Advances in scientific understanding since the passage of the 1970 and 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments
The first Science Links™ project began in late 1999 as a team of 12 scientists convened to review and analyze existing data on acid deposition. Acid deposition research has been a long-standing part of the Hubbard Brook Ecosystem Study. Because choices regarding air pollution continue to be made at the local, state and federal levels, summarizing research for policy-makers and the public is vitally important.
In March 2001, HBRF released its first Science Links™ report, Acid Rain Revisited. The report was based on a peer-reviewed journal article published in BioScience. Acid Rain Revisited and the BioScience paper were released at a large press conference. Because of the report’s quality presentation of the issue, the media portrayed the scientific information accurately almost across the board.
Since HBRF initiated this Science Links™ project, we have conducted more than 20 briefings with policy-makers, co-sponsored a major conference on the effects of acid deposition on the forest, generated worldwide media coverage in 300 outlets, and increased the topic’s visibility in Congress.
Publications