Eye Opener: Summary of Reading 19: Long-Term Data Show Lingering Effects from Acid Rain

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Long-Term Data Show Lingering Effects from Acid Rain
by Kevin Krajick in Science, April 13, 2001

The Numbers
The main ingredient in acid rain is sulfur dioxide (SO2). Progressively tougher pollution rules over the past 3 decades have reduced U.S. emissions of SO2, by about 40% from its 1973 peak of 28.8 metric tons a year. By 2010, SO2 emissions should be less than half of 1973 levels. But in the March issue of BioScience, 10 leading acid rain researchers say victory toasts are premature. They say power plants, the main contributor, must cut SO2 emissions 80% more than the current mandate in order to undo past violations to sensitive soils and waters in the northeastern US and, elsewhere. These reductions, would amount to an overall 44% cut in sulfur emissions, may bring only partial recovery to fish and trees by 2050. At the same time, acidifying emissions of nitrogen oxides NOx--are still relatively less regulated--and are measuring at level or even growing numbers, causing collateral damage.

Bad Soil
The Catskills in upper New York state, where nearly all nutrients have disappeared in places, right down to the glacial till and bedrock. One of the nutrients being lost is calcium, and as it turns out the smokestack scrubbers installed to reduce particles were also removing soot, which is rich in calcium that had been replacing some of the nutrients the acids were leaching. Work by Gregory Lawrence and others showed that once nutrients are depleted, excess acids mobilize the soils' abundant aluminum; usually held in harmless organic form, aluminum is poisonous when is dissolves. In Pennsylvania sugar maples appear to be malnourished; at some sites aluminum is attaching to rootlets and blocking whatever little nutrients are left in the soil.

Waterways
Effects on aquatic life have been known since early 1990s. Some 15% of lakes in New England
and 41% in New York's Adirondack Mountains are chronically or episodically acid, says one report, and many such lakes have few or no fish. Excess acids in the soil are dissolving the cations into drainage waters much faster than weathering bedrock below could replenish them.

Trees
Christopher Cronan a biologist from the University of Maine had a good quote about trees, he said: "Instead of Killing directly, acid rain usually leaves trees susceptible to drought or insects, which finish the job." This is what he calls death by a thousand cuts. Some spruces have lost their ability to cope with winter freezing, while weakened conifers in southern Appalachia are being defoliated in large numbers by an exotic parasitic insect. These problems are being caused by acid fog and rain, along with snow run-off.

Moving West
The article also notes that in the southwest acid rain is just currently becoming evident as it wasn't 20 years ago, which is when it first became prevalent in the northeast. One reason for this is the soil in the southwest part of the country is more dense and therefore can sponge up more acid before it leaks into the surrounding environment. Another reason for this is that the west has been less populated. In recent years the regions cattle feedlots are booming, as is the human population. The cattle churn out lots of manure and the big vehicles humans drive both produce acid causing NOx. Trees downwind of populous areas are showing high levels of nitrogen and low ratios of magnesium in their needles.

My Take
The real problem that is laid out in this chapter as I understand it. Is that although we have done a pretty good job of cutting down on acid rain, which still can be improved on, the soil has been contaminated and the soil doesn't let go of it's contamination all that quickly. The soil is what feeds the trees so some trees are having a hard time surviving. This is a problem because the trees affects all the creatures that use the trees to survive. The rain water going into the streams isn't being filtered as effectively by the contaminated soil, which in turn has a negative affect on whatever is living in the water. It's a chain of events in which the small things end up affecting the big things. The environment is all connected.

Different Viewpoints
Dan Riedinger a spokesperson for the power industry's Edison Electric Institute says his industry doesn't want the EPA to set standards. One of our concerns is that EPA appears to be rushing full steam ahead with a revised standard before we have a chance to evaluate the benefits from the current standards. He's trying to say that EPA shouldn't set more standard until the full effect of the current standards are fully understood. The more standard the the EPA sets makes it harder or more expensive for his industry to do business.

President George Bush's administration- a rule issued in the final days of President George W. Bush's presidency that would have let some industrial facilities avoid having to install pollution controls when they expand. New President Obama's administration is delaying the rule for 90 days so the EPA can look further into the rule.

Question for discussion: Has anyone seen first hand the effects of acid rain? Could be statue river, trees?