Abstract
California's 14-year, $25 million acidic deposition program has studied the causes and effects of acidic air pollutants. In contrast to the eastern United States where sulfur-derived (S-derived) by-products from coal combustion dominate precipitation chemistry, nitrogen-derived (N-derived) acids predominate in wet and dry deposition in California. Adverse effects on the human lung have not been observed after short-term exposures to acidity, but extended exposures to ambient acidity may pose a chronic risk. No irreversible, adverse effects on surface waters in the Sierra Nevada mountain range or to the state's forests have been found due to extant acidic inputs. The longer-term outlook for forests is less certain because the impacts observed elsewhere occurred after decades of S and N deposition, but at lower ambient ozone levels. Ozone is the major air pollutant stressor for forests, but atmospheric N has the potential to cause adverse changes in soil nutrient cycling. Impacts on man-made materials in southern California (e.g., galvanized steel) were found to be minor. While California does not have an ambient air quality standard for acidic air pollutants, emissions of precursors have declined since the 1960's due to changes in industrial practices, improvements in technology, and adoption of control measures for ozone. Lowering emissions from motor vehicles will be emphasized to prevent future increases in N deposition.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Aber, J. D., Nadelhoffer, K. J., Steudler, P., Mellilo, J. M.: 1989, Bioscience 39, 378–386.
Air Resources Board (ARB): 1989, The Health and Welfare Effects of Acid Deposition in California: Technical Assessment, Research Division, 166 pp.
Air Resources Board (ARB): 1990, Procedure for the Preparation and Physical Measurements of Wet Deposition Samples, Monitoring and Laboratory Division, 40 pp.
Air Resources Board (ARB): 1991a, Amendments to Regulations for the 24-Hour Ambient Air Quality Standard for Sulfur Dioxide, Research Division, 101 pp.
Air Resources Board (ARB): 1991b, The Atmospheric Acidity Protection Program: Annual Report to the Governor and the Legislature, 1990. Research Division, 93 pp.
Air Resources Board (ARB): 1994a, California Air Quality: Status Report 1994, 44 pp.
Air Resources Board (ARB): 1994b, The Proposed 1994 California State Implementation Plan for Ozone, Volume I, Release Date: October 7, 1994, 34 pp.
Ashbaugh, L. L., Chow, J. C. and Watson, J. G.: 1991, Atmospheric Acidity Data Quality and Measurement Characteristics for California's Acid Deposition Monitoring Program, 91-89.7, 84th Ann. Mtg. Air & Waste Manage. Assoc., 16 pp.
Balmes, J.R. and Chen, L.L.: 1995, Effects of Nitric Acid Vapor and Ozone on the Response to Inhaled Allergen in Allergic Asthmatic Subjects, Draft A133-150, ARB, 23 pp.
Barmuta, L. A., Cooper, S. D., Hamilton, S. K., et al.: 1990, Freshw. Biol. 23, 571–586.
Blanchard, C. L. and Michaels, H.: 1994, Regional Estimates of Acid Deposition Fluxes in California, A132-149, ARB, 96 pp.
Blanchard, C. L. and Tonnessen, K. A.: 1993, Atmos. Environ. 27A, 1755–1763.
Bradford, D. F.: 1989, Copeia 3, 775–778.
Bradford, D. F., Cooper, S. D., Brown, A. D., Jenkins, T. M., Kratz, K., Sarnelle, O.: 1994a, Distribution of Aquatic Animals Relative to Naturally Acidic Waters in the Sierra Nevada, A132-173, ARB, 164 pp.
Bradford, D. F., Gordon, M. S., Johnson, D. F., et al: 1994b, Biol.Conserv. 69, 155–161.
Bradford, D. R., Swanson, C., Gordon, M. S.: 1994c, Can. J. Zool. 72, 1272–1279.
Bradford, D. F., Swanson, C., Gordon, M. S.: 1992, J. Herpetol. 26, 369–377.
Brown, A. D. and Lund, L. J.: 1991, Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 55, 1767–1773.
Bull, K. R.: 1991, Environ. Pollut. 69, 105–123.
Bytnerowicz, A., Miller, P. R., Olszyk, D. M., et al: 1987, Atmos. Environ. 21, 1805–1814.
Bytnerowicz, A. and Temple, P. J.: 1993, Growth, Physiological and Biochemical Responses of Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa) to Ozone, A033-056, ARB, 94 pp.
Carroll, J. J.: 1992, Sierra Cooperative Ozone Impact Study: Year 2, A033-129, ARB, 99 pp.
Clarke, J. F. and Edgerton, E. S.: 1993, Dry Deposition Flux Calculations for the National Dry Deposition Network, EPA-600/R/93/065, U.S. EPA, 91 pp.
Cook, J. and Le, H.: 1988, California Acid Deposition Data: July 1984 – June 1987, ARB, 107 pp.
Dozier, J., Melack, J. M., Elder, K., Kattelman, R., Marks, D., Williams, M.: 1989, Snow, Snowmelt, Rain, Runoff, and Chemistry in a Sierra Nevada Watershed, A6-147-32, ARB, 268 pp.
Engle, D. and Melack, J. M.: 1995, Archive Hydrob. In press
Fenn, M. E. and Bytnerowicz, A.: 1993, Environ. Pollut. 81, 277–285.
Finlayson-Pitts, BJ. and Pitts, J. N. Jr.: 1986, Atmospheric Chemistry: Fundamentals and Experimental Techniques, 1098 pp.
Hicks, B. B., Baldocchi, D. D., Meyers, T. P., et al: 1987, Water Air Soil Pollut. 36, 311–330.
Hopkins, P. S., Kratz, K. W., Cooper, S. D.: 1989, Hydrobiologia 171, 45–58.
Horst, R. L.: 1990, Economic Assessment of Materials Damage in the South Coast Air Basin: A Case Study of Acid Deposition Effects on Painted Wood Surfaces Using Individual Maintenance Behavior Data, A732-062, ARB, 226 pp.
Jenkins, T., Knapp, R., Kratz, K., Cooper, S.: 1994, Aquatic Biota in the Sierra Nevada: Current Status and Potential Effects of Acid Deposition on Populations, A932-138, ARB, 150 pp.
John, W., Wall, S. M., Ondo, J. L.: 1987, Dry Acid Deposition: Monitoring Technique for Nitric Acid and Paniculate Nitrate -- Size Distribution of Acidic Particles, A5-052-32, ARB, 83 pages.
Johnson, D. W. and Lindberg, S. E.: 1992, IN Atmospheric Deposition and Forest Nutrient Cycling: A Synthesis of the Integrated Forest Study, p. 571–609.
Journel, A. G.: 1989, Fundamentals of Geostatistics in Five Lessons, American Geophysical Union, 41 pp.
Kratz, K. W., Cooper, S. D., Melack, J. M.: 1994, Freshw. Biol. 32, 161–183.
Kumar, S. and Chock D. P.: 1984, Atmos. Environ. 18, 2131–2134.
Landers, D. H., Eilers, J. M., Brakke, D. F., Overton, W. S., Kellar, P. E., Silverstein, M. E., Schonbrod, R. D., Crowe, R. E., Linthurst, R. A., Omernik, J. M., Teague, S. A., Meyer, E. P.: 1987, Characteristics of in the Western United States. Vol L, EPA/600/3-861054a, U.S. EPA, 176 pp.
Lefohn, A. S., Krupa, S. V., Winstanley, D.: 1990, Environ. Pollut. 63, 189–224.
Legge, A. H. and Krupa, S. V.: 1989, IN Effects of Air Pollution on Western Forests, p. 193–206.
Mansfeld, F. and Henry, R. C.: 1993, Investigation of the Effects of Atmospheric Acidity Upon Economically Significant Materials, A932-113, ARB, 85 pp.
Melack, J. M., Sickman, J. O., Setaro, F., Dawson, D.: 1995, Monitoring of Wet Deposition in Alpine Areas in the Sierra Nevada. Draft A932-081, ARB, 178 pp.
Melack, J. M., Stoddard, J. L., Ochs, C. A.: 1985, Water Resour. Res. 21, 27–32.
Melack, J. M. and Stoddard, J. L.: 1991, IN Acidic Deposition and Aquatic Ecosystems, p. 503–530.
Meyers, T. P., Hicks, B. B., Hosker, R. P. Jr., et al: 1991, Atmos. Environ. 25A, 2361–2370.
Miller, A. and Thompson, J. C.: 1975, Elements of Meteorology, 362 pp.
Miller, P. R., de Bauer, M., Nolasco, A. Q., Tejeda, T. H.: 1994, Atmos. Environ. 28, 141–148.
Miller, P. R., McBride, J. R., Schilling, S. R., Gomez A. P.: 1989, IN Effects of Air Pollution on Western Forests, p. 309–323.
Nihlgård, B.: 1985, Ambio 14, 2–8.
Peters, J.M.: 1994, Epidemiologic Investigation to Identify Chronic Health Effects of Ambient Air Pollutants in Southern California: Interim Phase II Final Report, A033-186, ARB, 248 pp.
Peterson, D. L., Arbaugh, M. J., Wakefield, V. A., et al: 1987, J. Air Pollut. Contr. Assoc. 37, 906–912.
Phalen, R. F., Kikkawa, Y., Nadziejko, C., Kleinman, M. T.: 1992, Effects of Acidic Mixtures on on Pulmonary Macrophage Functions: A Pilot Study, No. A933-078, ARB, 49 pp.
Roger, L., Becker, S., Devlin, R., Koren, H., Horstman, D.: 1992, Clinical Pilot Study to Develop Sensitive Markers for Detecting the Health Effects of Acidic Atmospheres, No. A933-112, ARB, 42 pp.
Schlesinger, R.B.: 1995, Studies to Determine Long-term Health Effects of Acidic Atmospheres, A033-089, ARB, 58 pp.
Schulze, E. -D., de Vries, W., Hauhs, M., et al: 1989, Water Air Soil Pollut. 48, 451–456.
Sheppard, D., Balmes, J., Ans, R., Christian, D.: 1989, Effects of Hydroxymethanesulfonate on Airway Function in Subjects with Asthma, A733-063, ARB, 27 pp.
Sheppard, D., Balmes, J., Christian, D.: 1988, Effects of Acid Fog on Airway Function in People with Asthma, A5-179-33, ARB, 45 pp.
Sheppard, D., Gordon, T., Fine, J.: 1986, The Roles of pH, Titratable Acid and Specific Chemical Composition in Mediating Effects of Acid Aerosols in the Airways, A4-113-32, ARB, 31 pp.
Takemoto, B., Cahill, B., Buenviaje, C., Abangan, R., Houston, T.: 1994, California Acid Deposition Monitoring Program Wet Deposition Data Summary — July 1987 to June 1990, ARB, 134 pp.
Temple, P. J., Riechers, G. H., Miller, P. R., et al.: 1993, Can. J. For. Res. 23, 59–66.
Uhlig, H.H.: 1963, Corrosion and Corrosion Control, 370 pp.
Vijayakumar, R., Mansfeld, F., Henry, R.: 1989, Investigation of the Effects of Acid Deposition on Materials, A4-110-32 and A5-137-32, ARB, 142 pp.
Watson, J., Chow, J., Egami, R., Bowen, J., Gertler, A., Lowenthal, D., Fung, K.: 1990, Measurement of Dry Deposition Parameters for the California Acid Deposition Monitoring Program, A6-076-32, ARB, 70 pp.
Wesely, M. L.: 1989, Atmos. Environ. 23, 1293–1304.
Williams, M. W., Bales, R, C., Brown, A. D., et al: 1995, Biogeochemistry 28, 1–31.
Williams, M. W., Brown, A. D., Melack, J. M.: 1993, Limnol. Oceanogr. 38, 775–797.
Wolford, R. A.: 1992, Integrated Hydrochemical Modeling of an Alpine Watershed: Sierra Nevada, California, HWR 92-040, University of Arizona, 397 pp.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Takemoto, B.K., Croes, B.E., Brown, S.M. et al. Acidic deposition in California: Findings from a program of monitoring and effects research. Water Air Soil Pollut 85, 261–272 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00483706
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00483706