Acidification in Tropical Countries

This volume aims to provide a comprehensive overview of what is known about acidification of the tropical environment. It examines current and potential future impacts of emissions of sulphur and nitrogen oxides into the tropical atmosphere through industrial and agricultural activities. Such impacts include acidification of air, rainwater, surface waters and soils as well as formation of ozone in the air that may occur over wide areas giving rise to harmful effects on humans, animals, plants and various construction materials. The first part of the book reviews the basic processes occurring in air, water and soils drawing partly on experiences from studies in the already heavily acidified regions in Europe and North America. The latter part contains a series of case studies focusing on a number of specific countries in the tropics.