Threats from above: air pollution impacts on ecosystems and biological diversity in the eastern United States

source: Nature Conservancy
"No ecosystem type in the eastern United States is free of the effects of air pollution, according to a report released today by The Nature Conservancy and the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies. From streams and rivers to forests and wetlands, air pollution reduces the benefits these ecosystems provide to society, and damages human health and economies. Sulfur, nitrogen, mercury and ground-level ozone not only contaminate the air we breathe, they also enter the soil and water, causing a complex set of problems."