Acid Rain in the Adirondacks: An Environmental History

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Acid Rain in the Adirondacks: An Environmental History Authors: , , , Format: Paperback / softback First Published: Published By: Cornell University Press
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Pages: 256 Language: English ISBN: 9780801474248 Categories: , , ,

Acid rain has changed the face of the Adirondacks, created political tensions between the Northeast and the Midwest, and served as both a harbinger of global climate change and a “fire drill” for public- and private-sector responses to environmental crises. The history of acid rain research is a striking case in which a large-scale and long-term environmental problem was addressed in part through scientifically motivated changes in public policy. In the 1970s, acid rain was viewed as a simple problem that was limited in scope and characterized by “dead,” fishless lakes. Scientists now have broader insights into the processes by which acid rain sets off a cascade of adverse effects in ecosystems as its components move through air, soil, vegetation, and surface waters. Written and designed to appeal to both scientists and lay readers, this book is a landmark example of scientific communication that provides a comprehensive scientific history of the phenomenon, from its discovery to the full understanding of the scope of its effects and the ultimate responses that have mitigated some of the damage to the region’s lakes and forests. This book is published in association with the Adirondack Lakes Survey Corporation with the support of the Wildlife Conservation Society, United States Environmental Protection Agency, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.

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The authors of Acid Rain in the Adirondacks explain the process by which the sulfur and nitrogen oxides spewing from power plants in the Midwest make their way into northeastern ecosystems. The book reviews hundreds of studies of what this phenomenon has wrought in the Adirondacks, pointing out, for example, that as the acidity of a lake increases, the number of species of fish decreases. Acid Rain in the Adirondacks chronicles everything that can go wrong when attending to environmental problems is put off for too long, but it also offers evidence that dangers can be addressed successfully through scientific research, public awareness and government regulation. * American Scientist *