Acid Rain
The first Science Links™ project began in late 1999 as a team of 12 scientists convened to review and analyze existing data on acid deposition. Acid deposition research has been a long-standing part of the Hubbard Brook Ecosystem Study. Because choices regarding air pollution continue to be made at the local, state and federal levels, summarizing research for policy-makers and the public is vitally important.
In March 2001, HBRF released its first Science Links™ report, Acid Rain Revisited. The report was based on a peer-reviewed journal article published in BioScience. Acid Rain Revisited and the BioScience paper were released at a large press conference. Because of the report’s quality presentation of the issue, the media portrayed the scientific information accurately almost across the board.
Since HBRF initiated this Science Links™ project, we have conducted more than 20 briefings with policy-makers, co-sponsored a major conference on the effects of acid deposition on the forest, generated worldwide media coverage in 300 outlets, and increased the topic’s visibility in Congress. This Science Links™ project has been a great success. HBRF will continue to bring accurate scientific information on acid deposition to the public and policy-makers.
Publications
- Acid Rain Revisited (pdf)
- Acid Rain Fact Sheet (pdf)
- Summary: Acidic Deposition in the Northeastern U.S. (BioScience,vol.51,no.3,2001)