Acid Rain and Transported Air Pollutants: Implications for Public Policy Page: 9
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Ch. 1-Summary 9
Figure 6.-Average Sulfur Transport Distances Across Eastern North America
1000 700 500 300 0
300 500 700 1000 km
(185) (310) (435) (620) milesThe map above displays the "average" distance between the sources of sulfur dioxide emissions and the regions in which
the sulfur compounds are eventually deposited. For each region of the Eastern United States and Canada, estimates of the
sulfur deposited from all local, midrange, and distant emission sources are averaged to produce this map of typical transport
distances. Such model-generated maps illustrate general patterns which will vary somewhat from year to year and model to model.
SOURCE: Jack Shannon, Argonne National Laboratory, 1984.
THE RISKS FROM TRANSPORTED AIR POLLUTANTSThe best documented and best understood ef
fects of acid deposition are those on aquatic eco
systems. The sensitivity of a lake or stream to acid
deposition depends largely on the ability of the soil
and bedrock in the surrounding watershed to neu
tralize acid. Where the soil is very thin or has little
neutralizing capacity, or where the terrain is so
steep or rocky that rainfall runs right over it, the
bodies of water within a watershed are at risk.
When the waters of a lake or stream become moreacidic than about pH 5, many species of fish die
and the ecosystem changes dramatically. This may
be due to the acidity, to the metals (especially alu
minum) released under acidic conditions, or to a
combination of both.
By categorizing the predominant soil and geo
logical characteristics in each county of the East
em United States, this study estimates the poten
tialnumber of lakes and streams at risk from acid
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United States. Congress. Office of Technology Assessment. Acid Rain and Transported Air Pollutants: Implications for Public Policy, report, May 1984; [Washington D.C.]. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc39530/m1/16/: accessed March 29, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.