Picture Perfect?

Picture Perfect?. Acadia National Park. , Sometimes air pollution obscures views like this from Cadillac Mountain and poses a threat to human health, Acadia’s water quality, and vegetation. A large percentage of the pollution comes from out of state. Converging air currents from the South and Midwest douse the Maine coastline with chemicals and small particles. Most of this ground-level ozone and particle pollution comes from the burning of fossil fuels by industry, power plants, and motor vehicles. Ozone levels are usually higher in the summer, but particle pollution can occur year-round. In the summer, increased sunlight drives the chemical reaction that produces ozone, sometimes spiking the levels of this harmful gas. Park resource specialists monitor Acadia’s air for pollutants and their effects on plants, water, wildlife, and humans.,

"Smokestack exhaust becomes acidic rains; air pollution becomes water pollution." , Catherine Schmitt, 'Tracking Acid Rain Across New England,' , Northern Sky News, November 2003

, Prevailing southwesterly winds carry pollutants here from industrialized areas in the South and Midwest., Your actions at home can affect Acadia’s air quality. Can you reduce your carbon footprint?