise the deposition rate over the open water. The relative effects of different ambient air concentrations of sodium chloride and calcium carbonate on nitrogen atmospheric deposition rates were examined by using the EQUISOLVII model to estimate the partitioning of nitric acid to nitrate combined with the NOAA buoy model and Williams model to calculate the gas and aerosol deposition velocities.

  17. A Robust, Microwave Rain Gauge

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mansheim, T. J.; Niemeier, J. J.; Kruger, A.

    2008-12-01

    Researchers at The University of Iowa have developed an all-electronic rain gauge that uses microwave sensors operating at either 10 GHz or 23 GHz, and measures the Doppler shift caused by falling raindrops. It is straightforward to interface these sensors with conventional data loggers, or integrate them into a wireless sensor network. A disadvantage of these microwave rain gauges is that they consume significant power when they are operating. However, this may be partially negated by using data loggers' or sensors networks' sleep-wake-sleep mechanism. Advantages of the microwave rain gauges are that one can make them very robust, they cannot clog, they don't have mechanical parts that wear out, and they don't have to be perfectly level. Prototype microwave rain gauges were collocated with tipping-bucket rain gauges, and data were collected for two seasons. At higher rain rates, microwave rain gauge measurements compare well with tipping-bucket measurements. At lower rain rates, the microwave rain gauges provide more detailed information than tipping buckets, which quantize measurement typically in 1 tip per 0.01 inch, or 1 tip per mm of rainfall.

  18. Laboratory exposure systems to simulate atmospheric degradation of building stone under dry and wet deposition conditions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Johnson, J. B.; Haneef, S. J.; Hepburn, B. J.; Hutchinson, A. J.; Thompson, G. E.; Wood, G. C.

    The design philosophy, construction and use of two exposure test systems are described, in which the objective is to simulate the degradation of stone samples under, respectively, the 'dry' and 'wet' deposition of atmospheric pollutants. Some element of realistic acceleration is possible in certain experiments. Particular emphasis is placed upon using known presentation rates of the pollutants, both in respect of typical depositions of pollutants and their oxidation products appropriate for an industrial atmosphere. In the dry deposition rig, SO 2, NO 2, NO, HCl and the oxidant O 3 are presented individually or together at realistic deposition rates. In the wet deposition apparatus, SO 2-4, NO -3 and Cl - at a pH of 3.5, simulating 'acid rain' but in a more concentrated form, are deposited. The dry deposition chamber can be operated at constant relative humidity (typically 84%) with pre-dried or precisely wetted stones to simulate episodic rain wetting, or using other methods of wet/dry cycling, which are also a feature of the wet deposition chamber. Heating and cooling of the samples is also possible, as is the use of shaped or coupled stones of different kinds such as are found in a building facade. The results are illustrated in terms of data on the weight change, the anion content of stone and run-off, the pH change of run-off and the total calcium reacted, using Portland stone, as a prelude to later papers in which behaviour of a whole matrix of stone types and environments is presented and discussed. Such an approach permits the eventual production of 'pollutant-material response' relationships and damage functions for comparison with and prediction of external exposure results.

  19. Amino acid geochemistry of fossil bones from the Rancho La Brea asphalt deposit, California

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    McMenamin, M.A.S.; Blunt, D.J.; Kvenvolden, K.A.; Miller, S.E.; Marcus, L.F.; Pardi, R.R.

    1982-01-01

    Low aspartic acid d:l ratios and modern collagenlike concentration values indicate that amino acids in bones from the Rancho La Brea asphalt deposit, Los Angeles, California are better preserved than amino acids in bones of equivalent age that have not been preserved in asphalt. Amino acids were recovered from 10 Rancho La Brea bone samples which range in age from less than 200 to greater than 36,000 yr. The calibrated rates of aspartic acid racemization range from 2.1 to 5.0 ?? 10-6yr-1. Although this wide range of rate constants decreases the level of confidence for age estimates, use of the larger rate constant of 5.0 ?? 10-6yr-1 provides minimum age estimates which fit the known stratigraphic and chronologic records of the Rancho La Brea deposits. ?? 1982.

  20. Rain rate duration statistics derived from the Mid-Atlantic coast rain gauge network

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Goldhirsh, Julius

    1993-01-01

    A rain gauge network comprised of 10 tipping bucket rain gauges located in the Mid-Atlantic coast of the United States has been in continuous operation since June 1, 1986. Rain rate distributions and estimated slant path fade distributions at 20 GHz and 30 GHz covering the first five year period were derived from the gauge network measurements, and these results were described by Goldhirsh. In this effort, rain rate time duration statistics are presented. The rain duration statistics are of interest for better understanding the physical nature of precipitation and to present a data base which may be used by modelers to convert to slant path fade duration statistics. Such statistics are important for better assessing optimal coding procedures over defined bandwidths.

  1. Elution of lead from lead zirconate titanate ceramics to acid rain

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tsurumi, Takaaki; Takezawa, Shuhei; Hoshina, Takuya; Takeda, Hiroaki

    2017-10-01

    The amount of lead that eluted from lead zirconate titanate (PZT) ceramics to artificial acid rain was evaluated. Four kinds of PZT ceramics, namely, pure PZT at MPB composition, CuO-added PZT, PZT with 10 mol % substitution of Ba for Pb, and CuO-added PZT with 10 mol % substitution of Ba for Pb, were used as samples of the elution test. These PZT ceramics of 8 mm2 and 1.1-1.2 mm thickness were suspended in 300 ml of H2SO4 solution of pH 4.0. The concentration of lead eluted from PZT was in the range from 0.2 to 0.8 ppm. It was found that both liquid phase formation by the addition of CuO and the substitution of Ba for Pb were effective to reduce the amount of lead that eluted. By fitting the leaching out curve with a classical equation, a master curve assuming no sampling effect was obtained. The lead concentration evaluated from the amount of lead that eluted from a commercial PZT plate to H2SO4 solution of pH 5.3 was almost the same as the limit in city water. It is concluded that PZT is not harmful to health and the environment and the amount of lead that eluted from PZT can be controlled by modifying PZT composition.

  2. Effects of acidic deposition and soil acidification on sugar maple trees in the Adirondack Mountains, New York

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Sullivan, Timothy J.; Lawrence, Gregory B.; Bailey, Scott W.; McDonnell, Todd C.; McPherson, G.T.

    2013-01-01

    This study documents the effects of acidic deposition and soil acid-base chemistry on the growth, regeneration, and canopy condition of sugar maple (SM) trees in the Adirondack Mountains of New York. Sugar maple is the dominant canopy species throughout much of the northern hardwood forest in the State. A field study was conducted in 2009 in which 50 study plots within 20 small Adirondack watersheds were sampled and evaluated for soil acid-base chemistry and SM growth, canopy condition, and regeneration. Atmospheric sulfur (S) and nitrogen (N) deposition were estimated for each plot. Trees growing on soils with poor acid-base chemistry (low exchangeable calcium and % base saturation) that receive relatively high levels of atmospheric S and N deposition exhibited little to no SM seedling regeneration, decreased canopy condition, and short-to long-term growth declines compared with study plots having better soil condition and lower levels of atmospheric deposition. These results suggest that the ecosystem services provided by SM in the western and central Adirondack Mountain region, including aesthetic, cultural, and monetary values, are at risk from ongoing soil acidification caused in large part by acidic deposition.

  3. Air pollution, acid rain and the future of forests. Part 5

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Postel, S.

    1984-11-01

    Part 5 of a 6-part series by Worldwatch Institute examines the need for international cooperation in dealing with transboundary air pollution. Comparisons of annual sulfur emissions and acid depositions on the European countries show that there is often a large discrepancy between a country's contribution of air pollutants and the amount it receives. Efforts to acknowledge the common interest and to develop multilateral agreements have found the European Economic Community to be the best forum, although political and economic goals tend to dilute long-term solutions. Copies of the complete report can be obtained by sending $2 to Worldwatch Institute, 1776more » Massachusetts Ave., N.W., Washington, DC. 1 table.« less

  4. Characteristics of Wet Deposition in Japan

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Iwasaki, A.; Arakaki, T.

    2017-12-01

    Acid deposition survey in Japan has started since 1991 by Japan Environmental Laboratories Association (JELA). The JELA has about 60 monitoring sites for wet deposition including remote, rural and urban area. The measured constituents of wet deposition are; precipitation, pH, electric conductivity, major Anions, and major Cations. From those data, we analyze spatial and temporal variations of wet deposition components in Japan. Among the 60 monitoring sites, 39 sampling sites were selected in this study, which have kept sampling continuously between 2003JFY and 2014JFY. All samples were collected by wet-only samplers. To analyze area characteristics, all the areas were divided into 6 regions; Northern part of Japan (NJ), Facing the Japan Sea (JS), Eastern part of Japan (EJ), Central part of Japan (CJ), Western part of Japan (WJ) and Southern West Islands (SW). NO3- and non-sea-salt-SO42- (nss-SO42-) are major components of rain acidification. Especially, between December and February (winter) the air mass from west affected the temporal variations of those acid components and the concentrations were higher in JS and WJ regions than those in other regions. Japanese ministry of the Environment reported that mixing ratio of NO2 in Japan has been less than 0.04ppm since 1976, and that of SO2 has been less than 0.02ppm since 1978. Their concentrations in Japan have remained flat or slowly decreased recently. However the temporal variations of NO3-/nss-SO42- ratio in winter in JS region were significantly increased on average at 2.2% y-1 from 2003JFY to 2014JFY. The results suggest that long-range transboundary air pollutants increased NO3- concentrations and NO3-/nss-SO42- ratio.

  5. Pennsylvanian tropical rain forests responded to glacial-interglacial rhythms

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Falcon-Lang, Howard J.

    2004-08-01

    Pennsylvanian tropical rain forests flourished during an icehouse climate mode. Although it is well established that Milankovitch-band glacial-interglacial rhythms caused marked synchronous changes in Pennsylvanian tropical climate and sea level, little is known of vegetation response to orbital forcing. This knowledge gap has now been addressed through sequence- stratigraphic analysis of megafloral and palynofloral assemblages within the Westphalian D Cantabrian Sydney Mines Formation of eastern Canada. This succession was deposited in a low- accommodation setting where sequences can be attributed confidently to glacio-eustasy. Results show that long-lived, low-diversity peat mires dominated by lycopsids were initiated during deglaciation events, but were mostly drowned by rising sea level at maximum interglacial conditions. Only upland coniferopsid forests survived flooding without significant disturbance. Mid- to late interglacial phases witnessed delta-plain progradation and establishment of high-diversity, mineral-substrate rain forests containing lycopsids, sphenopsids, pteridosperms, cordaites, and tree ferns. Renewed glaciation resulted in sea-level fall, paleovalley incision, and the onset of climatic aridity. Glacial vegetation was dominated by cordaites, pteridosperms, and tree ferns; hydrophilic lycopsids and sphenopsids survived in paleovalley refugia. Findings clearly demonstrate the dynamic nature of Pennsylvanian tropical ecosystems and are timely given current debates about the impact of Quaternary glacial-interglacial rhythms on the biogeography of tropical rain forest.

  6. No Rain, No Gain

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Perna, Mark C.

    2005-01-01

    Marketing is like the rain. Some people are quickly aware of it, while others take repeated and consistent drops for quite an extended period of time before they take action. Building on the marketing principles discussed in previous issues, the next key principle to smart marketing is the "Rain Effect." The Rain Effect is the use of consistent…

  7. PROJECTION OF RESPONSE OF TREES AND FORESTS TO ACIDIC DEPOSITION AND ASSOCIATED POLLUTANTS

    EPA Science Inventory

    In 1986 the National, Acid Precipitation Assessment Program (NAPAP) established the Forest Response Program (FRP) to assess the effects of acidic deposition and associated pollutants on forests. Modeling studies were developed in parallel with both field studies on the pattern an...

  8. Salicylic acid deposition from wash-off products: comparison of in vivo and porcine deposition models.

    PubMed

    Davies, M A

    2015-10-01

    Salicylic acid (SA) is a widely used active in anti-acne face wash products. Only about 1-2% of the total dose is actually deposited on skin during washing, and more efficient deposition systems are sought. The objective of this work was to develop an improved method, including data analysis, to measure deposition of SA from wash-off formulae. Full fluorescence excitation-emission matrices (EEMs) were acquired for non-invasive measurement of deposition of SA from wash-off products. Multivariate data analysis methods - parallel factor analysis and N-way partial least-squares regression - were used to develop and compare deposition models on human volunteers and porcine skin. Although both models are useful, there are differences between them. First, the range of linear response to dosages of SA was 60 μg cm(-2) in vivo compared to 25 μg cm(-2) on porcine skin. Second, the actual shape of the SA band was different between substrates. The methods employed in this work highlight the utility of the use of EEMs, in conjunction with multivariate analysis tools such as parallel factor analysis and multiway partial least-squares calibration, in determining sources of spectral variability in skin and quantification of exogenous species deposited on skin. The human model exhibited the widest range of linearity, but porcine model is still useful up to deposition levels of 25 μg cm(-2) or used with nonlinear calibration models. © 2015 Society of Cosmetic Scientists and the Société Française de Cosmétologie.

  9. Self-Consistency of Rain Event Definitions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Teves, J. B.; Larsen, M.

    2014-12-01

    A dense optical rain disdrometer array was constructed to study rain variability on spatial scales less than 100 meters with temporal resolution of 1 minute. Approximately two months of data were classified into rain events using methods common in the literature. These methods were unable to identify an array-wide consensus as to the total number of rain events; instruments as little as 2 meters apart with similar data records sometimes identified different rain event totals. Physical considerations suggest that these differing event totals are likely due to instrument sampling fluctuations that are typically not accounted for in rain event studies. Detection of varying numbers of rain events impact many commonly used storm statistics including storm duration distributions and mean rain rate. A summary of the results above and their implications are presented.

  10. Soil calcium status and the response of stream chemistry to changing acidic deposition rates

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Lawrence, G.B.; David, M.B.; Lovett, Gary M.; Murdoch, Peter S.; Burns, Douglas A.; Stoddard, J.L.; Baldigo, Barry P.; Porter, J.H.; Thompson, A.W.

    1999-01-01

    Despite a decreasing trend in acidic deposition rates over the past two to three decades, acidified surface waters in the northeastern United States have shown minimal changes. Depletion of soil Ca pools has been suggested as a cause, although changes in soil Ca pools have not been directly related to long-term records of stream chemistry. To investigate this problem, a comprehensive watershed study was conducted in the Neversink River Basin, in the Catskill Mountains of New York, during 1991-1996. Spatial variations of atmospheric deposition, soil chemistry, and stream chemistry were evaluated over an elevation range of 817-1234 m to determine whether these factors exhibited elevational patterns. An increase in atmospheric deposition of SO4 with increasing elevation corresponded with upslope decreases of exchangeable soil base concentrations and acid-neutralizing capacity of stream water. Exchangeable base concentrations in homogeneous soil incubated within the soil profile for one year also decreased with increasing elevation. An elevational gradient in precipitation was not observed, and effects of a temperature gradient on soil properties were not detected. Laboratory leaching experiments with soils from this watershed showed that (1) concentrations of Ca in leachate increased as the concentrations of acid anions in added solution increased, and (2) the slope of this relationship was positively correlated with base saturation. Field and laboratory soil analyses are consistent with the interpretation that decreasing trends in acid-neutralizing capacity in stream water in the Neversink Basin, dating back to 1984, are the result of decreases in soil base saturation caused by acidic deposition.

  11. A decade of monitoring at Swiss Long-Term Forest Ecosystem Research (LWF) sites: can we observe trends in atmospheric acid deposition and in soil solution acidity?

    PubMed

    Pannatier, Elisabeth Graf; Thimonier, Anne; Schmitt, Maria; Walthert, Lorenz; Waldner, Peter

    2011-03-01

    Trends in atmospheric acid deposition and in soil solution acidity from 1995 or later until 2007 were investigated at several forest sites throughout Switzerland to assess the effects of air pollution abatements on deposition and the response of the soil solution chemistry. Deposition of the major elements was estimated from throughfall and bulk deposition measurements at nine sites of the Swiss Long-Term Forest Ecosystem Research network (LWF) since 1995 or later. Soil solution was measured at seven plots at four soil depths since 1998 or later. Trends in the molar ratio of base cations to aluminum (BC/Al) in soil solutions and in concentrations and fluxes of inorganic N (NO(3)-N + NH(4)-N), sulfate (SO(4)-S), and base cations (BC) were used to detect changes in soil solution chemistry. Acid deposition significantly decreased at three out of the nine study sites due to a decrease in total N deposition. Total SO(4)-S deposition decreased at the nine sites, but due to the relatively low amount of SO(4)-S load compared to N deposition, it did not contribute to decrease acid deposition significantly. No trend in total BC deposition was detected. In the soil solution, no trend in concentrations and fluxes of BC, SO(4)-S, and inorganic N were found at most soil depths at five out of the seven sites. This suggests that the soil solution reacted very little to the changes in atmospheric deposition. A stronger reduction in base cations compared to aluminum was detected at two sites, which might indicate that acidification of the soil solution was proceeding faster at these sites.

  12. Acid deposition sensitivity map of the Southern Appalachian Assessment area; Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Pepper, John D.; Grosz, Andrew E.; Kress, Thomas H.; Collins, Thomas K.; Kappesser, Gary B.; Huber, Cindy M.; Webb, James R.

    1995-01-01

    Project Summary: The following digital product represents the Acid Deposition Sensitivity of the Southern Appalachian Assessment Area. Areas having various susceptibilities to acid deposition from air pollution are designated on a three tier ranking in the region of the Southern Appalachian Assessment (SAA). The assessment is being conducted by Federal agencies that are members of the Southern Appalachian Man and Biosphere (SAMAB) Cooperative. Sensitivities to acid deposition, ranked high, medium, and low are assigned on the basis of bedrock compositions and their associated soils, and their capacities to neutralize acid precipitation.

  13. A modified approach for estimating the aquatic critical load of acid deposition in northern Saskatchewan, Canada

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Whitfield, Colin J.; Mowat, Aidan C.; Scott, Kenneth A.; Watmough, Shaun A.

    2016-12-01

    Acid-sensitive ecosystems are found in northern Saskatchewan, which lies downwind of major sulphur (S) and nitrogen (N) emissions sources associated with the oil sands extraction industry. In order to protect these ecosystems against acidification, tolerance to acid deposition must be quantified. The suitability of the central empirical relationship used in the Steady-State Water Chemistry (SSWC) model to predict historical sulphate (SO4) concentrations was investigated, and an alternate approach for determining aquatic critical loads of acidity (CL(A)) was employed for the study lakes (n = 260). Critical loads of acidity were often low, with median values of 12-16 mmolc m-2 yr-1, with the lower value reflecting a region-specific limit for acid-neutralizing capacity identified in this study. Uncertain levels of atmospheric deposition in the region, however, are problematic for characterizing acidification risk. Accurate S and chloride (Cl) deposition are needed to identify catchment sources (and sinks) of these elements in the new approach for CL(A) calculation. Likewise, accurate depiction of atmospheric deposition levels can prove useful for evaluation of lake runoff estimates on which estimates of CL(A) are contingent. While CL(A) are low and exceedance may occur according to projected increases in S deposition in the near-term, S retention appears to be an important feature in many catchments and risk of acidification may be overstated should long-term S retention be occurring in peatlands.

  14. Life in Tropical Rain Forests.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    NatureScope, 1989

    1989-01-01

    Discusses the diversity of rain forest life, the adaptations of rain forest plants and animals, and ways these organisms interact. Includes activities on canopy critters with a copyable sheet, rain forest revue, design a plant, and jungle sleuths. (RT)

  15. Quantitation of total protein deposits on contact lenses by means of amino acid analysis.

    PubMed

    Yan, G; Nyquist, G; Caldwell, K D; Payor, R; McCraw, E C

    1993-04-01

    This study was done to characterize and quantify the protein deposits on worn contact lenses and to measure the residual deposits after extraction in 2% sodium dodecyl sulfate and the total protein deposits on worn vifilcon, atlafilcon, and tefilcon lenses (Food and Drug Administration Types IV, II, and I, respectively). Contact lens extracts were separated with gel electrophoresis, and the amount of protein was estimated after silver staining and densitometry. To determine the residual deposits, the contact lenses were hydrolyzed, and amino acid analysis was carried out by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography after precolumn derivatization with phenylisothiocyanate. Refinement of the hydrolysis conditions was undertaken to minimize interference by the lens polymers. The extraction removed only approximately 25% of the protein deposits. Mild hydrolytic conditions, 20 hr in 6 N HCl at 105 degrees C, were found to cause minimal polymer interference. Of the 350, 10, and 20 micrograms of protein typically determined on whole vifilcon, atlafilcon, and tefilcon lenses, the polymers were estimated to account for 4, 0.5, and less than 0.4 micrograms, respectively. Hydrolysis of worn contact lenses with subsequent amino acid separation can be applied to determine the total protein deposits without the uncertainty inherent in extraction of the deposits.

  16. Lessons from the Rain Forest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Phillips, Shelley

    2002-01-01

    Presents a first-grade art project after students learned about the rain forest and heard the story, "The Great Kapok Tree: A Tale of the Amazon Rain Forest" (Lynn Cherry). Explains that the students created pictures of the rain forest. (CMK)

  17. Inter-comparison of automatic rain gauges

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Nystuen, Jeffrey A.

    1994-01-01

    The Ocean Acoustics Division (OAD) of the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML), in cooperation with NOAA/NESDIS and NASA, has deployed six rain gauges for calibration and intercomparison purposes. These instruments include: (1) a weighing rain gauge, (2) a RM Young Model 50202 capacitance rain gauge, (3) a ScTI ORG-705 (long path) optical rain gauge, (4) a ScTI ORG-105 (mini-ORG) optical rain gauge, (5) a Belfort Model 382 tipping bucket rain gauge, and (6) a Distromet RD-69 disdrometer. The system has been running continuously since July 1993. During this time period, roughly 150 events with maximum rainfall rate over 10 mm/hr and 25 events with maximum rainfall rates over 100 mm/hr have been recorded. All rain gauge types have performed well, with intercorrelations 0.9 or higher. However, limitations for each type of rain gauge have been observed.

  18. Direct splash dispersal prevails over indirect and subsequent spread during rains in Colletotrichum gloeosporioides infecting yams.

    PubMed

    Penet, Laurent; Guyader, Sébastien; Pétro, Dalila; Salles, Michèle; Bussière, François

    2014-01-01

    Plant pathogens have evolved many dispersal mechanisms, using biotic or abiotic vectors or a combination of the two. Rain splash dispersal is known from a variety of fungi, and can be an efficient driver of crop epidemics, with infectious strains propagating rapidly among often genetically homogenous neighboring plants. Splashing is nevertheless a local dispersal process and spores taking the droplet ride seldom move farther than a few decimeters. In this study, we assessed rain splash dispersal of conidia of the yam anthracnose agent, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, in an experimental setting using a rain simulator, with emphasis on the impact of soil contamination (i.e., effect of re-splashing events). Spores dispersed up to 50 cm from yam leaf inoculum sources, though with an exponential decrease with increasing distance. While few spores were dispersed via re-splash from spore-contaminated soil, the proportion deposited via this mechanism increased with increasing distance from the initial source. We found no soil contamination carryover from previous rains, suggesting that contamination via re-splashing from contaminated soils mainly occurred within single rains. We conclude that most dispersal occurs from direct splashing, with a weaker contribution of indirect dispersal via re-splash.

  19. Direct Splash Dispersal Prevails over Indirect and Subsequent Spread during Rains in Colletotrichum gloeosporioides Infecting Yams

    PubMed Central

    Penet, Laurent; Guyader, Sébastien; Pétro, Dalila; Salles, Michèle; Bussière, François

    2014-01-01

    Plant pathogens have evolved many dispersal mechanisms, using biotic or abiotic vectors or a combination of the two. Rain splash dispersal is known from a variety of fungi, and can be an efficient driver of crop epidemics, with infectious strains propagating rapidly among often genetically homogenous neighboring plants. Splashing is nevertheless a local dispersal process and spores taking the droplet ride seldom move farther than a few decimeters. In this study, we assessed rain splash dispersal of conidia of the yam anthracnose agent, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, in an experimental setting using a rain simulator, with emphasis on the impact of soil contamination (i.e., effect of re-splashing events). Spores dispersed up to 50 cm from yam leaf inoculum sources, though with an exponential decrease with increasing distance. While few spores were dispersed via re-splash from spore-contaminated soil, the proportion deposited via this mechanism increased with increasing distance from the initial source. We found no soil contamination carryover from previous rains, suggesting that contamination via re-splashing from contaminated soils mainly occurred within single rains. We conclude that most dispersal occurs from direct splashing, with a weaker contribution of indirect dispersal via re-splash. PMID:25532124

  20. Measurements of Mercury in Rain and Fog Water from the Central Coast of California Measurements of Mercury in Rain and Fog Water from the Central Coast of California

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Flegal, A. R.; Weiss-Penzias, P. S.; Ortiz, C.; Acosta, P.; Ryan, J. P.; Collett, J. L.

    2011-12-01

    Mercury (Hg) is a toxic element that can bioaccumulate in higher trophic level aquatic organisms and poses a health risk to humans and wildlife who consume those organisms. This widespread problem is exemplified by a recent survey of game fish from 152 California Lakes, which found that at least one species in 74% of the lakes sampled exceeded the lowest health threshold for methylmercury. The atmosphere is known to be an important pathway for transport of anthropogenic and natural Hg emissions sources. In this study, we investigated wet deposition of Hg through the precipitation of fog and rain water on the Central Coast of California. Fog (or marine stratus) is common on the California Central Coast and is a significant contributor to the hydrologic cycle, yet concentrations of Hg in fog have not previously been measured in this region. Our samples were collected from a small boat in the Monterey Bay, at the harbor in Moss Landing, and from a rooftop on the University of California, Santa Cruz campus, during June - July 2011 using a Caltech Active Strand Cloud Water Collector-2 that has been used previously for collection of Hg samples. Aqueous samples were analyzed for total Hg using EPA method 1631. Rainwater samples were also collected in Santa Cruz between March and June 2011. Hg concentrations ranged from 1-19 ng/L in fog and from 1-3 ng/L in rain. A previous study in Santa Cruz found a wider range of 2-18 ng/L Hg in rain, and previous studies of Hg in fog from the U.S. and Canada reported concentrations of 2-430 ng/L. Thus, our results are consistent with previous findings that Hg concentrations in fog water are at least as high, if not higher than Hg concentrations in rain. This suggests that in environments where fog is an important contributor to total precipitation, like coastal California, a significant fraction of Hg wet deposition may be occurring via fog precipitation.

  1. The allelopathic effects of invasive plant Solidago canadensis on seed germination and growth of Lactuca sativa enhanced by different types of acid deposition.

    PubMed

    Wang, Congyan; Xiao, Hongguang; Zhao, Lulu; Liu, Jun; Wang, Lei; Zhang, Fei; Shi, Yanchun; Du, Daolin

    2016-04-01

    Invasive species can exhibit allelopathic effects on native species. Meanwhile, the types of acid deposition are gradually changing. Thus, the allelopathic effects of invasive species on seed germination and growth of native species may be altered or even enhanced under conditions with diversified acid deposition. This study aims to assess the allelopathic effects (using leaves extracts) of invasive plant Solidago canadensis on seed germination and growth of native species Lactuca sativa treated with five types of acid deposition with different SO4(2-) to NO3(-) ratios (1:0, sulfuric acid; 5:1, sulfuric-rich acid; 1:1, mixed acid; 1:5, nitric-rich acid; 0:1, nitric acid). Solidago canadensis leaf extracts exhibited significantly allelopathic effects on germination index, vigor index, and germination rate index of L. sativa. High concentration of S. canadensis leaf extracts also similarly exhibited significantly allelopathic effects on root length of L. sativa. This may be due to that S. canadensis could release allelochemicals and then trigger allelopathic effects on seed germination and growth of L. sativa. Acid deposition exhibited significantly negative effects on seedling biomass, root length, seedling height, germination index, vigor index, and germination rate index of L. sativa. This may be ascribed to the decreased soil pH values mediated by acid deposition which could produce toxic effects on seedling growth. Sulfuric acid deposition triggered more toxic effects on seedling biomass and vigor index of L. sativa than nitric acid deposition. This may be attributing to the difference in exchange capacity with hydroxyl groups (OH(-)) between SO4(2-) and NO3(-) as well as the fertilizing effects mediated by nitric deposition. All types of acid deposition significantly enhanced the allelopathic effects of S. canadensis on root length, germination index, vigor index, and germination rate index of L. sativa. This may be due to the negatively synergistic effects of

  2. Particle transport patterns of short-distance soil erosion by wind-driven rain, rain and wind

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Marzen, Miriam; Iserloh, Thomas; de Lima, João L. M. P.; Ries, Johannes B.

    2015-04-01

    Short distance erosion of soil surface material is one of the big question marks in soil erosion studies. The exact measurement of short-distance transported soil particles, prior to the occurrence of overland flow, is a challenge to soil erosion science due to the particular requirements of the experimental setup and test procedure. To approach a quantification of amount and distance of each type of transport, we applied an especially developed multiple-gutter system installed inside the Trier Portable Wind and Rainfall Simulator (PWRS). We measured the amount and travel distance of soil particles detached and transported by raindrops (splash), wind-driven rain (splash-saltation and splash-drift) and wind (saltation). The test setup included three different erosion agents (rain/ wind-driven rain/ wind), two substrates (sandy/ loamy), three surface structures (grain roughness/ rills lengthwise/ rills transversal) and three slope angles (0°/+7°/-7°). The results present detailed transport patterns of the three erosion agents under the varying soil and surface conditions up to a distance of 1.6 m. Under the applied rain intensity and wind velocity, wind-driven rain splash generates the highest erosion. The erodibility and travel distance of the two substrates depend on the erosion agent. The total erosion is slightly higher for the slope angle -7° (downslope), but for wind-driven rain splash, the inclination is not a relevant factor. The effect of surface structures (rills) changes with traveling distance. The wind driven rain splash generates a much higher amount of erosion and a further travel distance of the particles due to the combined action of wind and rain. The wind-driven rain factor appears to be much more significant than the other factors. The study highlights the effects of different erosion agents and surface parameters on short-distance particle transport and the powerful impact of wind-driven rain on soil erosion.

  3. Acid Precipitation Awareness Curriculum Materials in the Life Sciences.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stubbs, Harriett S.

    1983-01-01

    Provides an outline of course content for acid precipitation and two acid rain activities (introduction to pH and effects of acid rain on an organism). Information for obtaining 20 additional activities as well as an information packet containing booklets, pamphlets, and articles are also provided. (JN)

  4. Aerosol deposition in the human respiratory tract

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Winchester, John W.; Jones, Donald L.; Mu-tian, Bi

    1984-04-01

    Rising sulfur dioxide emissions from increased coal combustion present risks, not only of acid rain, but also to health by inhalation of the SO 2 and acid to the lung. We are investigating human inhalation of ppm SO 2 concentrations mixed with aerosol of submicrometer aqueous salt droplets to determine the effects on lung function and body chemistry. Unlike some investigators, we emphasize ammonium sulfate and trace element aerosol composition which simulates ambient air; aerosol pH, relative humidity, and temperature control to reveal gas-particle reaction mechanisms; and dose estimates from length of exposure, SO 2 concentration, and a direct measurement of respiratory deposition of aerosol as a function of particle size by cascade impactor sampling and elemental analysis by PIXE. Exposures, at rest or during exercise, are in a walk-in chamber at body temperature and high humidity to simulate Florida's summer climate. Lung function measurement by spirometry is carried out immediately after exposure. The results are significant in relating air quality to athletic performance and to public health in the southeastern United States.

  5. Alleviatory effects of silicon on the foliar micromorphology and anatomy of rice (Oryza sativa L.) seedlings under simulated acid rain

    PubMed Central

    Ju, Shuming; Wang, Liping; Zhang, Cuiying; Yin, Tingchao; Shao, Siliang

    2017-01-01

    Silicon (Si) is a macroelement in plants. The biological effects and mitigation mechanisms of silicon under environmental stress have become hot topics. The main objectives of this study were to elucidate the roles of Si in alleviating the effects on the phenotype, micromorphology and anatomy of the leaves of rice seedlings under acid rain stress. The results indicated that the combined or single effects of Si and simulated acid rain (SAR) stress on rice roots depended on the concentration of Si and the intensity of the SAR stress. The combined or single effects of the moderate concentration of Si (2.0 mM) and light SAR (pH 4.0) enhanced the growth of the rice leaves and the development of the mesophyll cells, and the combined effects were stronger than those of the single treatments. The high concentration of Si (4.0 mM) and severe SAR (pH 3.0 or 2.0) exerted deleterious effects. The incorporation of Si (2.0 or 4.0 mM) into SAR at pH values of 3.0 or 2.0 promoted rice leaf growth, decreased necrosis spots, maintained the structure and function of the mesophyll cells, increased the epicuticular wax content and wart-like protuberance (WP) density, and improved the stomatal characteristics of the leaves of rice seedlings more than the SAR only treatments. The alleviatory effects observed with a moderate concentration of Si (2.0 mM) were better than the effects obtained with the high concentration of Si (4.0 mM). The alleviatory effects were due to the enhancement of the mechanical barriers in the leaf epidermis. PMID:29065171

  6. Alleviatory effects of silicon on the foliar micromorphology and anatomy of rice (Oryza sativa L.) seedlings under simulated acid rain.

    PubMed

    Ju, Shuming; Wang, Liping; Zhang, Cuiying; Yin, Tingchao; Shao, Siliang

    2017-01-01

    Silicon (Si) is a macroelement in plants. The biological effects and mitigation mechanisms of silicon under environmental stress have become hot topics. The main objectives of this study were to elucidate the roles of Si in alleviating the effects on the phenotype, micromorphology and anatomy of the leaves of rice seedlings under acid rain stress. The results indicated that the combined or single effects of Si and simulated acid rain (SAR) stress on rice roots depended on the concentration of Si and the intensity of the SAR stress. The combined or single effects of the moderate concentration of Si (2.0 mM) and light SAR (pH 4.0) enhanced the growth of the rice leaves and the development of the mesophyll cells, and the combined effects were stronger than those of the single treatments. The high concentration of Si (4.0 mM) and severe SAR (pH 3.0 or 2.0) exerted deleterious effects. The incorporation of Si (2.0 or 4.0 mM) into SAR at pH values of 3.0 or 2.0 promoted rice leaf growth, decreased necrosis spots, maintained the structure and function of the mesophyll cells, increased the epicuticular wax content and wart-like protuberance (WP) density, and improved the stomatal characteristics of the leaves of rice seedlings more than the SAR only treatments. The alleviatory effects observed with a moderate concentration of Si (2.0 mM) were better than the effects obtained with the high concentration of Si (4.0 mM). The alleviatory effects were due to the enhancement of the mechanical barriers in the leaf epidermis.

  7. Rain Forest Murals

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kleiner, Cheryl

    2010-01-01

    The rain forest murals in the author's school began as a request from her principal to have students decorate the cafeteria with their own paintings. She decided to brainstorm ideas with her eighth-grade students. Taking into consideration the architectural space and the environmental concerns they wanted to convey, students chose the rain forest…

  8. SOM Stability under Long-term Recovery from Acidic Deposition in a Northern Hardwood Forest

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Marinos, R.; Bernhardt, E. S.; Groffman, P. M.; Likens, G.; Rosi-Marshall, E. J.

    2016-12-01

    Forested ecosystems in the Northeast U.S.A. are currently recovering from decades of acidic deposition that decreased soil pH, leached base cations, and increased soluble aluminum (Al) in soils. Because most research examining SOM dynamics in these ecosystems has taken place against a background of acidic deposition, it remains poorly understood how SOM pools will change as a result of the long-term trajectory of recovery from acidic deposition throughout the region. These potential changes may alter soil fertility status as well as the chemistry of receiving freshwater bodies. Watershed-scale experiments that increase soil pH and base cation status may provide insight into how SOM pools in these recovering ecosystems will respond on timescales of decades to centuries, but results from these experiments have been equivocal. At Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in New Hampshire, a watershed-scale acid remediation treatment of calcium silicate caused a 40% decline of SOM pools in the humic (Oa) soil horizon, in addition to increasing soil pH and base saturation. We sought to understand the mechanisms driving this substantial loss of SOM. We found that, in the Oa horizon of the treatment watershed, respiration and nitrogen (N) mineralization were significantly, positively correlated with exchangeable calcium (Ca) and uncorrelated with soil pH; in a linear regression, exchangeable Ca explained 76% of the variation in respiration and 74% of the variation in nitrogen mineralization in the treatment soils. These metrics were uncorrelated in soils from a nearby reference watershed, where Ca is uniformly low. This suggests that the rate and magnitude of soil Ca changes during recovery from acid deposition may provide an important long-term control on the stability of SOM in these ecosystems. Additionally, we found substantially enhanced in-stream biotic uptake of the inorganic N released from this enhanced SOM decomposition, with growing-season N flux from the treatment

  9. Electrophoretic deposition and electrochemical behavior of novel graphene oxide-hyaluronic acid-hydroxyapatite nanocomposite coatings

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Ming; Liu, Qian; Jia, Zhaojun; Xu, Xuchen; Shi, Yuying; Cheng, Yan; Zheng, Yufeng; Xi, Tingfei; Wei, Shicheng

    2013-11-01

    Novel ternary graphene oxide-hyaluronic acid-hydroxyapatite (GO-HY-HA) nanocomposite coatings were prepared on Ti substrate using anodic electrophoretic deposition (EPD). Hyaluronic acid was employed as charging additive and dispersion agent during EPD. The kinetics and mechanism of the deposition, and the microstructure of the coated samples were investigated using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectrum, thermo-gravimetric analysis, and microscopic Fourier transform infrared analysis. The results showed that the addition of GO sheets into the HY-HA suspensions could increase the deposition rate and inhibit cracks creation and propagation in the coatings. The corrosion resistant of the resulting samples were evaluated using potentiodynamic polarization method in simulated body fluid, and the GO-HY-HA coatings could effectively improve the anti-corrosion property of the Ti substrate.

  10. Nitrogen deposition: the up and down side for production agriculture.

    Treesearch

    Pamela Padgett

    2009-01-01

    Deposition of nitrogen-containing air pollutants contributes as much as 80 kg-N yr-1 to rural lands in proximity to large urban centers. Even in areas distant from pollution sources atmospheric deposition in the US, and much of Europe, is 5 to 10 times higher than natural background levels. Wet deposition in rain, snow, and fog is relatively easy to measure and has...

  11. Differences in functional traits between invasive and native Amaranthus species under simulated acid deposition with a gradient of pH levels

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Congyan; Wu, Bingde; Jiang, Kun; Zhou, Jiawei

    2018-05-01

    Co-occurring invasive plant species (invaders hereafter) and natives receive similar or even the same environmental selection pressures. Thus, the differences in functional traits between natives and invaders have become widely recognized as a major driving force of the success of plant invasion. Meanwhile, increasing amounts of acid are deposited into ecosystems. Thus, it is important to elucidate the potential effects of acid deposition on the functional traits of invaders in order to better understand the potential mechanisms for the successful invasion. This study aims to address the differences in functional traits between native red amaranth (Amaranthus tricolor L.; amaranth hereafter) and invasive redroot pigweed (A. retroflexus L.; pigweed hereafter) under simulated acid deposition with a gradient of pH levels. Pigweed was significantly taller than amaranth under most treatments. The greater height of pigweed can lead to greater competitive ability for resource acquisition, particularly for sunlight. Leaf shape index of pigweed was also significantly greater than that of amaranth under all treatments. The greater leaf shape index of pigweed can enhance the efficiency of resource capture (especially sunlight capture) via adjustments to leaf shape and size. Thus, the greater height and leaf shape index of pigweed can significantly enhance its competitive ability, especially under acid deposition. Acid deposition of pH 5.6 significantly increased amaranth leaf width in the co-cultivation due to added nutrients. The pH 4.5 acid deposition treatment significantly increased the specific leaf area of amaranth in the monoculture compared with the pH 5.6 acid deposition treatment and the control. The main mechanism explaining this pattern may be due to acid deposition mediating a hormesis effect on plants, promoting plant growth. The values of the relative competition intensity between amaranth and pigweed for most functional traits were lower than zero under most

  12. Geology and geochemistry of Summitville, Colorado: an epithermal acid sulfate deposit in a volcanic dome

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Gray, J.E.; Coolbaugh, M.F.

    1994-01-01

    Geologic studies during recent open-pit mining at Summitville, Colorado, have provided new information on an epithermal acid sulfate Au-Ag-Cu deposit formed in a volcanic dome. Geologic mapping, geochemical studies of whole-rock samples from blast holes, and geologic and geochemical traverse studies refine the details of the evolution of the Summitville deposit. Six distinct events followed emplacement of the quartz latite volcanic dome and define the development of the Summitville deposit: 1) an early stage of acid sulfate alteration, 2) subsequent Cu sulfide and gold mineralization, 3) widespread hydrothermal brecciation, 4) volumetrically minor, base metal sulfide-bearing barite veining, 5) volumetrically minor, kaolinite matrix brecciation, and finally, 6) supergene oxidation. -from Authors

  13. Reactive nitrogen deposition to South East Asian rainforest

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    di Marco, Chiara F.; Phillips, Gavin J.; Thomas, Rick; Tang, Sim; Nemitz, Eiko; Sutton, Mark A.; Fowler, David; Lim, Sei F.

    2010-05-01

    The supply of reactive nitrogen (N) to global terrestrial ecosystems has doubled since the 1960s as a consequence of human activities, such as fertilizer application and production of nitrogen oxides by fossil-fuel burning. The deposition of atmospheric N species constitutes a major nutrient input to the biosphere. Tropical forests have been undergoing a radical land use change by increasing cultivation of sugar cane and oil palms and the remaining forests are increasingly affected by anthropogenic activities. Yet, quantifications of atmospheric nitrogen deposition to tropical forests, and nitrogen cycling under near-pristine and polluted conditions are rare. The OP3 project ("Oxidant and Particle Photochemical Processes above a Southeast Asian Tropical Rainforest") was conceived to study how emissions of reactive trace gases from a tropical rain forest mediate the regional scale production and processing of oxidants and particles, and to better understand the impact of these processes on local, regional and global scale atmospheric composition, chemistry and climate. As part of this study we have measured reactive, nitrogen containing trace gas (ammonia, nitric acid) and the associated aerosol components (ammonium, nitrate) at monthly time resolution using a simple filter / denuder for 16 months. These measurements were made at the Bukit Atur Global Atmospheric Watch tower near Danum Valley in the Malaysian state of Sabah, Borneo. In addition, the same compounds were measured at hourly time-resolution during an intensive measurement period, with a combination of a wet-chemistry system based on denuders and steam jet aerosol collectors and an aerosol mass spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS), providing additional information on the temporal controls. During this period, concentrations and fluxes of NO, NO2 and N2O were also measured. The measurements are used for inferential dry deposition modelling and combined with wet deposition data from the South East Asian Acid

  14. Chemical and biological status of lakes and streams in the upper midwest: assessment of acidic deposition effects

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Wiener, J.G.; Eilers, J.M.

    1987-01-01

    Many lakes in three areas in the Upper Midwest - northeastern Minnesota, northern Wisconsin, and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan - have low acid neutralizing capacity (ANC) and may be susceptible to change by acidic deposition. Northcentral Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan together contain about 150-300 acidic lakes (ANC ≤ 0), whereas none have been found in Minnesota. These acidic lakes are precipitation-dominated, Clearwater seepage lakes having small surface area, shallow depth, and low concentrations of dissolved organic carbon. The spatial distribution of these acidic lakes parallels a west to east gradient of increasing sulfate and hydrogen ion deposition. Several of these acidic lakes exhibit chemical characteristics and biological changes consistent with those observed elsewhere in waters reported to be acidified by acidic deposition. However, an hypothesis of recent lake acidification is not supported by analyses of either historical chemical data or diatom remains in lake sediments, and natural sources of acidity and alternative ecological processes have not been conclusively eliminated as causative factors. Streams in this three-state region have high ANC and appear to be insensitive to acidic deposition. The species richness and composition of lacustrine fish communities in the region are partly related to pH and associated chemical factors. Sport fishes considered acid-sensitive and of primary concern with regard to acidification include walleye, smallmouth bass, and black crappie. The fishery in at least one lake, Morgan Lake in Wisconsin (pH 4.6), may have declined because of acidification. Given the general lack of quantitative fishery data for acidic Wisconsin and Michigan lakes, however, more general conclusions concerning impacts or the absence of impacts of acidification on the region's fishery resources are not possible.

  15. Critical loads of acidity for 90,000 lakes in northern Saskatchewan: A novel approach for mapping regional sensitivity to acidic deposition

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cathcart, H.; Aherne, J.; Jeffries, D. S.; Scott, K. A.

    2016-12-01

    Atmospheric emissions of sulphur dioxide (SO2) from large point sources are the primary concern for acidic deposition in western Canada, particularly in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region (AOSR) where prevailing winds may potentially carry SO2 over acid-sensitive lakes in northern Saskatchewan. A novel catchment-scale regression kriging approach was used to assess regional sensitivity and critical loads of acidity for the total lake population of northern Saskatchewan (89,947 lakes). Lake catchments were delineated using Thiessen polygons, and surface water chemistry was predicted for sensitivity indicators (calcium, pH, alkalinity, and acid neutralizing capacity). Critical loads were calculated with the steady state water chemistry model using regression-kriged base cations, sulphate, and dissolved organic carbon concentrations modelled from surface water observations (n > 800) and digital landscape-scale characteristics, e.g., climate, soil, vegetation, landcover, and geology maps. A large region (>13,726 km2) of two or more indicators of acid sensitivity (pH < 6 and acid neutralizing capacity, alkalinity, calcium < 50 μeq L-1) and low critical loads < 5 meq m-2 yr-1 were predicted on the Athabasca Basin. Exceedance of critical loads under 2006 modelled total sulphate deposition was predicted for 12% of the lakes (covering an area of 3742 km2), primarily located on the Athabasca Basin, within 100 km of the AOSR. There have been conflicting scientific reports of impacts from atmospheric emissions from the AOSR; the results of this study suggest that catchments in the Athabasca Basin within 100 km of the AOSR have received acidic deposition in excess of their critical loads and many of them may be at risk of ecosystem damage owing to their sensitivity.

  16. 6.0 Monitoring recovery from calcium depletion and nitrogen saturation

    Treesearch

    Walter C. Shortle; Peter S. Murdoch; Kevin T. Smith; Rakesh Minocha; Gregory B. Lawrence

    2008-01-01

    Atmospheric emissions from industrial processes in the early part of the 20th century resulted in acidic deposition in the Northeastern U.S., a phenomenon known as "acid rain." Acid rain has been implicated in acidification of sensitive waterways, nitrate enrichment of surface waters, and fish population declines in poorly buffered mountain streams (Baldigo...

  17. Effect of Time and Deposition Method on Quality of Phosphonic Acid Modifier Self-Assembled Monolayers on Indium Zinc Oxide

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Sang, Lingzi; Knesting, Kristina M.; Bulusu, Anuradha

    Phosphonic acid (PA) self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) are utilized at critical interfaces between transparent conductive oxides (TCO) and organic active layers in organic photovoltaic devices (OPVs). The effects of PA deposition method and time on the formation of close-packed, high-quality monolayers is investigated here for SAMs fabricated by solution deposition, micro-contact printing, and spray coating. The solution deposition isotherm for pentafluorinated benzylphosphonic acid (F5BnPA) on indium-doped zinc oxide (IZO) is studied using polarization modulation-infrared reflection-absorption spectroscopy (PM-IRRAS) at room temperature as a model PA/IZO system. Fast surface adsorption occurs within the first min; however, well-oriented high-quality SAMs are reached only aftermore » -48 h, presumably through a continual process of molecular adsorption/desorption and monolayer filling accompanied by molecular reorientation. Two other rapid, soak-free deposition techniques, micro-contact printing and spray coating, are also explored. SAM quality is compared for deposition of phenyl phosphonic acid (PPA), F13-octylphosphonic acid (F13OPA), and pentafluorinated benzyl phosphonic acid (F5BnPA) by solution deposition, micro-contact printing and spray coating using PM-IRRAS. In contrast to micro-contact printing and spray coating techniques, 48-168 h solution deposition at both room temperature and 70 degrees C result in contamination- and surface etch-free close-packed monolayers with good reproducibility. SAMs fabricated by micro-contact printing and spray coating are much less well ordered.« less

  18. Climate dependency of tree growth suppressed by acid deposition effects on soils in Northwest Russia

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Lawrence, G.B.; Lapenis, A.G.; Berggren, D.; Aparin, B.F.; Smith, K.T.; Shortle, W.C.; Bailey, S.W.; Varlyguin, D.L.; Babikov, B.

    2005-01-01

    Increased tree growth in temperate and boreal forests has been proposed as a direct consequence of a warming climate. Acid deposition effects on nutrient availability may influence the climate dependency of tree growth, however. This study presents an analysis of archived soil samples that has enabled changes in soil chemistry to be tracked with patterns of tree growth through the 20th century. Soil samples collected in 1926, 1964, and 2001, near St. Petersburg, Russia, showed that acid deposition was likely to have decreased root-available concentrations of Ca (an essential element) and increased root-available concentrations of Al (an inhibitor of Ca uptake). These soil changes coincided with decreased diameter growth and a suppression of climate-tree growth relationships in Norway spruce. Expected increases in tree growth from climate warming may be limited by decreased soil fertility in regions of northern and eastern Europe, and eastern North America, where Ca availability has been reduced by acidic deposition. ?? 2005 American Chemical Society.

  19. Climate dependency of tree growth suppressed by acid deposition effects on soils in northwest Russia.

    PubMed

    Lawrence, Gregory B; Lapenis, Andrei G; Berggren, Dan; Aparin, Boris F; Smith, Kevin T; Shortle, Walter C; Bailey, Scott W; Varlyguin, Dmitry L; Babikov, Boris

    2005-04-01

    Increased tree growth in temperate and boreal forests has been proposed as a direct consequence of a warming climate. Acid deposition effects on nutrient availability may influence the climate dependency of tree growth, however. This study presents an analysis of archived soil samples that has enabled changes in soil chemistry to be tracked with patterns of tree growth through the 20th century. Soil samples collected in 1926, 1964, and 2001, near St. Petersburg, Russia, showed that acid deposition was likely to have decreased root-available concentrations of Ca (an essential element) and increased root-available concentrations of Al (an inhibitor of Ca uptake). These soil changes coincided with decreased diameter growth and a suppression of climate-tree growth relationships in Norway spruce. Expected increases in tree growth from climate warming may be limited by decreased soil fertility in regions of northern and eastern Europe, and eastern North America, where Ca availability has been reduced by acidic deposition.

  20. Tracing the Sources of Atmospheric Phosphorus Deposition to a Tropical Rain Forest in Panama Using Stable Oxygen Isotopes.

    PubMed

    Gross, A; Turner, B L; Goren, T; Berry, A; Angert, A

    2016-02-02

    Atmospheric dust deposition can be a significant source of phosphorus (P) in some tropical forests, so information on the origins and solubility of atmospheric P is needed to understand and predict patterns of forest productivity under future climate scenarios. We characterized atmospheric dust P across a seasonal cycle in a tropical lowland rain forest on Barro Colorado Nature Monument (BCNM), Republic of Panama. We traced P sources by combining remote sensing imagery with the first measurements of stable oxygen isotopes in soluble inorganic phosphate (δ(18)OP) in dust. In addition, we measured soluble inorganic and organic P concentrations in fine (<1 μm) and coarse (>1 μm) aerosol fractions and used this data to estimate the contribution of P inputs from dust deposition to the forest P budget. Aerosol dry mass was greater in the dry season (December to April, 5.6-15.7 μg m(-3)) than the wet season (May to November, 3.1-7.1 μg m(-3)). In contrast, soluble P concentrations in the aerosols were lower in the dry season (980-1880 μg P g(-1)) than the wet season (1170-3380 μg P g(-1)). The δ(18)OP of dry-season aerosols resembled that of nearby forest soils (∼19.5‰), suggesting a local origin. In the wet season, when the Trans-Atlantic Saharan dust belt moves north close to Panama, the δ(18)OP of aerosols was considerably lower (∼15.5‰), suggesting a significant contribution of long-distance dust P transport. Using satellite retrieved aerosol optical depth (AOD) and the P concentrations in aerosols we sampled in periods when Saharan dust was evident we estimate that the monthly P input from long distance dust transport during the period with highest Saharan dust deposition is 88 ± 31 g P ha(-1) month(-1), equivalent to between 10 and 29% of the P in monthly litter fall in nearby forests. These findings have important implications for our understanding of modern nutrient budgets and the productivity of tropical forests in the region under future

  1. RAINE Public Communities

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    The file geodatabase (fgdb) contains the New England Town Boundaries and information related specifically to the Resilience and Adaptation in New England (RAINE) web application. This includes data tables relating to particular aspects of towns notably features, funding, impacts, partners, plans, and programs (refer to V_MAP_STATIC tables). New England Town Boundary coverage is a compilation of coverages received from the six New England State GIS Offices. The EPA New England GIS Center appended the coverages together into a single file and generated attrributes to link to the Facility Identification Online system. These feature class points represent the communities (Communities in gdb) and featured RAINE communities (RAINE_Communities_201609), which contain more detailed information that is contained within the included data tables.

  2. Effects of acidic deposition and soil acidification on sugar maple trees in the Adirondack Mountains, New York.

    PubMed

    Sullivan, T J; Lawrence, G B; Bailey, S W; McDonnell, T C; Beier, C M; Weathers, K C; McPherson, G T; Bishop, D A

    2013-11-19

    We documented the effects of acidic atmospheric deposition and soil acidification on the canopy health, basal area increment, and regeneration of sugar maple (SM) trees across the Adirondack region of New York State, in the northeastern United States, where SM are plentiful but not well studied and where widespread depletion of soil calcium (Ca) has been documented. Sugar maple is a dominant canopy species in the Adirondack Mountain ecoregion, and it has a high demand for Ca. Trees in this region growing on soils with poor acid-base chemistry (low exchangeable Ca and % base saturation [BS]) that receive relatively high levels of atmospheric sulfur and nitrogen deposition exhibited a near absence of SM seedling regeneration and lower crown vigor compared with study plots with relatively high exchangeable Ca and BS and lower levels of acidic deposition. Basal area increment averaged over the 20th century was correlated (p < 0.1) with acid-base chemistry of the Oa, A, and upper B soil horizons. A lack of Adirondack SM regeneration, reduced canopy condition, and possibly decreased basal area growth over recent decades are associated with low concentrations of nutrient base cations in this region that has undergone soil Ca depletion from acidic deposition.

  3. Atmospheric measurements of pyruvic and formic acid

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Andreae, Meinrat O.; Li, Shao-Meng; Talbot, Robert W.

    1987-01-01

    Pyruvic acid, a product of the atmospheric oxidation of cresols and probably of isoprene, has been determined together with formic acid in atmospheric aerosols and rain as well as in the vapor phase. Both acids are present predominantly as vapor; only about 10-20 percent of the total atmospheric pyruvate and 1-2 percent of the total formate are in the particulate phase. The concentrations of pyruvic and formic acid are highly correlated, with typical formic-to-pyruvic ratios of 10-30 in the gas phase, 20-30 in rain, and 2-10 in aerosols. The gas-phase and rain ratios are comparable to those predicted to result from isoprene oxidation. Pyruvic acid levels were similar in the eastern United States (during summer) and the Amazon Basin, suggesting that natural processes, particularly the photochemical oxidation of isoprene, could account for most of the pyruvic acid present in the atmosphere.

  4. Responses of 20 lake-watersheds in the Adirondack region of New York to historical and potential future acidic deposition.

    PubMed

    Zhou, Qingtao; Driscoll, Charles T; Sullivan, Timothy J

    2015-04-01

    Critical loads (CLs) and dynamic critical loads (DCLs) are important tools to guide the protection of ecosystems from air pollution. In order to quantify decreases in acidic deposition necessary to protect sensitive aquatic species, we calculated CLs and DCLs of sulfate (SO4(2-))+nitrate (NO3-) for 20 lake-watersheds from the Adirondack region of New York using the dynamic model, PnET-BGC. We evaluated lake water chemistry and fish and total zooplankton species richness in response to historical acidic deposition and under future deposition scenarios. The model performed well in simulating measured chemistry of Adirondack lakes. Current deposition of SO4(2-)+NO3-, calcium (Ca2+) weathering rate and lake acid neutralizing capacity (ANC) in 1850 were related to the extent of historical acidification (1850-2008). Changes in lake Al3+ concentrations since the onset of acidic deposition were also related to Ca2+ weathering rate and ANC in 1850. Lake ANC and fish and total zooplankton species richness were projected to increase under hypothetical decreases in future deposition. However, model projections suggest that lake ecosystems will not achieve complete chemical and biological recovery in the future. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  5. Acidic deposition, plant pests, and the fate of forest ecosystems.

    PubMed

    Gragnani, A; Gatto, M; Rinaldi, S

    1998-12-01

    We present and analyze a nonlinear dynamical system modelling forest-pests interactions and the way they are affected by acidic deposition. The model includes mechanisms of carbon and nitrogen exchange between soil and vegetation, biomass decomposition and microbial mineralization, and defoliation by pest grazers, which are partially controlled by avian or mammalian predators. Acidic deposition is assumed to directly damage vegetation, to decrease soil pH, which in turn damages roots and inhibits microbial activity, and to predispose trees to increased pest attack. All the model parameters are set to realistic values except the inflow of protons to soil and the predation mortality inflicted to the pest which are allowed to vary inside reasonable ranges. A numerical bifurcation analysis with respect to these two parameters is carried out. Five functioning modes are uncovered: (i) pest-free equilibrium; (ii) pest persisting at endemic equilibrium; (iii) forest-pest permanent oscillations; (iv) bistable behavior with the system converging either to pest-free equilibrium or endemic pest presence in accordance with initial conditions; (v) bistable behavior with convergence to endemic pest presence or permanent oscillations depending on initial conditions. Catastrophic bifurcations between the different behavior modes are possible, provided the abundance of predators is not too small. Numerical simulation shows that increasing acidic load can lead the forest to collapse in a short time period without important warning signals. Copyright 1998 Academic Press.

  6. A Global Assessment of Rain-Dissolved Organic Carbon

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Safieddine, S.; Heald, C. L.

    2017-12-01

    Precipitation is the largest physical removal pathway of atmospheric organic carbon from the atmosphere. The removed carbon is transferred to the land and ocean in the form of dissolved organic carbon (DOC). Limited measurements have hindered efforts to characterize global DOC. In this poster presentation, we show the first simulated global DOC distribution based on a GEOS-Chem model simulation of the atmospheric reactive carbon budget. Over the ocean, simulated DOC concentrations are between 0.1 to 1 mgCL-1 with a total of 85 TgCyr-1 deposited. DOC concentrations are higher inland, ranging between 1 and 10 mgCL-1, producing a total of 188 TgCyr-1 terrestrial organic wet deposition. We compare the 2010 simulated DOC to a 30-year synthesis of available DOC measurements over different environments. Despite imperfect matching of observational and simulated time intervals, the model is able to reproduce much of the spatial variability of DOC (r= 0.63), with a low bias of 35%. We compare the global average carbon oxidation state (OSc) of both atmospheric and dissolved organic carbon, as a simple metric for describing the chemical composition of organics. In the global atmosphere reactive organic carbon (ROC) is dominated by hydrocarbons and ketones, and OSc, ranges from -1.8 to -0.6. In the dissolved form, formaldehyde, formic acid, primary and secondary semi-volatiles organic aerosol dominate the DOC concentrations. The increase in solubility upon oxidation leads to a global increase in OSc in rainwater with -0.6<=OSc <=0. This simulation provides new insight into the current model representation of the flow of atmospheric and rain-dissolved organic carbon, and new opportunities to use observations and simulations to understand the DOC reaching land and ocean.

  7. Acid Rain: A Global Perspective.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Baldwin, John H.

    1985-01-01

    Analyzes the nature, extent, consequences, and sources of problems associated with acid precipitation. Explains the dilemma in specific countries with an emphasis on Eurasia, India, and the Artic. Discusses control options and international efforts to abate acidification in the environment. (ML)

  8. Effects of acid deposition on calcium nutrition and health of Southern Appalachian spruce fir forests

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    McLaughlin, S.B.; Wullschleger, S.; Stone, A.

    The role of acid deposition in the health of spruce fir forests in the Southern Appalachian Mountains has been investigated by a wide variety of experimental approaches during the past 10 years. These studies have proceeded from initial dendroecological documentation of altered growth patterns of mature trees to increasingly more focused ecophysiological research on the causes and characteristics of changes in system function associated with increased acidic deposition. Field studies across gradients in deposition and soil chemistry have been located on four mountains spanning 85 km of latitude within the Southern Appalachians. The conclusion that calcium nutrition is an importantmore » component regulating health of red spruce in the Southern Appalachians and that acid deposition significantly reduces calcium availability in several ways has emerged as a consistent result from multiple lines or research. These have included analysis of trends in wood chemistry, soil solution chemistry, foliar nutrition, gas exchange physiology, root histochemistry, and controlled laboratory and field studies in which acid deposition and/or calcium nutrition has been manipulated and growth and nutritional status of saplings or mature red spruce trees measured. This earlier research has led us to investigate the broader implications and consequences of calcium deficiency for changing resistance of spruce-fir forests to natural stresses. Current research is exploring possible relationships between altered calcium nutrition and shifts in response of Fraser fir to insect attack by the balsam wooly adelgid. In addition, changes in wood ultrastructural properties in relation to altered wood chemistry is being examined to evaluate its possible role in canopy deterioration, under wind and ice stresses typical of high elevation forests.« less

  9. The use of CTAB as an addition of DAP for improvement resisting acid rain on limestone

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xu, Feigao; Li, Dan

    2017-11-01

    The effect of hydroxyapatite (HA) formed by reacting limestone with mixture of diammonium hydrogen phosphate (DAP) and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) in the consolidation and protection of carbonate stones was investigated. Different concentration of CTAB was used in the experiments with mild condition in order to study how the CTAB affect the structure of HA. Moreover, the strengthening effect was evaluated with artificially limestone samples. The result of BET and XRD both showed that the structure of HA remained almost unchanged except its crystallinity was affected and specific surface area was decreased as the consequence of the addition of CTAB. A double application (as both coupling agent and consolidant) was also investigated, in which the samples were coated with DAP then followed by self-made product. The Scotch Tape test and hardness test both proved the cohesion between consolidant and limestone powder as well as its ability against acid rain were increased, which were ascribed to HA and CTAB.

  10. Effects of simulated acid rain on soil and soil solution chemistry in a monsoon evergreen broad-leaved forest in southern China.

    PubMed

    Qiu, Qingyan; Wu, Jianping; Liang, Guohua; Liu, Juxiu; Chu, Guowei; Zhou, Guoyi; Zhang, Deqiang

    2015-05-01

    Acid rain is an environmental problem of increasing concern in China. In this study, a laboratory leaching column experiment with acid forest soil was set up to investigate the responses of soil and soil solution chemistry to simulated acid rain (SAR). Five pH levels of SAR were set: 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, and 4.5 (as a control, CK). The results showed that soil acidification would occur when the pH of SAR was ≤3.5. The concentrations of NO₃(-)and Ca(2+) in the soil increased significantly when the pH of SAR fell 3.5. The concentration of SO₄(2-) in the soil increased significantly when the pH of SAR was <4.0. The effects of SAR on soil solution chemistry became increasingly apparent as the experiment proceeded (except for Na(+) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC)). The net exports of NO₃(-), SO₄(2-), Mg(2+), and Ca(2+) increased about 42-86% under pH 2.5 treatment as compared to CK. The Ca(2+) was sensitive to SAR, and the soil could release Ca(2+) through mineral weathering to mitigate soil acidification. The concentration of exchangeable Al(3+) in the soil increased with increasing the acidity of SAR. The releases of soluble Al and Fe were SAR pH dependent, and their net exports under pH 2.5 treatment were 19.6 and 5.5 times, respectively, higher than that under CK. The net export of DOC was reduced by 12-29% under SAR treatments as compared to CK. Our results indicate the chemical constituents in the soil are more sensitive to SAR than those in the soil solution, and the effects of SAR on soil solution chemistry depend not only on the intensity of SAR but also on the duration of SAR addition. The soil and soil solution chemistry in this region may not be affected by current precipitation (pH≈4.5) in short term, but the soil and soil leachate chemistry may change dramatically if the pH of precipitation were below 3.5 and 3.0, respectively.

  11. Foliar loading and metabolic assimilation of dry deposited nitric acid air pollutants by trees

    Treesearch

    Pamela E. Padgett; Hillary Cook; Andrzej Bytnerowicz; Robert L. Heath

    2009-01-01

    Dry deposition of nitric acid vapor (HNO(3)) is a major contributor to eutrophication of natural ecosystems. Although soil fertilization by nitrogen deposition is considered to be the primary pathway for changes in plant nutrient status and shifts in ecological structure, the aerial portion of plants offer many times the surface area in which to...

  12. When It Rains, It Pours

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mills, Linda

    2012-01-01

    "It's raining, it's pouring, the old man is snoring!" "The itsy, bitsy spider crawled up the waterspout, down came the rain and washed the spider out. Out came the sun and dried up all the rain, and the itsy, bitsy spider went up the spout again." What do children's nursery rhymes have to do with the school library? The author begins by telling a…

  13. Effects of Folic Acid on Secretases Involved in Aβ Deposition in APP/PS1 Mice

    PubMed Central

    Tian, Tian; Bai, Dong; Li, Wen; Huang, Guo-Wei; Liu, Huan

    2016-01-01

    Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common type of dementia. Amyloid-β protein (Aβ) is identified as the core protein of neuritic plaques. Aβ is generated by the sequential cleavage of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) via the APP cleaving enzyme (α-secretase, or β-secretase) and γ-secretase. Previous studies indicated that folate deficiency elevated Aβ deposition in APP/PS1 mice, and this rise was prevented by folic acid. In the present study, we aimed to investigate whether folic acid could influence the generation of Aβ by regulating α-, β-, and γ-secretase. Herein, we demonstrated that folic acid reduced the deposition of Aβ42 in APP/PS1 mice brain by decreasing the mRNA and protein expressions of β-secretase [beta-site APP-cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1)] and γ-secretase complex catalytic component—presenilin 1 (PS1)—in APP/PS1 mice brain. Meanwhile, folic acid increased the levels of ADAM9 and ADAM10, which are important α-secretases in ADAM (a disintegrin and metalloprotease) family. However, folic acid has no impact on the protein expression of nicastrin (Nct), another component of γ-secretase complex. Moreover, folic acid regulated the expression of miR-126-3p and miR-339-5p, which target ADAM9 and BACE1, respectively. Taken together, the effect of folic acid on Aβ deposition may relate to making APP metabolism through non-amyloidogenic pathway by decreasing β-secretase and increasing α-secretase. MicroRNA (miRNA) may involve in the regulation mechanism of folic acid on secretase expression. PMID:27618097

  14. Calcium affecting protein expression in longan under simulated acid rain stress.

    PubMed

    Pan, Tengfei; Li, Yongyu; Ma, Cuilan; Qiu, Dongliang

    2015-08-01

    Longan (Dimocarpus longana Lour. cv. Wulongling) of uniform one-aged seedlings grown in pots were selected to study specific proteins expressed in leaves under simulated acid rain (SiAR) stress and exogenous Ca(2+) regulation. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) results showed that there was a protein band specifically expressed under SiAR of pH 2.5 stress for 15 days with its molecular weight of about 23 kD. A 17 kD protein band specifically expressed after SiAR stress 5 days. Compared with pH 2.5, the pH 3.5 of SiAR made a less influence to protein expression. Two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) results showed that six new specific proteins including C4 (20.2 kD pI 6.0), F (24 kD pI 6.35), B3 (22.3 kD pI 6.35), B4 (23.5 kD pI 6.5), C5 (21.8 kD pI 5.6), and C6 (20.2 kD pI 5.6) specifically expressed. C4 always expressed during SiAR stress. F expressed under the stress of pH 2.5 for 15 days and expressed in all pH SiAR stress for 20 days. The expression of proteins including B3, C5, and C6 was related to pH value and stress intensity of SiAR. The expression of B4 resulted from synergistic effects of SiAR and Ca. The expression of G1 (Mr 19.3 kD, pI 4.5), G2 (Mr 17.8 kD, pI 4.65), G3 (Mr 16.6 kD, pI 4.6), and G4 (Mr 14.7 kD, pI 4.4) enhanced under the treatment of 5 mM ethylene glycol tetraacetic acid (EGTA) and 2 mM chlorpromazine (CPZ). These proteins showed antagonistic effects and might be relative to the Ca-calmodulin (Ca-CaM) system of longan in response to SiAR stress.

  15. Patterns of Forest invertebrates Along an Acidic Deposition Gradient in the Midwestern United States

    Treesearch

    Robert A. Haack

    1996-01-01

    The Ohio Corridor Study (OCS) was designed to detect possible effects of acidic deposition on oak-hickory (Quercus-Carya) forests in the midwestem United States. There was one study site in Arkansas, and two each in Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. Estimates of total sulfate deposition have generally increased about two-fold from west (Arkansas) to east (Ohio) during the...

  16. Transcriptional regulation of abscisic acid signal core components during cucumber seed germination and under Cu²⁺, Zn²⁺, NaCl and simulated acid rain stresses.

    PubMed

    Wang, Yanping; Wang, Ya; Kai, Wenbin; Zhao, Bo; Chen, Pei; Sun, Liang; Ji, Kai; Li, Qian; Dai, Shengjie; Sun, Yufei; Wang, Yidong; Pei, Yuelin; Leng, Ping

    2014-03-01

    Abscisic acid (ABA) is an important phytohormone that regulates lots of physiological and biochemical processes in plant life cycle, especially in seed germination and stress responses. For exploring the transcriptional regulation of ABA signal transduction during cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) seed germination and under Cu(2+), Zn(2+), NaCl and simulated acid rain stresses, nine CsPYLs, three group A CsPP2Cs and two subclass III CsSnRK2s were identified from cucumber genome, which respectively showed high sequence similarities and highly conserved domains with homologous genes in Arabidopsis. Based on Real-time PCR analysis, most of the tested genes' expression decreased during cucumber seed germination, which was in accordance with the ABA level variation. In addition, according to the absolute expression, CsPYL1, CsPYL3, CsPP2C5, CsABI1, CsSnRK2.3 and CsSnRK2.4 were highly expressed, indicating that they may play more important roles in ABA signaling during cucumber seed germination. Moreover, most of these highly expressed genes, except CsPYL3, were up-regulated by ABA treatment. Meanwhile, most of the tested genes' expression dramatically changed at the initial water uptake phase, indicating that this period may be critical in the regulation of ABA on seed germination. Under Cu(2+), Zn(2+), NaCl and simulated acid rain stresses, cucumber seed germination percentage decreased and ABA content increased. Meanwhile, the expression of ABA signal transduction core components genes showed specific response to a particular stress and was not always consist with ABA variation. Generally, the expression of CsPYL1, CsPYL3, CsABI1, CsSnRK2.3 and CsSnRK2.4 was sensitive to 120 mM NaCl and 0.5 mM Cu(2+) treatments. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  17. Image analysis of epicuticular damage to foliage caused by dry deposition of the air pollutant nitric acid.

    PubMed

    Padgett, Pamela E; Parry, Sally D; Bytnerowicz, Andrzej; Heath, Robert L

    2009-01-01

    Nitric acid vapor is produced by the same photochemical processes that produce ozone. In the laboratory, concentrated nitric acid is a strong acid and a powerful oxidant. In the environment, where the concentrations are much lower, it is an innocuous source of plant nitrogen. As an air pollutant, which mode of action does dry deposition of nitric acid follow? We investigated the effects of dry deposition of nitric acid on the foliage of four tree species native to the western United States. A novel controlled environment, fumigation system enabled a four-week exposure at concentrations consistent with ambient diurnal patterns. Scanning electron microscopy and automated image analysis revealed changes in the epicuticular wax layer during fumigation. Exposure to nitric acid resulted in a reproducible suite of damage symptoms that increased with increasing dose. Each tree species tested exhibited a unique set of damage features, including cracks, lesions, and conformation changes to epicuticular crystallite structures. Dry deposition of atmospheric nitric acid caused substantial perturbation to the epicuticular surface of all four tree species investigated, consistent with the chemical oxidation of epicuticular waxes. Automated image analysis eliminated many biases that can trouble microscopy studies. Trade names and commercial enterprises or products are mentioned solely for information. No endorsements by the U.S. Department of Agriculture are implied.

  18. Influence of acid deposition on regeneration dynamics along a disturbance intensity gradient

    Treesearch

    Sarah E. Stehn; Christopher R. Webster; Michael A. Jenkins; Shibu Jose

    2010-01-01

    Now considered one of the most threatened vegetation communities in North America, spruce-fir forests of the southern Appalachians have been devastated by the combined impacts of the exotic balsam woolly adelgid (Adelges piceae, BWA) and chronic acid deposition.

  19. Investigation of Gas-Sensing Property of Acid-Deposited Polyaniline Thin-Film Sensors for Detecting H2S and SO2

    PubMed Central

    Dong, Xingchen; Zhang, Xiaoxing; Wu, Xiaoqing; Cui, Hao; Chen, Dachang

    2016-01-01

    Latent insulation defects introduced in manufacturing process of gas-insulated switchgears can lead to partial discharge during long-time operation, even to insulation fault if partial discharge develops further. Monitoring of decomposed components of SF6, insulating medium of gas-insulated switchgear, is a feasible method of early-warning to avoid the occurrence of sudden fault. Polyaniline thin-film with protonic acid deposited possesses wide application prospects in the gas-sensing field. Polyaniline thin-film sensors with only sulfosalicylic acid deposited and with both hydrochloric acid and sulfosalicylic acid deposited were prepared by chemical oxidative polymerization method. Gas-sensing experiment was carried out to test properties of new sensors when exposed to H2S and SO2, two decomposed products of SF6 under discharge. The gas-sensing properties of these two sensors were compared with that of a hydrochloric acid deposited sensor. Results show that the hydrochloric acid and sulfosalicylic acid deposited polyaniline thin-film sensor shows the most outstanding sensitivity and selectivity to H2S and SO2 when concentration of gases range from 10 to 100 μL/L, with sensitivity changing linearly with concentration of gases. The sensor also possesses excellent long-time and thermal stability. This research lays the foundation for preparing practical gas-sensing devices to detect H2S and SO2 in gas-insulated switchgears at room temperature. PMID:27834895

  20. Biogeochemical effects of forest vegetation on acid precipitation-related water chemistry: a case study in southwest China.

    PubMed

    Chen, Jing; Li, Wei; Gao, Fang

    2010-10-06

    The elemental composition of rainwater, throughfall, and soil solutions of a forest ecosystem in the acid rain control region of southwest China was investigated during 2007-2008 to assess the acid buffering capacity of different forest covers. A possible seasonal distribution of wet deposition was identified. Sulfur was determined as the dominant acidification precursor in this region. The chemical composition of rainfall intercepted by the forest canopy was modified substantially; generally the ion concentrations were increased by dry deposition and foliar leaching. As an exception, the concentration of NH(4)(+) and NO(3)(-) decreased in throughfall, which was probably due to the absorption of nitrogen by the leaves. Elemental concentrations in soil solutions decreased with depth. The water conservation capacity of different forests was also evaluated. The most appropriate forest vegetation for water conservation and remediation of acid precipitation in this region was explored for the sake of ecosystem management, ecological restoration and economic development.

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