Liming of Acidified Surface Waters : a Swedish synthesis

Acidification is one of the most serious environmental problems - especially in Sweden, which suffers most from the consequences of acid rain. Besides international negotiations to reduce sulphur emissions - 85% of the acid load on Sweden can be traced to emissions from outside the country itself - the Swedish Government has employed large-scale, operative liming activities to counteract acidification of surface waters. The scientific results show that - although acidification cannot be solved by liming alone - the measures taken resulted in substantial improvements to around 8,000 Swedish lakes and watercourses. The idea is that other countries affected by acidification may also profit from this experience.