Ambio's legacy on monitoring, impact, and management of acid rain This article belongs to Ambio's 50th Anniversary Collection. Theme: Acidification

Early studies published in Ambio showed large-scale acidification of lakes in southern Sweden and Norway from acid rain. These studies were important for delimiting various scientific issues and thus for eventually contributing to legislation, which reduced emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides and helped to mitigate this major environmental problem. Long-term studies and monitoring in Sweden and Norway and at Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in New Hampshire helped guide this legislation in Europe and in the USA.

Automated summary

Early studies on acidification of lakes in southern Sweden and Norway led to legislation reducing emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, guided by long-term research in Sweden, Norway, and the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in New Hampshire.