Amelioration of Surface Waters Affected By Acidic Deposition

Studies conducted primarily in Scandinavia in the 1960s and 1970s demonstrated that aquatic systems with low alkalinities and in watersheds with poorly buffered soils were vulnerable to damage from acidic deposition. Recognition of these findings and increasing concerns about acid rain in North America led to a 10-year federal research program in the United States, beginning in 1980. This multi-agency research effort, known as the National Acid Precipitation Assessment Program (NAPAP), was designed with major goals to determine the extent of damage from acidic deposition and to better understand the associated changes in the physical, chemical, and biological processes in aquatic and terrestrial environments. In addition to understanding the acidification process, it was also important to determine how its effects might be reversed. Another NAPAP goal was therefore to evaluate the use of mitigative tools to protect surface waters vulnerable to acidic deposition and to assist recovery of aquatic systems already damaged. The mitigation research of the federal program was undertaken by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Results of the cooperative federal and state research that was implemented through this program are summarized in this issue of Restoration Ecology.