Terrestrial ecosystem sensitivity to acid deposition in South China

Ecosystem sensitivity to acid deposition can be a basis for the derivation of cost-effective strategies to sulfur and nitrogen pollutant control, consequently is widely concerned around the world. In the article, the relative sensitivity of terrestrial ecosystem to acid deposition in South China is assessed and mapped using a new sensitivity classification system suitable to subtropical ecosystem. The result shows that the distribution of ecosystem sensitivity to acid deposition in South China is almost zonal, on the whole, sensitivity increases from the north and west to the south and east. The most sensitive areas are the northwest and southeast of Zhejiang province, the central part of Fujian province, and the northeast of Guangdong province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, which are all in the old acid soil areas with high precipitation and coniferous forests. The resulting distribution of sensitive regions is different other maps, including the sensitivity map which is implemented in the RAINS-Asia model.