Taking the Sting Out of Acid Rain

摘要

The water in Brooktrout Lake is getting a bit murky these days. Two decades ago, visitors could see up to 16 meters down, clear to the bottom of this remote lake nestled high in the Adirondack Mountains of New York state. Today, visibility is often just 5 meters. The cloudy water might be cause for concern in many places. But in the Adiron-dacks, it has sparked a cautious celebration. "The reduced visibility means there is more algae and plankton in the water-and that means life in Brooktrout Lake is starting to recover from acid rain," says biologist Clifford Siegfried of the New York State Museum in Albany, who has been studying the lake for more than 25 years.