Acid Rain

Heinz Rennenberg, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
Arthur Gessler, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany

Published online: April 2001

DOI: 10.1038/npg.els.0001316

The term ‘acid rain’ describes the process of wet deposition of acidic compounds (e.g. sulfuric acid, nitrous acid and/or organic acids) in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. In particular, acidic deposition has different, adverse, effects on terrestrial vegetation, mainly due to soil acidification and the uptake of substances which disturb the pH levels within plant cells or produce radicals.

Keywords: SO2; NOx; terrestrial ecosystems; cation leaching; pH stat; sulfite oxidation

 References
    Carreira JA, Harrison AF, Sheppard LJ and Woods C (1997) Reduced soil P availability in a Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr) plantation induced by applied acid-mist: significance in forest decline. Forest Ecology and Management 92: 153–166.
    book Marschner H (1995) Mineral Nutrition of Higher Plants, 2nd edn. London: Academic Press.
    Muller B, Touraine B and Rennenberg H (1996) Interaction between atmospheric and pedospheric nitrogen nutrition in spruce (Picea abies L. Karst) seedlings. Plant, Cell and Environment 19: 345–355.
    book Rennenberg H and Polle A (1994) "Metabolic consequences of atmospheric sulfur influx into plants". In: Alscher RG and Wellburn AR (eds). Plant Responses to the Gaseous Environment, pp. 165–180. London: Chapman and Hall.
    Robinson J (1988) Does photoreduction occur within chloroplasts in vivo? Physiologia Plantarum 72: 666–680.
    Van Dijk HFG, Creemers RCM, Rijniers JPLWM and Roelofs JGM (1989) Impact of artificial ammonium-enriched rainwater on soils and young coniferous trees in a greenhouse: I. Effects on the soils. Environmental Pollution 62: 317–336.
    book Wellburn AR (1988) Air Pollution and Acid Rain: The Biological Impact. London: Longman.
 Further Reading
    book Cram WJ, De Kok LJ, Stulen I, Brunold C and Rennenberg H (1997) Sulfur Metabolism in Higher Plants. Leiden, The Netherlands: Backhuys.
    book Longhurst JW (ed.) (1991) Acid Deposition: Origins, Impacts and Abatement Strategies. Berlin: Springer.
    Wellburn AR (1990) Why are atmospheric oxides of nitrogen usually phytotoxic and not alternative fertilizers? New Phytologist 115: 395–429.

Related Sub-Topics:

Physiological Ecology | Human Impacts | Organisms and the Physical Environment | Plant Ecology | Plant Nutrition | Plant Stress Physiology
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Article Title: Acid Rain
 
How to Cite close
Rennenberg, Heinz, and Gessler, Arthur(Apr 2001) Acid Rain. In: eLS. John Wiley & Sons Ltd, Chichester. http://www.els.net [doi: 10.1038/npg.els.0001316]