Stages in the History of China's Acid Rain Control Strategy in the Light of China-Japan Relations

We analyze the history of acid rain in China over the last three decades in the light of the relationship between China and Japan. China has been aware of the problem of acid rain and has been conducting scientific research since the late 1970s. However, little effort has been put into practical countermeasures. In the early 1990s, acid rain was re-evaluated as an international environmental problem. Meanwhile, Japan became concerned about trans-boundary air pollution from China. What is important is that Japan's concern strongly influences China's acid rain policy. In the context of growing international concern for environmental problems, China has taken remarkable steps to control acid rain. In this respect, dealing with acid rain is an issue of national pride for China.     

The Politics of Regional Cooperation on Acid Rain Control in East Asia

Several multilateral initiatives on acid rain control were advocated in the 1990s, and extended through multiple channels in East Asia. There is, however, little coordination between those initiatives. The geopolitical make-up of the region has also hampered further progress in regional cooperation on the issue. In this paper we first examine the major features and weaknesses of existing regional environmental cooperative schemes. Second, we review collective initiatives on the acid rain issue, and examine how further progress has been hindered by the inherent inadequacies of the schemes. Finally, we consider whether and how regional cooperation on the acid rain issue may be promoted, and try to draw some implications from the European experience that might help enhance regional cooperation.     

Evaluation of accelerated H+ applications in predicting soil chemical and microbial changes due to acid rain

Abstract

A comparison was made between three acidified, simulated rain treatments which have been used to assess the impact of acid rain on soil chemical and microbial processes. There were significant differences in effects on chemical and microbial characteristics of soil exposed to the three treatments due to differences in the rate of H⁺ ion application, even though the total quantity of protons supplied was the same in each case. An input of 30 cm of simulated rain of pH 3.0 over 6 months increased microbial activity and caused only slight changes in soil pH and soil nitrogen status. Treatments in which the rate of H⁺ input was accelerated by increasing solution volume, or acidity, inhibited microbial activity and caused soil chemical changes in excess of those produced by the more gradual yet equivalent H⁺ loading. We conclude that the effects of short‐term, accelerated acid treatments cannot be used to realistically forecast long‐term impacts of acid rain. The results of such experiments may be useful in identifying processes or parameters for studies of longer duration.     

Changing rainfall,seasonality and erosivity in the hyper‐arid zone of Sudan

A primary cause of soil erosion is the impact of rain. Therefore, understanding the altering rainfall characteristics and their effect on soil erosion is an issue of main concern. This is of utmost importance to contribute to developing suitable adaptation and mitigation strategies for soil and water resources conservation and crop management practices. The rainfall seasonality index (SI), precipitation concentration index (PCI) and modified Fournier index (MFI) for rainfall erosivity have been calculated and analysed in this study for the hyper‐arid region of Sudan. The data used consist of monthly rainfall measurements spanning over 60 years for three index meteorological stations, two on the Nile corridor and one on the Red Sea coast. The region is characterized by high year‐to‐year variability in rainfall leading to extreme seasonality/irregular distribution of rainfall over the year. Although prevalent diminishing rainfall amounts have been witnessed, there are marked tendencies for some months to become wetter, indicating changing intra‐annual rainfall variability and thus monthly rainfall erosivity. No statistically significant trends were observed in rainfall seasonality and concentration during the common data period of 1945–2007. Cases of high and very high erosion powers were detected. A significant decreasing trend in erosivity is shown for one inland station. A brief discussion on the implications of these results for risk of soil erosion, freshwater quality and agriculture is also given. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Modelling climatic erosivity as a factor for soil erosion in Denmark: changes and temporal trends

Abstract. Daily measurements of precipitation and temperature at 82 locations in Denmark for periods of 10 to 43 years, were used for calculation of the impact energy and intensity of rain, climatic erosivity (hereafter called erosivity). The computed erosivity values were analysed for trends and variations in time and space. Analysis of 43 years of data from 6 locations showed a change in the annual distribution of intense (erosive) precipitation, with a tendency to bi-modality, increasing erosivity in September, and decreasing erosivity in August. Amounts of precipitation in autumn have generally increased, but the erosive power of rain has increased even more. The geographic location of high erosivity varied considerably from year to year. Using a simple crop model, the interaction between crop cover and erosivity was investigated. This suggested that changes in climate in combination with changes in cropping and management practice have increased risk of serious erosion over the period 1954 to 1996. We recommend that present and future cropping and management practices be evaluated for risk of adverse interaction with high erosivity events.     

Hygroscopic salts on the leaf surface as a possible cause of forest decline symptoms

Forest decline has been observed for about 20 years, especially in Central Europe and eastern North America. Whereas the direct effects of acid rain, acid fog and several trace gases on aerial parts of trees have been investigated, deposited atmospheric particles on leaf surfaces have been regarded as inert so far. By conductance measurements on the surface of coniferous needles an invisible wetness was observed over extended times. Washing experiments revealed this to be due to hygroscopic salts on the leaf surface, which will absorb water vapour mostly from leaf transpiration. The possible influence of salts on the microclimatic conditions on the leaf surface is outlined and it is concluded that they will act similar to a wick or a drying agent. This could form a direct link between air pollution and those forest decline symptoms which are connected with the water status of the trees.     

Investigation of Alkaline Nature of Rain Water in India

Increased industrialization and urbanization lead to the atmospheric acidity which causes acid rain. However, in India, the nature of rain water has been observed to be alkaline. The reason for alkaline nature of rain water is found to be the buffering of acidity by soil-derived aerosols which are rich in Ca. Over the Indian Ocean where concentrations of soil dust are negligible, the acid rain has been observed to be a common phenomenon during INDOEX campaigns. In the Indian subcontinent, observations have indicated that rain becomes acidic when the buffering potential of rain water is weak. The weak buffering potential may be due to less interference of soil dust, acidic nature of soil or very high influence of industrial source.     

Pattern and cause of acidic deposition in the Chongqing region,Sichuan Province,China

The Chongqing region located in Sichuan Province of China, comprises a large city, many small towns and rural areas. The region relies heavily on high-sulfur coal for energy production. Atmospheric pollution by sulfur oxides and other compounds from coal burning has become a major issue. Acid rain is observed throughout the region; volume weighted average pH is about 4.30. Average total S deposition for the region is estimated to be about 8 g S m^?2 yr^?1. In this paper we report concentrations of major ions in rain, fog, dew and clouds, of SO₂ in air and of airborne particles as well as dustfall. The emissions and interactions between important chemical species in air and water droplets are discussed.     

Spatial and Temporal Variation in Calcium and Aluminum in Northern Hardwood Forest Floors

Acid rain results in losses of exchangeable base cations from soils, but the mechanism of base cation displacement from the forest floor is not clear, and has been hypothesized to involve mobilization of aluminum from the mineral soil. We attempted to test the hypothesis that losses of calcium from the forest floor were balanced by increases in Al in NewHampshire northern hardwoods. We measured exchangeable (six stands) and acid extractable (13 stands) Ca and Al in horizons of the forest floor over an interval of 15 years. Our sampling scheme was quite intensive, involving 50 or 60 blocks per stand, composited in groups of 10 for chemical analysis. Even at this level of effort, few stands exhibited changes large enough to be significant. Because of high spatial variability, differences would have had to be greater than about 50% to be statistically detectable. Differences in Ca and Al concentrations between Oi, Oe, Oa, and A horizons, however, were readily detected. Acid-extractable Al increased with depth, while Ca concentrations decreased; Ca-to-Al ratios decreased from 8.3 (charge basis) in the Oi to 0.2 in the A horizon. Therefore, a small change in sampling depth, or the inclusion of more or less A horizon material in the forest floor, could cause large differences in measured Ca and Al concentrations. To detect small changes in exchangeable cations over time would require sampling very intensively with careful control for comparability of horizons.     

Atmospheric Dispersion of Current-Use Pesticides: A Review of the Evidence from Monitoring Studies

Recently, evidence has accumulated that the extensive use of modern pesticides results in their presence in the atmosphere at many places throughout the world. In Europe over 80 current-use pesticides have been detected in rain and 30 in air. Similar observations have been made in North America. The compounds most often looked for and detected are the organochlorine insecticide lindane and triazine herbicides, especially atrazine. However, acetanilide and phenoxyacid herbicides, as well as organophosphorus insecticides have also frequently been found in rain and air. Concentrations in air normally range from a few pg/m³ to many ng/m³. Concentrations in rain generally range from a few ng/L to several µg/L. In fog even higher concentrations are observed. Deposition varies between a few mg/ha/y and more than 1 g/ha/y per compound. However, these estimates are usually based on the collection and analysis of (bulk) precipitation and do not include dry particle deposition and gas exchange. Nevertheless, model calculations, analysis of plant tissue, and first attempts to measure dry deposition in a more representative way, all indicate that total atmospheric deposition probably does not normally exceed a few g/ha/y. So far, little attention has been paid to the presence of transformation products of modern pesticides in the atmosphere, with the exception of those of triazine herbicides, which have been looked for and found frequently. Generally, current-use pesticides are only detected at elevated concentrations in air and rain during the application season. The less volatile and more persistent ones, such as lindane, but to some extent also triazines, are present in the atmosphere in low concentrations throughout the year. In agricultural areas, the presence of modern pesticides in the atmosphere can be explained by the crops grown and pesticides used on them. They are also found in the air and rain in areas where they are not used, sometimes even in remote places, just like their organochlorine predecessors. Concentrations and levels are generally much lower there. These data suggest that current-use pesticides can be transported through the atmosphere over distances of tens to hundreds, and sometimes even more than a thousand kilometres. The relative importance of these atmospheric inputs varies greatly. For mountainous areas and remote lakes and seas, the atmosphere may constitute the sole route of contamination by pesticides. In coastal waters, on the other hand, riverine inputs may prevail. To date, little is known about the ecological significance of these aerial inputs.     

Milk and dairy products in the 21st century. Prepared for the 50th anniversary of the journal of agricultural and food chemistry

Dairying into the 21st century will largely continue with the trends seen in the past few decades, although there is always the possibility of an unlikely but disruptive event. The politics of globalization will potentially be important in freeing up global trade in dairy products. Production on the farm will become increasingly efficient, resulting in continuing price benefits to the consumer. At the same time, increasing attention will be paid by the consumer, producer, and manufacturer to safety and quality issues. Environmental concerns will increase in importance, and the issue of methane production may be important for the industry over the next two decades. It is unlikely that genetically modified milk will be introduced soon, even if public acceptance ceases to be an issue; however, the use of genetic markers for accelerated genetic improvement of cows will have rapidly increasing importance. Despite increasing pressure from nonmilk alternatives, milk and dairy will still be the best sources of nutrition for the young and for traditional dairy products. Consumer concerns will be of overriding importance for the industry, and the safety of dairy foods must become absolute. Recent advances in the chemical, physical, and information sciences and technologies will be utilized to gain greater understanding of the increasingly complex food systems and to support the consumer objectives.     

Carbon Stock, Afforestation and Acidic Deposition: An Analysis of Inter-Relation with Reference to Arid Areas

Recent advances in desert afforestation underlines its viability and importance in combating global warming and acidification. In this paper, the inter-relation between afforestation, global warming and acid rain has been analyzed. Numerical simulations indicate that afforestation of deserts has distinct advantage as carbon sink and as an important factor for changing microclimate of the region rather than a source of energy. Acidic deposition may well be utilised as fertiliser in nutrient deficit soil of tropical arid areas. However, past trends and projections of acidic deposition in arid areas adjacent to Thar deserts indicate an early efforts are required to cap the opportunity. Delays may contribute towards more incidences of failures.     

模拟酸雨对红壤结构体及其胶结物影响的实验研究

通过模拟酸雨对浙江杭州红壤的淋溶实验 ,研究了酸雨对红壤结构体及其胶结物的影响。结果表明 ,酸雨降低了红壤团聚体的稳定性 ,表现为水稳性大团聚体的含量随酸雨 p H值的降低、持续时间的延长而减少 ;酸雨导致团聚体破坏率增高、稳定性降低。酸雨对红壤胶结物质的影响 ,表现为土壤有机质淋失增加 ,氧化铁活性提高。红壤团聚体的稳定性和结构性变差 ,会加速土壤侵蚀 ,表现出酸雨对红壤的可蚀性。     

Attitudes of hunters, locals, and the general public in Sweden now that the wolves are back

The wolf population in Scandinavia has increased from functionally extinct to about 100 wolves since the 1970s. In 2001 we surveyed four groups of Swedes to analyze the relationship between experience, knowledge, and people's attitude toward wolves. Although all groups support the right of wolves to exist, Swedes who live in areas where wolves have been restored have more negative attitudes than the general public. Attitudes toward wolves are not strong among the general public, thus changes are possible. Experience with wolf predation leads to more negative attitudes toward wolves. Hunters in areas with wolves have the most accurate knowledge about wolves but at the same time the most negative attitudes. But within all four groups as knowledge increases attitudes become more positive. Still, the most knowledgeable local hunters have less favorable attitudes than the least knowledgeable members of the general public. High proportions of the population do not care about wolves which makes it difficult to reach them with information, but does make them susceptible to rapid changes if wolves become a media topic. With the restoration of wolves, hunters, the strongest supporters of wolves in the 1970s, are now less supportive than the general public.     

Impacts of acid precipitation on coniferous forest ecosystems

This paper summarizes the results from current studies in Norway. One main approach is the application of artificial acid ‘rain’ and of lime to field plots and lysimeters. Application during two growth seasons of 50 mm mo^?1 of ‘rain water’ of pH 3 to a podzol soil increased the acidity of the humus and decreased the base saturation. The reduction in base saturation was mainly due to leaching of Ca and Mg. Laboratory experiments revealed that decomposition of pine needles was not affected by any acid ‘rain’ treatment of the field plots. Liming slightly retarded the decomposition. No nitrification occurred in unlimed soils (pH 4.4-4.1). Liming increased nitrification. The soil enchytraeid (Ohgochaeta) fauna was not much affected by the acidification. Germination of spruce seeds in acidified mineral soil was negatively affected when soil pH was 4.0 or lower. Seedling establishment was even more sensitive to increasing soil acidity. Analysis of throughfall and stemflow water in southernmost Norway reveals that the total deposition of H₂SO₄ beneath spruce and pine is approximately two times the deposition in open terrain. A large part of this increase is probably due to dry deposition. Increased acidity of the rain seems to increase the leaching of cations from the tree crowns. Tree-ring analysis of spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) and pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) has been based on comparisons between regions differently stressed by acid precipitation and also between sites presumed to differ in sensitivity to acidification. No effect that can be related to acid precipitation has yet been detected on diameter growth.     

Acid precipitation in Canada

The total annual emissions of sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides in Canada are estimated to be 7.2 × 10⁶ t and 1.4 × 10⁶ t, respectively. These figures represent 5% and 2%, respectively, of the estimated worldwide anthropogenic emissions. Nearly two-thirds of the Canadian SO₂ emissions come from primary smelters located in low population areas. The remainder originate from natural gas processing, pulp mills, fuel combustion and transportation in the more heavily populated areas. Transportation is the major source of oxides of nitrogen. No co-ordinated precipitation sampling has been carried out on a national basis prior to the establishment of the World Meteorological Organization regional stations in 1974, but several local projects in problem areas have been conducted over the last 20 yr. These data are reviewed with respect to sulphate and nitrate content, and when available, the pH. The geographical distribution of acid rain in Canada is discussed in relation to main source areas of pollutants, prevailing meteorological conditions and precipitation type. Finally, the extent of current and potential problems associated with acid rain is discussed, and current and recommended future monitoring and research programs are outlined.     

Identification of most susceptible soil parameters for Latosol under simulated acid rain stress using principal component analysis

Purpose  

Acid rain is a problem of increasing agricultural, environmental, and ecological concerns worldwide. In recent years, coupled studies have been conducted to evaluate impacts of simulated acid rain (SAR) on Latosol in China. However, no efforts have been devoted to investigating which soil parameters are most sensitive to the influences of SAR. In this study, we addressed the issue using the principal component analysis (PCA) and principal factor analysis (PFA) techniques.     

Acid deposition at Rothamsted, Saxmundham and Woburn, 1969–83

Abstract. Rainfall has become less acid at Rothamsted and Saxmundham over the period 1969–83. The pH of rain at these two sites has increased from 4.4–4.6 to about 4.8–4.9; at Woburn it has remained approximately constant at 4.4–4.6. Amounts of NH₄-N and NO₃-N deposited at present are 10–15 and 5–10 kg ha⁻¹ a⁻¹ respectively. They have been increasing at Rothamsted and Woburn. Some 50–60 kg ha⁻¹ a⁻¹ of Cl and 25–35 kg ha⁻¹ a⁻¹ of SO₄-S are presently deposited. Deposition of non-sea Cl and SO₄-S has been increasing markedly at all three sites. Non-sea salts comprise 35% of the total salt deposition near the coast at Saxmundham, 58% inland at Rothamsted and Woburn.     

Regional groundwater monitoring and examples of acidification trends in the province of Göteborg and Bohus,southwestern Sweden

Acidification is the most serious threat to the groundwater quality in the province, causing both corrosion on water pipe systems and increased leaching of metals from the ground. The regional groundwater monitoring programme focuses on parameters as pH, alkalinity, sulphate and total aluminium. Sampling is done regularly in 1) natural groundwater springs in the countryside, 2) public water supplies, 3) observation wells in the countryside and 4) observation wells in urban areas.For most of the sites, analysing has been carried out during a time period that is shorter than five years. These sites give valuable information about the general relationship between groundwater acidity and the hydrogeological conditions in the recharge area. Results from regular sampling of public water supplies have been used for studies of time series. The trends indicate that the hydrogeological conditions are of great importance for how the groundwater responds to acid input. In general, surficial groundwater in Quaternary deposits is more sensitive to acidification than groundwater in crystalline bedrock.     

Chemical response of soil leachate to alternative approaches to experimental acidification

Abstract

One approach to evaluating computer models which predict terrestrial‐aquatic ecosystem response to acid deposition is the experimental acidification of soils with subsequent comparisons among predicted and measured soil solution response. Using a soil microcosm experimental approach, comparisions between simulated acid rain (i.e. dilute H₂SO₄), dry NH₄NO₃, and prilled reduced S were made for suitability for large‐scale field experiments. Soil microcosms consisting of reconstructed soil profiles received a background simulated throughfall dosing over the six month treatment period. Results indicated that simulated throughfall, applied at twice the ambient rate, acidified soil leachates approximately 0.5 pH units over the treatment period. Along with the decline in leachate pH was an apparent release of base cations as well as Fe and Al. Over the length of the treatment period, very little of the prilled S dissolved and the simulated acid rain treatment did not have significant effects on leachate chemistry.