Effect of acid rain on the soil environment: A review

This paper reviews the literature on acid rain, with emphasis on soils and leaching of soil elements. Several questions still exist concerning the effects of atmospheric acid deposition on soils: 1) does acid rain enhance mobilization of harmful heavy metals in soils which could leach into the groundwater; 2) does acid rain accelerate the kinetics of weathering of primary minerals and of secondary clay minerals in soils which would release large quantities of Al, Fe, and Si into the groundwater making it unfit for human consumption; and 3) do the beneficial effects of acid deposition outweigh the negative effects or vice versa? Literature pertaining to these questions is addressed in this review.