Winter Rain In Columbia Gorge Nearly As Acidic As Vinegar, Study Shows

[hatrack]

"The Columbia River Gorge, protected as a national scenic area for its rocky landscapes and natural vistas, endures acid rain and fog as severe as what falls in industrial East Coast regions. Air pollution from Eastern Oregon and Washington laces gorge clouds with some of the nation's highest levels of certain harmful compounds, turning fog and drizzle nearly as acidic as vinegar, new federal research shows.

Gorge fog and rain collected over four months ending about a year ago were typically as caustic as in Pittsburgh, for example, and commonly 10 times and sometimes 30 times more acidic than usual Northwest rainfall.

Those levels are known to injure trees and wildlife, though minimal research has been done to document the extent of ecological damage in the gorge. Acid brews as air funnels west through the gorge in winter, bringing exhaust from cars, trucks, trains, power plants, cattle feedlots, factories and other sources to the east. Clouds absorb the pollution and deposit it through the gorge, mainly in acid fog droplets.

"We were definitely surprised how high these numbers were," said Mark Fenn, an air quality researcher who oversaw the study for the U.S. Forest Service. "We can't say when the trees will start to show detrimental effects, but definitely the soil chemistry is changing, and the effects are beginning."

Acid fog poses special risk when it blankets Native American petroglyphs and pictographs hundreds or thousands of years old. Gorge moisture is commonly as acidic as rain known to be eroding revered buildings and monuments in Washington, D.C. Volcanic rocks in the gorge have a different composition, so it's unclear how vulnerable they are. But regional tribes said they're convinced their cultural sites, as well as plants and wildlife they depend on for food, have been harmed.

"If it destroys rock, what does it do to the animals, the birds, the vegetation, the humans?" said Clifford Casseseka, cultural specialist for the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Indian Nation of the Yakama Reservation. "They're not really looking at the big picture."

EDIT

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/front_page/1112695109167101.xml

[blindpig]

1. cannot be good for the salamanders

That region is a center of distribution for salamanders. Amphibians are very touchy about that sort of thing, permeable skin.

But who the fuck cares?

[politicat]

2. Argh. Is the rain acidic or caustic?

I hate science writers who use terms imprecisely.

And as acidic as vinegar? They're saying it has a ph of 3?? actually... no.... According to the article, it has a ph of 4.3, and since the scale is exponential....

It's bad - the rain in that area runs around a ph of 5 - but it's not so bad as it could be.

Science writers should be forced to take science classes.