The Transport of Acid Pollution

Abstract

Few aspects of acid rain have provoked as much controversy as the question of which sources of pollution are responsible for acid rain in the Northeast and elsewhere in the eastern United States. As politically charged as the issue may be, determining “who is to blame” is the first step toward developing an efficient control strategy and resolving the complex issues of equity. Several general conclusions may be drawn: Each state causes some of its own acid rain through local emissions of SO₂ and NO_x. In addition, substantial amounts of pollution are transported hundreds, and even thousands, of miles downwind, across state and national borders. The task for scientists is to determine how much pollution is transported from one region to another.