Acid deposition has been implicated as a factor contributing to forest decline and surface water acidification in eastern North America and Europe. Acid deposition increased continuously in North America and Europe during the 1900s reaching peak levels in the 1970–1980s. In contrast, acid deposition in northeast Asia has increased rapidly in the past decade due to industrial development and will probably exceed levels observed previously in the most polluted areas of central and eastern Europe (Grübler, 1998). Increased emissions will severely threaten the sustainable basis of many natural and agricultural ecosystems in the region. Although unequivocal evidence directly linking acidic deposition to ecosystem damage may often be lacking, there is considerable data implicating acid deposition with recent deterioration in the health of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.
The mean annual pH of precipitation in eastern North America and Europe is in the range of 3.0 to 4.7; however,...
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Dahlgren, R.A. (2008). Acid Deposition Effects on Soils. In: Chesworth, W. (eds) Encyclopedia of Soil Science. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-3995-9_6
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