ABSTRACT
Acid rain is recognized as a serious pollution problem in many industrial areas of the world. In Ontario, the effects on aquatic and forest ecosystems are well documented. This chapter provides an assessment of the possible implications of acid rain for regional agricultural production in Ontario. It describes the sources and current distribution patterns of acid rain in Ontario and the effects of acid rain on aquatic and terrestrial systems. The possible impacts on selected crop yields are discussed and estimates of the effects of acid rain on regional agricultural production are presented. Assessing the effects of acid rain on production requires information on both the levels of rain acidity in a region and on the amount by which current production may change in the region at the specified acid rain levels. Crops affected by acid rain exhibit a similar spatial pattern of yield response across the counties in Southern Ontario, but the magnitude and direction of the response varies.
