The International Conference on Acid Deposition, Acid Rain 2005, will be the seventh in a series on the effects of air pollution and acidification of ecosystems. These conferences have been held every five years since 1975.

Enormous environmental progress has been made since 1970 towards a cleaner atmosphere, with sharply reduced atmospheric emissions of a number of pollutants, especially sulfur, in Europe and North America. Considerable insight has been gained about the history and modern extent of atmospheric pollution through monitoring and various natural archives. The long-term effects of acid rain on terrestrial and aquatic systems are also better understood.

However, many questions remain to be answered. The recover of surface water and, especially, the recovery of forests and forest soils, have not progressed as expected, because of confounding influences related to climate change, non-acidic pollutants and continuation of nitrogen emissions. New regions of the globe, particularly in Asia, are experiencing increasing levels of industrial emissions which can significantly influence soils and waters in the near future.

Acid Rain 2005 marks a transition from "Acid Rain" being viewed somewhat in isolation, to its being seen as integrally linked with climate change, land use, biodiversity, and human health.

Website: www.acidrain2005.cz