Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Table 3.1
Emissions of sulphurous gases for selected countries.
can also contribute to the establishment of
critical loads. The data so far analysed, for 1988-
93, indicate that no regional trends in terms of
increasing or decreasing acidification have
occurred. It is also recognised that monitoring
networks should be established in newly
industrialising regions. For example, Yagishita
(1995) reports that the Japanese Environment
Agency is considering such a network in East
Asia; this highlights the need for baseline data
before significant acidification occurs and
emphasises the international and geographical
nature of the problem.
CASE STUDIES
The acidification of lakes
This is a serious problem in the Northern
Hemisphere, especially in regions of acid bedrock
such as parts of Scandinavia, Scotland, southwest
Canada, northern Russia and northeast USA (see
Figure 3.4). In addition, numerous studies of lake
sediments in these regions provide a means of
constructing pollution histories, which have also
contributed to the establishment of the causes of
acidification. Much of this research has been
