Abstract
As a result of the demography of the country, geographic isolation and use of predominantly low-sulfur fuels, Australia does not have a high potential for acid deposition. Industrial emissions are small in scale compared with open sources, consequently the role of arid inland sources of ions in buffering anthrogenic sources of acidic ions is important at a regional scale. Industrial emissions have produced acid rain at some locations but studies suggest a local problem with few regional influences in Australia, and data show a higher average pH of rainfall than reported in North America and Europe. Emissions of NOx are largely urban, but SO2 emissions are associated with urban and industrial areas, most notably a relatively small number of very large metal smelting and power generation sites, often in remote arid areas with little rainfall.
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Murray, F. Acid rain and acid gases in Australia. Arch. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 18, 131–136 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01056197
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01056197